Ouroboros Spine The seas part when they hit the floor.

Luck was not a word Sialuk felt for herself, but perhaps compared to the beast that stood before her, it was appropriate. She had anaa, and for that she was grateful. How bitter she might have been if she had lost Kukutux, too. She felt for the boy, wishing that she could somehow comfort him, but sensing that any attempt would worsen his state of mind.

I suppose so, she said. Perhaps someday, with time, his heart would warm. Right now, it felt hopeless. Words of welcome and comfort had done her no good with him, and she felt the optimism deflate from her being. In private, she would pray for him, for his heart, for his soul.

If you require anything, you may call upon me, she said, not wishing to push him further. It was then that she took her leave, an odd sense of failure nagging at her heart.