Qeya River tukisiviit ⩅

for @Ensio! moved her closer to dfg :)

kukutux washed her paws of caribou blood in the small lake tucked against the glacier. around her in a semi-circle rose a pine forest.

unbeknownst to her, duskfire had been changed in a heavy way.

in three days' more time, her skins could be stretched and chewed again. it took nine days to prepare caribou pelts. and it was for this reason that kukutux had been taught so many songs!

moonwoman smiled to herself, closing her eyes for a moment to better seek the memory.

The Glacier had visitors. Allies. Ensio knew this. It was not lost to the boy. Little escaped his sharp eyed radar.  But with the upheaval of the death of his father and the suicide of his mother, his psyche was reeling. The only stability and form of certainty he found was in his brother, Arius. It was when he was with him, that he felt more grounded.

His anger still boiled. The wounds were raw. He needed an outlet. Finding that he was not yet ready to face Lane or Issorartuyok in fear that he would explode, he took off, beyond the boundary of Duskfire. He ran, pumping his legs furiously. He didn't stop, letting the burn in his muscles seep out, manifested as his pain and spite. It was good for him, this brutal exercise. He wanted to train, to grow strong so he might one day evolve into a formidable warrior. He ran on, unaware of the salty tears on his cheeks.

there was a boy running from the glacier.

kukutux felt that he had the look of wintersbane. his name had not yet been said. 

she watched as the child grew larger and closer. the scent of pinewood scathed by in his wake as the young wolf dashed past moonwoman.

she chuffed and followed, lengthening her stride into a run. "what has happened?" she called in her clipped accent, wondering if she should go back at once to duskfire. but moonglow had not been summoned. kukutux began to slow.

So caught up was he in his grief, in the furious tide of churning emotions, that he had not stopped to consider telling their allies of the tragedy that befell the Glacier. He barreled past her, a blur of silver and granite colors. So much like the terrain of his birthplace. So very much his father's son.

Her chuff, her voice, pulled him back to reality. Then she was beside him. White like snow, scarred but soft. Her appearance and air screamed motherly to him. His heart quaked while he slowed, paws all but dragging across the ground. For one so young, Ensio had a distinctly mature, masculine face. Hard, chiseled features. Piercing glacial eyes. All wrapped in a charcoal mask. 

"Gone." He breathed, his voice a husk. "They're gone..." Oh, as badly as he wanted to cave in and rush to her, to burrow his crown into her plush furs to weep and scream, he did not. Ensio was to be a warrior. He would fight his own battles, alone.

his face was older than he was, this boy.

kukutux drew closer with a soft sound. "who have you lost?" veteran also bore the look of wintersbane, but his mien was nurtured by lane. this young hunter was already touched by ice. 

she was reminded harshly of saviguk.

her breath stuttered and moonwoman pressed closer at last. "if you cannot tell me, then i will only tell you a story." she did not look toward the glacier. his cheeks were stained with saltwater.

He sunk down to his haunches, seemingly sapped of all his energy at once. The burn in his muscles reduced to a dull throb. He liked it. That meant his body was doing it's job. Getting stronger. His head followed suit to lower dejectedly between his shoulders. A lump formed in his throat. 

For what felt like a long time, he could not form the words. They would be too painful to utter, he feared. But a great part of him implored his tongue to move. Told him that getting this out, on some level, however great or small, would help. Would relieve some of the stinging pressure on his heart, if only by a fraction.

"My...father and mother both. Wintersbane and Tzila Duskfire." He clenched his jaw, hard. A pained expression, cutting so deep. "My brother...Arius. He is all I have now."

ah. so that was why lane had not said anything upon the borders.

still, a death. she felt that the healer would have told at least to her ears what had gone on.

but kukutux found that she did not know issoratuyok as leader. what if he had ordered such knowledge guarded?

moonwoman looked carefully at the broken boy before her. lane had mentioned that wintersbane had chosen another for his wife. this must be her son. and now she was dead. her heart ached for him.

"the kinship tie between two brothers is strong indeed. your spirit hurts now. but it will not feel this way forever."

He sighed. "We have a sister too. But I don't consider her such. There's...a foulness in her. She fled, shortly before they passed." While the Moon woman's affirmation that the tie between him and Arius would stay strong (for he knew it would) he was not so sure about his hurt.

"How will I know for sure?" He pressed. Emotions welled up anew in his eyes. "I have all these feelings. The man who took my father's place...I feel invisible to him. He's never reached out to me or my brother. I can't help but feel so angry..." Hot tears prickled at his eyelids.

kukutux feared the anger of boys.

too often it grew into the rage of men.

her mother's heart tore for the child. 

her woman's heart feared for those in front of this boy.

where had his sister gone?

"he is your chieftain now. you must go to him first," she urged gently. "wintersbane was a man who was good. and he was your father. there are many ways to honor your memory of him."

The vortex that raged inside him quieted, if only a little. On the outside, he seemed to reel himself in, to hone in attentively to the words of the Wise Woman. They made sense, and he knew it. "I will..." He breathed. "But not like this. I need to figure this out on my own. I don't want to cause unnecessary conflict."

"I will try to get to know him. To feel him out. See if I can trust him." It would be hard. The northerner was a man Ensio hardly knew. He wasn't even a native. He paused, seeming uncertain. "Would that be the right thing to do? To use my best judgment? Or...just...place my trust in him?" He reached out, so yearning for advice. With this pale stranger, he for some reason, just felt he could have faith in her word.

kukutux nodded.

she did not think that she had misjudged. but perhaps the spirits would guide this boy and his brother to a better trail of thoughts. "i have known issoratuyok for a time now. he is a good man. he is a teacher." perhaps her praise of the northern man might soften the boy.

"i am kukutux, moonwoman of moonglow village. we are your allies. i also made the knowing of wintersbane." she looked at the young wolf. "he had a great strength in him. his son will also have this."

Fade with this post?

Ensio felt some of the tension within him slip out. This beautiful white woman, called Kukutux, of Moonglow, was an ally to Duskfire. But that wasn't why he had felt this strange pull towards her. "I am Ensio Duskfire." He introduced, surprisingly cordial for a boy his age. 

"You knew my father...that makes me happy. I dreamt of my childhood with him." He made a face, looking away as he did so, but not one of total distaste. "You speak favorably of my Chieftain." When he looked back to her, a strong gale of cool air shot from his dark nose. "I feel like I can trust you, Moonwoman. I will give him the chance." 

He fell silent, before stepping forward close, on soft paws. He gazed up at her, seeking. His ears fell halfway, a barely audible whine coming from his mouth. Then, he drew close, pressing his crown into the downy white ruff of her neck. He missed a mother's touch. There was no substitute, but right now he followed the pull of his own heart.