The Heartwood inuusik ✾
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#1
maybe an @Astaroth? <3 lmk if this breaks ur timeline!

the fire had ended a fortnight ago, but kukutux had only felt self-trusting enough to leave moonspear now. and she had chosen a beautiful time. all around her the slopes of the pretty land leading up to her home were coming alive with the hardy wildflowers, and she stopped from time to time, observing the various birds and naming them to herself with the first tongue.

around her shoulders the ever-present skin, this time a strip of doehide she had chewed and chewed to make soft. kukutux paused for a drink within a place that bristled with the scent of moonspear, and then went on. she was coming upon the lands she had known the past year, and as the girl paused before the heavy old weald, she felt her heart ache with a vague remembrance.
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#2
<3

a sheet of budding wildflowers enveloped his vision as he rounded the meadows that lead to the ashes of a fallen woodland, his desire to explore the burnt kingdom pushing his paws forward with great haste. last time he'd visited visited the heartwood, rosencrantz had stolen his attention away. this time, it appeared a stranger would do the same.

the sight of ivory and faint scent of deer caused his focus to sway from the ashen forest and instead drift over to the pale wraith draped in the skins of what he assumed had been her last meal. to say the least, he was taken aback. never had he seen such behavior before, though admittedly, he found her foreign taste in drapery to be aesthetically pleasing. and so he stopped where he stood and offered only a few curious blinks in her direction, his attention set upon the gnawed hide atop her shoulders.
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#3
was this where she had met the spirit? kukutux remembered how she had begun to speak with ghosts upon the mouth of the sea. that was in the months after she had left cry, and felt her form suffused with a power to which she had not returned. it had been too frightening, too masculine. kukutux had feared it would anger the spirits.

still, the memories remained. she took a step, then as the weight of a gaze settled upon her, turned springmint stare in that direction. she had grown accustomed to the boundless masculinity of the ostregra brothers, and so did not expect the tread of a strange man.

a flinted tuungak, watching her with giltcoin eyes and an open curiosity. 

kukutux dipped her shy muzzle politely. "i greet you," she called across the small distance, wanting to be mannerly despite her retiring ways.
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#4
inky ears twitched at her foreign greeting, the uniqueness of it causing a curious twist to mold along his features. "i greet you too?", he replied back with a tilt of his head, as though asking if that were the correct response.

his attention fled from the details of her feminine form back to the hide that sat comfortably atop her ivory shoulders. "is that for decoration or for hunting?", he wondered aloud with a motion to the doehide. the way is clashed against her pale coat had certainly caught his attention, but astaroth imagined there was some unspoken benefit to hunting with pelts that might suppress your scent.
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#5
he greeted her in kind, pleasant despite his status as stranger. kukutux felt a smile slip onto her muzzle. the man gestured to the hide, and the duck paused for a moment before answering, "both." gesturing expansively to the weald before them, the moonspear wolf looked back to him.

"i can put herbs inside it, to carry home. this one will be a thing for children. to chew," kukutux tried to explain, small teeth showing in a shy grin. her springjade eyes surreptitiously flitted to his features, though she was painfully aware of the breach in inner propriety. a married woman should not be alone with another man. it was disrespectful. why had she come all this way?
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#6
his mind had not wrapped around the idea that it could have been for both uses, and yet was pleasantly surprised when she revealed such truth. "that's neat" he announced with obvious admiration, a glint in honeyed eyes revealing the curiosity that bubbled within.

"can you teach me?" he wondered, brow raised with the hope she might be willing to spare him a moment of her time. "how to prepare the hide i mean, so that i might use them too", he went on to further explain. he was not so crafty to be able to strip skin from flesh as smoothly as she had, but if she was willing to teach, then he was eager to learn.
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#7
she did not understand these men. but jarilo was interested in the same, and plants as well. perhaps it did her no favors to be surprised when the stone-man asked after her craft. "yes," kukutux agreed, falling into a bartering spirit. "in my land, we trade." she watched him carefully, wariness ebbing.

"if you help me to hunt, i will show you what to do with the skin," the duck offered. closer, he was a storm-battled cloud, and his eyes glowed approvingly, shafts of sunlight through rain. she wondered from where he had come, even as she gave her companion a light nod and moved into the shaded woodland.
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#8
her acceptance of his request was met with a toothy grin, one that echoed enthusiasm and fondness for her willingness to teach. "deal", he agreed without so much as a second thought. she could keep the flesh and he the skin, a fair trade for what she would offer to show him after their hunt was complete.

he followed where she lead, his attention locked onto her pale form as the pair of them made their way through the weald. "did someone teach you about the skins, or did you learn yourself?" he wondered aloud with a curious arch of his brow, voice hushed as to not scare off any possible prey that may linger near to them.
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#9
"my mother. she ... hmm ... educated me to know many things about how to be head of your own ulaq." kukutux did not know why she spoke so easily, only that it was a relief to do so.

"you take the skin from the meat and turn it over. you chew the other side till it is clean. and then leave it in the eye of the sun spirit to dry." 

her words were like a waterfall that kuktutux cut off sheepishly, going mute in apologetic embarrassment and glancing off toward a faded game trail.
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#10
"ulaq" he let out in a hushed whisper, tasting the foreign syllables atop his tongue for the first time. he had no idea as to what the word meant, and gave a questioning glance in the sylph's direction as he turned to follow her down the trail.

"won't it rot if left in the sun?" he questioned, curious as to the science behind her method. his only experience with furs had been tearing through them to gain access to flesh. the idea that they could withstand the decay that he saw so often among carcasses completely flew over his head.
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#11
but he was not perturbed. he continued to be interested, and kuktutux felt herself flushing rose-like beneath her pallid coat. "it is like a round den. you can put things upon its roof."

"for the skin, if you remove the fat it does not rot as quickly. you only leave it a short while, and then you use your teeth to soften it."

eventually hers would be worn down from a life of grinding leather, but for now the duck would enjoy her small abilities. slender muzzle tipped to the ground, overtaken by a small grin. "i did not tell my name to you. i am kuktutux."
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#12
his mouth fell agape as golden eyes widened at the explanation of the exotic word. while he couldn't see the purpose behind draping the ceiling of a den in decorations, the inky ghoul liked to imagine the sight was very welcoming and homey. as she goes on to further educate him on the knowledge of her craft, he turns to offer a cheerful sway of his tail in silent appreciation for all that she has taught him so far.

"kukutux" he says aloud, testing her name upon his lips before he commits it to memory. "i'm astaroth" he introduces with a spirited smile, attention briefly slipping from her pale form to the trail of some unnamed prey they'd been fortunate enough to stumble upon. "this way", he calls out with a gesture of his smoky muzzle to the east.
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#13
"astaroth." his name fell in unfamiliar syllables; her clipped tongue struggled with it, but only momentarily. kukutux was content to follow, small paws carrying her after the man. she paced at his side, silent for the time being as she attempted to identify the scent. "tuttuktuk," the waterbird murmured. "fat. teeth that point up," the girl went on, trying to describe the musky boar that made dark forests its kingdom.

they were dangerous, but she was thrilling with the idea of being included upon a hunt normally only men would take. women hunted small game. their mates and fathers and brothers went out to kill larger beasts. but there were no other males here, only kukutux and astaroth. would it be enough?
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#14
he dips his muzzle low to breathe in the scent of their target, honeyed eyes narrowing as she goes on to describe the tusked beast. "boar." he'd never downed one of them personally, but was well aware of the dangers that came with hunting them. they were fast, crafty, and had a set of chompers that could dish out some serious damage if the two of them weren't preforming at their best.

with that all said, he thought himself and the pale sylph to be more than capable of downing one. "i'll distract it while you go in for the kill?" he suggested with a tilt of his head, curious as to whether or not she may want to switch roles or go with a different plan altogether.
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#15
her expression filled with a naked surprise at the suggestion astaroth proposed. he was hunt leader. why let a woman less experienced than a boy determine the outcome of their stalk? 

could kuktutux be a woman like hydra, powerful and skilled outside what men said she might? would jarilo take offense to her returning home with such? the duck did not think so, but thoughts of her new husband trilled distractingly in her skull for a moment.

a nod, and she began to cut a pale shadow through the undergrowth in imitation of what she had seen hunters do before.
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#16
despite her shock at his initial proposition, she makes no aim to suggest otherwise. he tosses her a nod in return before moving off to position himself upwind of the boar, hoping to catch the creature off guard and lure it's attention away from the pale sylph.

his plan works. two black beads glimmer with distress and frustration as he lurks near to the beast. he takes one step forward and then steps two back, his dance anything but elegant as he taunts and teases their unsuspecting prey.

a flick of his tail signals for kukutux to begin her approach, but it is cut short by the sudden burst of energy that erupted from the swine. without so much as a moment's notice, the tusked beast launched itself forward with the intention of running directly into the inky hunter, it's head low and body bracing to make impact.
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#17
kukutux would have preferred to gather herself beforehand, but the darting of the heavy beast galvanized her. the waterbird sprinted directly for the creature, arcing around to slam headlong into its shoulder. an attempt to arrest the gallop for astaroth, and a snap of her teeth to follow.

the boar threw its head up as it stumbled aside, caught-off guard; one sharp tusk sliced across kukutux' shoulder, bringing blood to spring bright against her pale fur. she gasped, grit her teeth, swung it for another blow.
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#18
he had never intended for her to be the one to take the blow. he had offered himself up as the distraction to prevent such a thing from happening, and yet his plan had failed anyways. inky ears splayed backwards as they pressed flat against his skull at the sight of her wound, a frustrated huff escaping him as he charged forward, fully taking advantage of the beast's focus upon the pale sylph.

his aim struck true, and soon the familiar taste of metallic crimson bled into his mouth through tiny pools along the boar's neck. the fight to end a life was never easy, and by the time their prey stopped kicking, astaroth himself was winded and out of breath. but that mattered little to him. "your shoulder!", he let out through exhausted gasps for air, concern painted clearly along his features.
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#19
astaroth's power carried him forward; kukutux was mesmerized as he took the reins of their hunt and wrestled the beast to a bloody end. she flanked him in that, reminded of moonspear's attempt upon the life of the savage stranger. light panting swelled her sides, and at his concern, the girl looked back upon her wound.

it dripped scarlet freely along the white canvas of her pelt, but kukutux shook her head. "it is all right, astaroth," the waterbird exclaimed breathlessly. "i have never worn a hunting mark before." small teeth shown in a grin toward his worried gold, and then she was digging her fangs into the beast again, tugging until blood washed away all remnants of fear.
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#20
even if she assured him she was aright, there was still some obvious doubt written across his features. it looked like quite the nasty gash, one she certainly handled well given the lack of scars along her pelt. and she was happy because of this? he let out a relieved sigh as he slipped back to inky haunches and turned to watch her tug at the slain beast.

he sucked in a breath while she began her work, only then noticing the slight discomfort along his side. a side stitch huh. he'd been what, four, maybe five months old the last time he'd gotten one of these. "i'd underestimated how nasty they could be", he let out as he glanced down to the lifeless boar. it'd certainly hadn't gone down without a fight, that's for sure.
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#21
the slash was beginning to hurt quite a lot, but kukutux refused to be weak. she cut at the beast's meat and hide deftly, exposing the organs as her chest and forelegs began to stain a new ochre. this was man's work, and she was girlishly breathless to be trusted with such. 

a glowing glance to astaroth now. "i have never been so close to one," the duck exclaimed without a hint of her usual reserve. "now perhaps i am hunter too." a mark, the taste of boar-blood upon her teeth. was this how he felt often, felling prey each day for himself? kukutux licked blood from her paw, eyes falling shyly upon her companion now. "you are strong. brave. i will trade you a word for his spirit," the girl went on, remembering the first trader she had known. "this moon we are in is "nattian," kukutux murmured. "'moon of the baby seals.' my people always marked the months this way."
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#22
in all his time away from his homeland and with all the friendly faces he'd met, not one had caught his interest as quickly as kukutux. from her fascinating way with pelts to her even more interesting use of vocabulary, it was easy to say astaroth found himself captivated. "you're a hunter alright. a good one too", he let out with a firm nod. she'd done well, a worth partner in his opinion.

a faint warmth rose to his cheeks at her compliments, for it was not typical for him to be referred to as strong or brave. he continued to listen, ears upright and eyes full of curiosity for what she had to say. "nattian", he repeated aloud as he cast a curious glance in the pale sylph's direction, silently wondering if she would share anything else.
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#23
nattian, astaroth repeated back, and kukutux thrummed with pleasure. both the sound of the word and his compliment lit her features until a smile emerged. "i thank you, astaroth." the man was attentive; she lowered her small head to arch around, aiming a lick at her wound that fell short.

"we do not say goodbye or good morning. we say 'something is happening tomorrow. something is happening this morning.'" kukutux lapped blood from the edge of her jawline. "ullaakkut," the duck said instead, a sudden bittersweetness trembling along her lips. "it is good to speak these things."
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#24
he listened and wondered as she spoke, the curiosity and interest in his eyes shining bright with each choice of word. he'd always held a fascination for different languages and cultures, and held an even bigger appreciation for those who were willing to share their stories or teach him their ways.

"ullaakkut", he repeated after her again, though did not quite speak it as gracefully as she. "i'll remember this." he'd practice too, both the words she'd shared and the knowledge she'd taught him on the skins. "will you teach me more sometime? i'll bring gifts in return." furs, feathers, flowers, he'd find something to repay her with assuming she'd agree to teach him.
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#25
kukutux gave an eager nod. she was pleased he had accepted, relieved he did not think her foolish or otherwise. who might know a man's mind before he spoke? "i would like this, astaroth," she murmured gently, somewhat breathless at this notion.

a man who found the lessons the duck might impart to be worthy of payment. another dip of her head, and then upon a whim kukutux ducked her muzzle and plucked the hide from where it had fallen during their hunt. to the hunter she offered it, eyes bright with encouragement above its softened surface. a way of peace. a bartership for more.
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