Moonspear agnaurak ✢

kukutux could not stop her gaze from widening with a brief, naked surprise. of all the things he might have said, the girl had not taken jarilo to be agatkuk. there was more to it than knowing flora, she supposed, but he had caught her off-guard.

there was a renewed intrigue within the springjade of her eyes. kukutux leant forward over the rabbit's remains. "lyra." it sounded somewhat like the name of their ruler. "she is your ... sister?" the Iittle she-wolf guessed, but her focus was upon jarilo. men of her clan did not tend plants. a hunter would know what was good to eat if his hunt took him far before he had killed, but beyond that, it was the work of women to tend the growing green.

her fascination remained unveiled, downcast manner quite gone for now. kukutux felt laughter wanting to begin, but kept it locked away. "i have never met a man who knew about plants," she said. "or one willing to listen to the wisdom of women." a more somber remark, but it elevated jarilo in her silent estimation.

if his expression changed, she caught only a glimpse before the man placed it beneath a question. this time kuktutux openly paled. jarilo had said he enjoyed plants and had knowledge of them. why would it not extend to more of an ease about female events? the spirit clucked its tongue, but the duck decided to answer. "soft moss for blood. seeds for pain. good sticks for the mother to bite when she feels the head of the first child begin to emerge."

she watched him closely for any signs of disgust, still perturbed by his question, but jarilo had already proven himself to be a different kind of man.