Big Salmon Lake kuak ⛣

through her sidelong glance, kukutux allowed herself another admiring look at jarilo, in a comfortable silence punctuated only by the splash of their feet in the water. "i have not been to the island," the duck revealed slowly, "but aiolos is known to me. he is leader there with hua, who is empress." did jarilo know of the woman ying who had inspired more strife between arcturus and revui? she found she did not wish to mention it again, so peaceful was their time here together. "they are different. their way of speaking and of being, but not so different that we cannot be companions."

at length, the wife gathered her confidence to brush against his wet shoulder once more, hoping to command his attention in a softer way. what she wished to say was not something that she had said before. several times she glanced into the steadying viridian of his own gaze before her features lightened in a shy grin. warm beneath the eyes of jarilo, kukutux murmured, "perhaps when the snow has passed into the rivers, i will be mother in our ulaq again." bold, but it was the privilege of a wife, and especially one already mother to a son.