Ouroboros Spine xlvvi. ringing in my head, when you broke my chest

adrastus was indeed quiet. his silence was the growl of a drum behind the frenetic energy surrounding her sister. and it was not a sound she had ever sensed in his spirit. something had changed adrastus while he was away. the man who had left them was devoted to moonglow. the man who had come back now brought the cloudberry woman to tears again.

it was not her place to know the words they had shared. but lótë gave them all the same. kukutux listened steadily as the story of what had happened was shared: adrastus claimed this place as his own, and saw that the gods had unmade one of their children.

"if the qualupilik has changed one of your children, it is for a reason. twice it touched mine. kausiut too, has been given less." it was the first time she had spoken aloud of it to another, and her voice shook a moment, but moonwoman gathered herself.

"and the man who was sivullik would not dare to put words against a child of my own." so long as adrastus did not speak, kukutux would draw her own conclusions. "we will help you." the greenstone eyes turned toward the darkness, no harder than before. confusion still was writ onto the scarred muzzle.

"brother. speak to the men in the village. speak to me." but as she faced toward the shadows where the man was quiet, moonwoman motioned for her kinsman to come forward and take whatever child lótë would hand to him. young ones belonged to their mothers first. a man became a father truly when he was able to teach. and at this hearth, in this time, the duck did not think such strife would teach good things.

struggling between the overstep and the want to turn away, to leave them to their own finding, she straightened. more words came to her but she did not speak them. the silence would stretch until the others had begun to turn away and she would go with them, bearing one of the cloudberry wolf's children to their first ulaq.