Shadowwyn Moor jēdiys

the air was crisp and biting, the kind of cold that burrowed deep into fur and lingered against the skin. morwenna’s silver eyes reflected the pale light of the snow-covered expanse as she stood upon the rise, her breath forming faint clouds with each exhale. her body was tired from the long journey back, but her spirit felt lighter than it had in many moons. the honeymoon with sun eater had left her not only as his wife but as a woman renewed—bound by love and purpose to saatsine.

the wind carried the scent of the herd, distant but present, a constant reminder of the life they shared here. but today, her mind was not on the caribou, nor even entirely on sun eater. she had a promise to keep, and a bond she longed to strengthen.

tilting her head back, morwenna loosed a call that resonated through the chilled air, her voice carrying with it a melodic strength. it was not the commanding howl of her husband, nor the cautious greeting of a stranger, but something warmer, more inviting. she called for @Ice Diver, her tone one of camaraderie and hope.

soon they might push up north again. she thought it must be before the snow became too think between here and there. the river would hold an unspeakable beauty, it would welcome them back for a time.

she wondered what the sea looked like.

her path took her away from any hunting when the call rang. strong legs worked through the moor without much fuss. it was likely she would have been thin with all this movement if not for their hunting. she was pleased to know this life provided, though.

you return! she beamed warm and wide, a strong waving arc of her tail. you will make him jealous, calling for me so soon. yet her voice was only teasing with a motion of her head to invite the healer close to her.

this way they might walk and talk in tones that did not invite listening ears.

morwenna’s silver eyes softened as she saw ice diver approach, the familiarity of the healer's gait a welcome sight amidst the moor’s quiet expanse. her own steps quickened, a rare eagerness guiding her until she stood close enough to bridge the distance with a gentle nuzzle, a gesture of kinship and affection.

tangruk, she greeted, her voice carrying the warmth of her smile. the words felt natural on her tongue now, a small triumph in her integration into the saatsine ways. it was a language she cherished, each phrase a thread weaving her further into this new life.

as their paths converged, morwenna let the silence between them linger for a moment, the crisp air filling the space. when she spoke again, her voice was quieter, thoughtful. how have you been? sun eater has taught me. i hope to learn more. she glanced at ice diver, her expression open and inviting. this was a moment for them, a reprieve from the demands of their shared lives, and she was eager to share it.

the greeting on the woman's tongue was not unfamiliar. sun eater made quick work of shaping this woman. he wondered if he held more warmth in private, if that made these iced caribou hunters melt beneath his roughened palms. she knew she had been forged in ice, had earned warmth in ways of not catching eyes.

she did not begrudge this woman for it, though. sun eater having a wife was good for all.

busy! but this is good for us. she admitted with a grin. busy bodies did not invite questions or much thinking. it meant things stayed calm, stayed focused on tasks given. i must learn first — does sun eater give you new name?

he must make her saatsine in all ways — or ice diver will.

busy, she agreed, was always good. k'edghildza did not like dull moments, and was often bored in her previous marriage to rhaegon since he insisted she be kept locked away. k'edghildza was seeing life before her for the first time, the rugged, brutal parts that she had been banished from.

k'edghildza nodded, bashful smile across her features. yikaas k'edghildza lanzadoii, she said full of pride.

do you like it? not that k'edghildza cared...

you may call me keda if it suits you better. for a friend.

she listened and in her name, she heard sun eater. naa'ayikaas, he had held in his name when she learned. now his wife held yikaas in her own. she admired the devotion shared between chieftain and hunter now.

i like it. you will be keda to me. a smaller smile on her face now. still as genuine as any other one she had given. and you will hear my own name in truth. she had named herself ice diver, but there was a name for her in caribou tongues.

tendezlakkak. she encouraged keda to try such now upon her own tongue, to taste the richness of lanzadoii. it means sharp claws swimming between piece of ice.

you will be keda to me.

her tail wagged unabashedly. how could it not? such a woman of high status amongst the caribou hunters, and k'edghildza was still just an outsider. an outsider who bore the ring of sun eater's enamour.

tendezlakkak. she said, and it came off like second nature. the ease at which the star eater had begun to pick up their language had her growing more and more confident.

in lanzadoii, she would attempt a sentence: ice...diver. we hunt, t-together?

she had never thought she'd prefer newer faces, ones that knew less than her. yet it bolstered her self esteem and status. it showed her that she had truly become one with the caribou — and that others could do it too.

we hunt. she offered with warmth and pride. watch the caribou. find the weakest. yet she knew she could easily rally numbers to their side if they found one beefy and hale, one that might sweep out hunger until they walked to the next place.

come! a barked command — if it could be called such, when she said it like an excited child to a friend — as she picked up her pace.

k’edghildza’s ears perked at ice diver’s command, her gaze snapping to the caribou in the distance. she nodded sharply, acknowledging the task with no hesitation, her breath puffing into the cold air like steam from a boiling pot.

yes, she replied, her tone firm, but tinged with excitement. her body shifted into motion, the energy rippling through her limbs like a taut bowstring. her movements were fluid, deliberate, her nose low to the ground as she stalked forward, scanning the herd with a calculating eye.

she followed ice diver's lead, her pace quickening to match the call to action. her focus honed in on the task, seeking the signs of weakness, the slight limp, the lag in pace, anything that would mark their target.