Ocean's Breath Plateau komatiq ∇

She did not attempt to say the words that he spoke. They were far too foreign, and she did not wish to mispronounce them. He did seem to misunderstand what she meant about fire, and a small smile curled her lips upward.

I have not seen fire, she said, but I know light and heat. I hear it is like the orange of the sunset.

He asked if she had another name, and Sialuk nodded.

I do, but it not meant to be shared, she explained. Atiqtalik was the name, but she had only heard it told to her once, by her mother. It was a sacred name, a spirit name. She could not remember all of the specifics, only that it was not to be shared.