Snowforest Taiga [feast] uluktuk ⋽

kukutux settled some ways off from the camp. it would only be for a short time. she wandered, her pale legs carrying her in a semi-circle just out of earshot of the others.

she had seen lane speaking with tuluuwaq. sialuk had not held interest for him. and she had thought that @Kigipigak would be with the duskfire woman now.

the tatkret brother was handsome and charming. lane had the status of wisewoman and healer in her village. kukutux wondered for the thousandth time why her kinsman waited, why he held so fast to the laws of tartok.

she thought of tulimaq, unmarried. alone. he was sivullik but what did he have of his own? did the winterhawk desire this life?

the duck paused, breath rising whitely as she looked toward the glittering night sky.

Forced to share the glacier leader with the rest of the wolves gathered in the valley, Tuulu had wandered into the crowd once more. 

The sight of the moonwoman in the distance, alone drew him from the other wolves. He wondered why she would be off by herself on such a night and worried something had upset her. Or maybe he was just reading too much into it all. 

Regardless, he trotted over and took a seat at her side. Kukutux, he greeted with a bow of his head. Are you enjoying yourself? he asked. She looked to have much on her mind, and he wondered if she needed someone to share her thoughts with. They didn't know each other well, but he felt as though they did.

when she blinked, tuluuwaq was there with her. "tulukkamasriak," the duck greeted, nudging him with her shoulder.

he was of the northern places. and so he was familiar, another kinsman to her and moonglow as issoratuyok also was.

"it is good to be feasting beneath the spirit world." she hoped that amid the dancing lights, the blackfox and their moon-hunter also dined in the warmth of sedna. "you have been with lane," she teased, deciding to be familiar with the man.

He smiled at the moonwoman's greeting, offering her a dip of his head in response. He liked how familiar she felt; she reminded him of home. 

Kukutux had picked up on the glacier leader's scent mixed into his coat—the possessive side of himself liked that. Tuulu's smile changed to something softer and he gave her a brief nod. Yes, I just left her company. It had not been his preference, but she had other wolves to meet with. 

He suddenly wanted her opinion on something; she was far more intelligent than he was. I want to get Lane something special, something she deserves, he explained. But I cannot think of anything that seems good enough.

kukutux thought of the white fur that kigipigak had given to lane.

did her sister know that two men wished to court her?

the thought pleased the duck. each of them had good things to offer. any choice between them would be a proper one, she felt. "lane is a woman who works. she sees the small parts of something. find something that has beauty and usefulness." 

it was a vague thing. she teased him with a flash of her small white teeth. "at my ulaq i have the bones and the antlers of many caribou. do you know the meaning of pauttuvik?" kukutux asked him. he was a man. they did not use such items, so she would not have surprise if tuluuwaq must be told what it was.

Ah yes, you are right, of course. He knew she liked to work, perhaps too much. Not that he minded; in fact, he admired that about Lane. Sometimes, though, it seemed she forgot to make sure she was taken care of too. 

Something that has beauty and usefulness. His mind raced as he tried to think of something that fit the description. 

pauttuvik. Tuulu didn't think he had heard of this before, so he shook his head. I am afraid I do not know what that is, he answered. Curiosity filled his dark gaze as he waited for her to elaborate.

"it is a rack to put things on. usually skins are placed there to hang and to dry. but they can be used for plants. for flowers."

it was a stationary object, meant to be put beside an ulaq.

something for a man to bring a woman he meant to be wife.

"the caribou antlers can be gathered together. in the village moonspear, i had a branch of pine."

Tuulu listened carefully as she described what pauttuvik was. It was used to dry skins, but what really caught his attention was that it could also be used to dry plants. 

That is something that would be very useful for Lane, he pointed out, although that was likely why she had brought it up. She is a talented healer, he added. So the gift covered the useful part, now he needed to make it have beauty too. His expression became thoughtful. He was, unfortunately, no good at being creative, but he would try his hardest.

"she is." she was a woman with her own status and talents.

if she chose tuluuwaq she would bind two families.

"walk with me," she invited him. "tell me a story that your the women of your clan gave to you." the sharing of these words was important. it was how their people found one another.

He silently obeyed her request, moving to her side to walk along the snow-covered ground. She wanted to hear a story from the women of his village. One story flashed into his mind first.

When I was still a pup, my mother would tell us of how our village came to be, he started. Instantly his mind brought forth the pictures he had always imagined in his head. Before our ancestors found our home, they had suffered much hardship. An angry deity made of ice had sprung up from the sea and destroyed their village. As a child this part had always scared him. The land they had settled on was never theirs to claim. The deity had carved it from the frozen land for his beloved, a beautiful spirit of the forest. The shamans had encountered her a few times and had never known her to be angry. But the sea god didn't care; he pulled storms from the sky and sea and threw them onto the village until nothing was left. They knew they must leave and never return and wandered the arctic lands for many moons, afraid to settle and anger something else. He paused and glanced to the moonwoman, curious what she thought of his story, but then continued. Finally when they could wander no longer—some of the women were close to delivering children and did not want to bring them into that life of uncertainty—the shamans connected their magic and convened with the spirits for many days, never stopping to sleep or eat. It was only when they had proven their devotion that they were shown a vision of their new home. The Tatkret smiled. They settled in time to welcome new life, and my village has never moved from the land. He stopped and looked to Kukutux again. Now he would wait for her to speak.

kukutux listened closely. this was not a tale she had heard before. tuuluuwaq's remembrance of all details set him apart from many men. it was a sign that he knew how to listen with all of his mind. therefore the story was more refreshing. 

angry spirits. women in the greatest power of their lives. the village making a kinship tie with the dead ones and those who had never before been flesh. all the members of their clan, for a bright, sharp moment connected to the drumming breath of the earth itself.

the duck's heart quickened. she was silent for many moments after this.

"your people are very powerful, tuuluuwaq." kukutux was reverent. "it is my wish that clan tatkret become part of this world. that your village becomes strong in name and honors the spirits in the same way. in this land."

Tuulu offered a nod of gratitude when the moon woman spoke of his people's power. 

That is my wish too, he assured her. It may not have been my reason for coming, but it is one of my reasons for staying. He also stayed to be close to Isso, and of course because of his feelings for Lane. 

I would like that for both of our villages, Tuulu told her. He secretly wondered if his brother had ever expressed any interest in courting Kukutux; they would make a good pair, and their children would be northern and strong. But he supposed that was a question better asked of his brother. Instead, he added: In the spring, I would like for the children of our villages to meet, if that is okay with Lane and my brother. We could tell them our stories.

kukutux smiled, her face shining with joy at the idea. "this is how we keep the old stories alive," she said softly, voice passionate. "we tell them to our children."

she bumped his shoulder gently.

"it is my wish that when we make a path together again, you are taataa to your own hearth." she expected he would think of lane, for she too was considering the healer.

kukutux quickened her pace. "let us go back. i would like to dance beneath the stars."

Tuulu's smile matched her own. It seemed they were both eager to pass their stories on.

The moonwoman nudged his shoulder and spoke of her hope that he might be a taataa this spring. Of course, he thought of Lane. He hadn't even considered children until recently as his feelings for the glacier leader grew into something far deeper than he thought existed. Now, though, as Kukutux brought it up, he couldn't help but think more seriously about it. 

He didn't dare divulge any of his thoughts with her, though, not before talking to Lane about it. Tuulu only offered her a small huff of laughter and a noncommittal grin. 

When his northern friend suggested they return to the feast, he nodded. She wanted to dance beneath the stars, and he thought of the time he had spent with Lane earlier—how they had done a dance of their own beneath stars; his heart raced. 

The feeling filled him with a burst of energy, and he bumped Kukutux's shoulder as he loped back towards the gathering. 

feel free to reply once more or archive as is <3