Dawnlark Plains cold nostalgia chills me to the bone

@Rala

A father gone, a cousin lost.

Yuralria returned to the wilds with nothing to show for her efforts except an immense weight of failure that sat heavy upon her shoulders. Nutu had been so young when she had disappeared. What was she like now? Was she even still alive? She tried to picture her cousin's face but saw only a blurred outline of auburn fur.

The stargirl trudged gloomily through the snow besides a trail carved by an old caribou, its scent a welcome distraction that served to ground her spinning thoughts. There was nothing more they could have done; all options had been exhausted and - from Yura's perspective - her mother needed her now more than ever. 

Pausing to examine the tracks, she noted an odd pattern as if the cadence of its trot had been altered by a limp. Perhaps that was why the beast had separated from its herd - a welcome opportunity for a hungry wolf.

caribou scent drifted on the winds towards the nomad, snow crunching carefully under delicate, cantering steps. her tail swayed behind her, and the hum of an old tune spilt from her lips in a somewhat distracted manner as she surveyed the landscape around her - quite possibly embodying the notion of one having a 'pep' in their 'step'.

but it was the smell of a stranger that heightened nanuralaaq's senses, if only for a short moment. her ears perked, pale eyes appeared to focus, as the world around her became sharpened. the snowwoman realised, now, that when she looked down, wolf prints had appeared besides the caribou tracks she had been following beforehand. another hunter.

with a mix of newfound weariness and a healthy dose of curiosity, rala continued forwards, inquisitive and also hungry. two wolves were stronger than one, and the extra teeth were certainly helpful in taking down such a mighty ungulate - she could only hope that the stranger had the same thought, rather than resorting to hostility.

it would take her a few more moments to reach the wolves' earshot.

In the brief moment of silence that followed her investigation, Yura's ears pricked to catch the faint crunch of pawsteps in the snow. Was she being followed? Hackles raised, the girl spared a glance over her shoulder to see a pale figure approaching at a steady pace.

If Yuralria hadn't been so far from home, she could have almost mistaken the strange woman for Kukutux were it not for the subtle grey shades that this one possessed. And her eyes; they were honey not jade. Bristling warily, the Nuiruk girl spun to face her shadow, a grumpy look plastered on her face.

"This is my hunt, y'know. And I'm not exactly in the mood to share." Vairë would be brought most of the meat once it was dried - and her sisters too if they were around. A caribou was no different to a deer, right?

she had been spotted, and it seemed that her presence was less than appreciated. it was not as if snowwoman did not understand why, though - from the others point of view, it could easily appear that she was making an attempt to steal this hunt, or to sneak up on a stranger. although, she had been following the scent long before another wolf came into the picture. tail waved horizontally from its base, neither high nor low.

neither dominant nor submissive. she spoke, lilting and melodic: i do not take, her approach was careful, now. prints shallow underfoot due to light, precise steps. expression held a gentle, almost reassuring gaze, although the way in which she drew her muscles, her limbs, foretold a hunters' experience. i help you hunt caribou. you decide, when hunt is over, if you wish to share. and i respect your choice.

two hunt better than one, she was close enough, now, to assess the woman, or more-so, girl, before her. young, she was. much younger than nanuralaaq, and yet it seemed that she would grow to be just the slightest bit taller than the snowwoman. for a moment, a wave of concern washed over her. this girl could not be any older than a year - where were her parents? her caretakers? though such questions would go unasked...

...for now. you allow me? to help?

The stargirl regarded the other coldly as she neared, noting the ripple of muscle beneath snowsoft fur. Though the strange woman was no bigger than herself, it was clear she was built to withstand the cold and to hunt the prey that ran here. Abashed, Yura glanced down at her own stick-like legs. Had they always been this skinny?

A sing-song voice pulled her from her thoughts and she took an explorative step forwards until she was almost nose to nose with the woman. Her demeaner was calm and non-threatening, and Yura soon allowed her scowl to soften to a more nonchalant stare. Two was better than one. "Fine," came her dramatic reply, "but only cause you were nice about it." While she remained stone-faced, the subtle wag of her tail betrayed her true thoughts. It was nice to have company.

Without waiting to see the woman's reaction, Yuralria turned swiftly back to the task at hand in time to conceal a soft smile from watchful eyes. The path here was fresh and not yet covered by snowfall and, as she trotted to examine a patch of grass scraped free by a hoof, her head tilted to look briefly behind. "I'm Yuralria by the way. What's your name?" 

tail swayed, then, shamelessly above her rump ; happiness evident on her face, following after the girl as she turned away. glad to be of help, to stretch her muscles, but more importantly, to keep an eye on this young lady. ensure that she did not get too injured by the sharp hooves and the broad antlers of the caribou. yuralria, her name was.

nanuralaaq, she replied, her pronunciation of the title immaculate, perfectly northern in all of its arctic cadence, worded like a song, like a dance upon her tongue. after hunt, you may call me rala. but not yet - now, i am cub of polar bear. a vulnerability such as her nickname must be earned. an important part of her identity, not something to take lightly, not while she was with immuksiugasuktiit, nor now.

she moved forwards, then, to examine the grass patch. heavy paws of reindeer were not at all discreet, and so the experienced huntress found the next set of hooves with ease, set within the ground like a landmark. this way, snowwoman instructed. the ungulate scent was growing stronger on the winds, now. alluring. she followed with precision.

Nanuralaaq. Rala. The name was easily translated by the Nuiruk girl even before the woman offered an explanation. "You speak my mother's tongue," Yuralria did not try to hide a look of surprise as the stranger pulled up beside her to investigate the trail. "Tukisiviit?" Not many beyond the Moonvillages spoke their northern language. From where did this woman come?

The more she observed her, the more fitting her name became. Soft whites and downy greys were reminiscent of the ice bears her anaanatsiaq spun tales of - though Yura had never seen one in the flesh. And her talk of names struck a chord within her. "Nanuralaaq. It suits you." Yuralria, dancing one, but she had another too. Qilaqnaq; she who looks beyond the sky. Her spirit name she kept nestled close, understanding it's importance though never quite grasping it's true meaning.

Her attention was recaptured at Rala's command, and the stargirl followed dutifully. While her ego disagreed, Yura's experience of hunting large ungulates was novice at best, and so it was almost out of instinct that she mirrored the woman's actions until the scent of caribou flooded her nostrils too.

"Tukisiviit?" tl; "Do you understand?"
hover kept breaking my code :')

stargirl was not the only one to experience shock, then. ears perked tall as she heard the word for 'do you understand?', to which she replied: ii, taimaippunga, giving a dawn-eyed blink, maybe two, before she tilted her head. yuralria - how had she not taken notice to the name sooner? an admission of fault washed over her face.

a grateful dip of her head at the claim of the name suiting her, to which snowwoman agreed. they moved onwards, focusing on the hunt once more, with rala leading the way. it would take them a few more moments, she thought, to catch up to the caribou - lone, she could gather. and so, conversation would be made: your mother's tongue, snow-cub begun, speaking in common just in case. how well do you speak it? fluently?

a hope, a wish, a dream. to resume her uqausirngaq, such a thing would be an honour, although she was uncertain to the child's ability of speaking it. northern syllables seemed to roll of the girl's tongue with ease, but how would their words fare upon it?

a few more minutes, until the beast would be upon them.

Yuralria's mouth split in a toothy grin as the ice bear woman confirmed her understanding. Out here, so far from home, her chest swelled with warmth to have found an inkling of familiarity in the stranger. Perhaps they would make good hunting partners yet. 

"Fluently," she confirmed in Inuktitut, ears pricked and eyes peeled for any sign of the beast they stalked. The sparse patches of grass were indicative of an animal still well enough to eat, but the severity of its injuries would soon become clear. For now, Yura made a mental note of how its scent drifted on the breeze. Judging distances was a skill she had yet to learn, but in time she was sure it would become second nature. 

"My anaa and her anaa speak it most, but my whole family knows it," her tail waved happily behind her as they made idle chit-chat, content to share more of herself if it meant Nanuralaaq may do the same. "Well, except for my dad. He's still learning." Valiant, where was he now? His hunt for Nutuyikruk had taken him on a different path and the stargirl had often prayed Sedna's gaze would never leave him. "To me, it is as natural as breathing."

Clearly very pleased with her new-found friend, Yuralria tilted her head in Rala's direction as if to flip the question back on her. Did she speak it well too?

speech like this will denote Yura's Inuktitut as it makes things easier for me c:

no worries !! let me know if you'd also prefer me to use the italics as an indicator for inuktitut, because that's perfectly fine to me if it's helpful !! <3

she must knew it well, to switch to the arctic tongue from common so easily. rala still found herself using the words of the nunavut peoples every so often, the northern phrases slipping into her day-to-day within these lands, where so many spoke the universal language. not this one, though, and so she smiled.

aup ingirraninga auk ingirraqattarninga, her musings were almost poetic, in a way. uummatima saalagiqattarmagu - ukiuqtaqtumiimmata, ukiuqtaqtumi ammalu uqanga uqausiuvattuq taikani. uqaqpunga, song-like in her proclamation, though volume lowered as to not disturb any nearby animals, and therefore doom their hunt. blood-scent was close, now. it smelt that the caribou had an open wound ; such a thing could be an advantage to the woman who stalked along. hunters. watchers.

she looked to stargirl, then. uqausittiavammarialuk. uvanga, upigusukpugut uqallagiaksaq, and, curiously, she asked: taimaatsainnaq isumavit, yuralria?

you're good!

Yura was met with a sunshine smile and her own eyes crinkled in response. The polar woman spoke the northern tongue in a way that was almost music to her ears - and reminded her painfully of Kukutux. Guilt gnawed at her belly; for leaving her mother and grandmother in a time of need. It was selfish of her and yet she had not been able to get Nutuyikruk out of her head.

A full-body shake settled her thoughts back to the caribou. Red stained the snow nearby and she tasted it curiously, returning Rala's question with a nonchalant shrug. "I don't know," she swiped her tongue across her lips, letting the taste fill her mouth and amplify her growing hunger. "Never really thought about that before. It has some cool phrases though - like nanuralaaq." She shot her friend a toothy grin. "Sounds clunky saying cub of polar bear, doesn't it?"

Movement ahead caught her attention and her gaze zeroed in on the figure of a lone caribou limping ahead. "Aya! There it is!"

a shake rattled the girls body, and so rala's browbone shot upwards for a moment, before drawing together in a face of weariness. though she would not question, she wondered what sort of thoughts had been coursing through yuralria's head to have her expel them in such a manner. nonetheless, pale maw remained shut, until she was asked a question.

nanuralaaq - yes, it is easier. less, ah, syllables, came the snowwoman's smile, common thick and accented on her tongue when she spoke it. she returned such a toothy grin, before returning her gaze forwards. spotting the movement just as her now-friend had, she flicked her tail against yuralria's rump in excitement, and also a command of silence. we be careful, came a hushed tone. injured can still mean dangerous.

they approached, now, and nanuralaaq's snowkissed tail flagged high above her rump, trying to scar the ungulate into fleeing. for, if they could spook him into running, he would tire himself out, and fall - especially with such a wound. rala circled it, now, a growl spilling from her dark lips, tail waving behind her. she looked to her hunting partner, who she hoped to be doing the same ; making an attempt to scare it into flight.

the chase would be easy - simple. he would not last long.

but it was dancing ones' hunt, and so, she would be patient.

Rala's jaded expression did not go unnoticed, nor did the the heavy accent that came with her common, and Yuralria made a mental note to try to speak more in their northern tongue for her sake. It must have been difficult to learn had she not grown up speaking it and, although the stargirl couldn't relate, she found herself sympathising with the bear woman. 

"Understood," she hissed quietly, the brief touch sparking exhilaration within her too. This would be her first big hunt and she was more than ready to sink her teeth into something bigger than a turkey. More than that, it was a chance to prove to herself that she was as capable as her sister, her mother and father, and the rest of her family.

Yuralria kept pace with Nanuralaaq, anxiety overshadowed by an instinctual need to kill. Mirroring the other's orbit, she let a guttural snarl tear from her throat as the beast stomped its hooves nervously. They were sharp and heavy and she didn't need to be told twice that a kick from one would hurt a lot - or worse. 

And while Rala kept the caribou distracted, Yura's gaze flicked to its mangled hind leg with a mixture of pity and admiration. A wound like that was a death sentence and yet it fought valiantly until the end.

ungulate knew he was threatened. beady eyes flickered, as did his attentive ears, stomping his hooves in a display of dominance, as if he were to say i am not scared of you! but such would be a lie, by the twitch of his tail and the weariness of his head, he was afraid, and he knew that the wound upon its leg was to be its death sentence.

so it ran. running would be the only chance it had to survive, but it would only take a few moments before the pain coursed through his veins, through his body, and he fell into the thick, powdery snow. nanuralaaq dashed forwards, teeth clamping around the neck of the fallen caribou. she detached for a moment as he struggled. bite, she instructed the dancing one, resuming her position. but it fought ; wildly, painfully.

caribou broke free again, quick to sprint away. soon to fall once more.

she would leave the rest of the hunt to yuralria. dancing one. she was young, and so she must learn. cub of polar bear would keep her safe from hooves, but her fangs must be bloodied. must learn the taste of the caribou, should she wish to survive the winters.

something ... maternal ... within the woman of the north.

A flurry of snow as the beast took off followed quickly by the pair of hunters. There was no hesitation to her actions now, confident in Rala's teaching to trust her call. Bite. And she did.

When the northwoman pulled away, Yuralria took her place at the throat of the caribou. Her teeth sank into its fleshy neck, red dribbling down her chin as her jaws tightened in euphoria from the hunt. 

A sickening tear as it broke free and fled again, only to collapse a few paces away.

The star watcher did as instinct commanded and bore down on the caribou once more - this time alone. Its struggle faded, its legs flailing weakly as she latched on for the final time. Seconds, minutes - Yuralria was unsure how long it took for the caribou's windpipe to close completely and the life to drain from its eyes.

But when it did, she stepped back with a proud, bloodied smile. "Its heart beats no longer."

and so the girl took command of the fight, hunters mark satiated with the sweet, scarlet ichor of the raging beast, sharp hooves no longer a threat as it lay lifeless, beady-eyed upon the grounds. nanuralaaq gave a deep nod of approval, grinning. now you eat ; and savour it, knowing that it is your strength that brought down the beast, her words carried an air of wisdom, of ceremony, for this was only the beginning of a rite of passage for this girl to become woman. a pride swelled within her chest.

but with an air of humour now, she said: the hunt is over. as i said, it is your choice, now, if you wish to share. i do not take, dancing one. i am no liar, either, snowwoman would say her goodbyes and find her own meal, if declined ; she was only glad that she was able to aid and supervise, for she had seen much death at the hooves of caribou.

Nanuralaaq was there in a moment and Yuralria greeted her with a steady wag of her tail, still riding the high from the hunt. Soon, the feeling would give way to aches and pains as her growing body healed the strain, but for now she burned with confidence and with gratitude. The beast had been felled at her teeth, but not without the bear woman's guidance.

"Eat with me, Nanuralaaq. I could not have done it without you." Her eyes never left the caribou's still flank. It was one thing to work the hide of a creature already felled; another entirely to whisper death straight to the source. She wished to give thanks for its life and for blessing her with a successful first hunt. Teeth nibbled its course fur, itching to tear into its flesh. "But first I wish to honour it's spirit," voice barely a whisper, "do you know how?"

she could see the pride, the glow of a woman made huntress, coursing through the veins of the girl before her. this was an admirable feat, a hunt worthy of praise, and so nanuralaaq would let her thoughts sing to the heavens and call for fortune and ever-lasting meals for the dancing one. she asked, then, of honouring the spirit of the beast, and so the snowwoman said: in the land of ox hunters, we thank the ocean for our meals, begun low, purposeful tones. they carried an unspeakable weight.

every river, every stream and every lake comes from her, the sea. she can be cruel, dark and raging ; her storms may destroy, may chew the bodies of the fallen and spit them back out amongst her black sands, for nanuralaaq had seen it. had known and felt loss, personally. but she is also the wind of change ; the salten breeze that guides us, as well as our prey, to the shorelines where they graze, come springtime.

she took in a breath, then, as she moved forwards. black nose found the course hair of the caribou, drawing herself from its crown to its neck, its back, its tailbone, following its long, firm spine. nanuralaaq's voice came in lilting whisper: thank you, creature of north, son of the sea ; your sacrifice does not go without gratitude ; your death does not go without purpose. your life, long, hard-earned, birthed by our all-mother, is decorated by us ; wolves of north, children of sea. you, our brother, feed us today ; give us life. for that, we thank you. may your soul return to sea, as we all once came. be free, a solemn kiss was planted upon the creatures' head. spiritual, in a way.

a lower whisper, now, as she repeated: be free.

when she raised her head, she gave yuralria an approving nod. it was heavy, firm, as if a weight laid upon her shoulders. now, we may eat, and so she would wait for the younger to take the first bite before she herself may follow suit. enjoy it, yuralria.

feel free to fade with your next! <3 love them ..!!!

rala!! ty for the thread <3

Yuralria fell into a contemplative silence as Rala began her ritual, listening intently to every word she spoke of seamother. Of Sedna. For a long time before, the stargirl had prayed blindly to their gods because she knew of nothing else. It was only now, as her friend caressed its spine as a mother would a child, that she began to understand. 

The ox-hunters that Nanuralaaq hailed from, the moonwolves of home, united under the shared understanding that life was a precious gift. To be thankful for Sedna's guidance and deliverance of prey, for in turn may she look favourably upon those that are loved and guide their souls to the sea when the time was right. 

In turn, Yuralria pressed her forehead to the creature's flank and breathed her own quiet prayer, glancing briefly to the woman before moving to take her fill. "Thank you," the sound came muffled around her meal, but the sentiment remained true. To share a meal with good company - she would enjoy it to its fullest.