Permafrost Hollows tanimaguq-liak ↦

If you're interested!

Kigipigak was on the hunt once more, and this time he ignored the caribou.

There had been no sign of @Nyra at the Killdeer camp where Kukutux worked. His next target would be the camp within the valley to the west, but to reach it he would have to cross the fields full of caribou, and that would put him in danger. No wolf in their right mind would cross through the core of the herd.

He moved instead towards the village of Duskfire, lingering beneath the cover of heavily whited-out trees. There were gaps in the snow's cover and green peaking through the shallow points, but for the most part Kigipigak fought through thick piles of snowfall, until he managed to climb atop a half-frozen section, one which did not give beneath his weight so readily.

There were no signs of caribou or the hunters here, as they both watched one-another in the valley. It was the perfect place for someone injured to hide out, which is why he chose to investigate it. If he were injured from a hunt gone bad - or a spar - it was the perfect refuge.

<3

 


Nyra had indeed retreated somewhere quiet to lick her wounds. 
After her fight with Diesel, she hurt a bit more than before. 

Stupid, stupid, stupid...

She perked her ears at the sound of footfalls through snow, upper lip starting to curl as she let out a low warning growl.

Kigipigak

As she noticed it was him and not some stranger, she quieted and licked her lips, flattening her hackles.

"I got into a fight with some weird looking mongrel. She didn't look like any canine I'd seen before. Fawny in color...some sort of shiny circlet around her neck...for once I didn't antagonize the brawl." She exhaled a soft chuckle and eased herself up into a slouched sit.

There were numerous places for small creatures to hide; many trees, some stumps, but neither of those would be ideal for someone as large as Nyra. Kigipigak wondered if there was a cave hidden somewhere that the woman might disappear in to — but he did not have to track her for much longer, for even with all the snow piled in the open places, it was hard to mistake her for anything other than wolf with all of her scars.

The fresh scent of blood had almost entirely left her, but there was the same rot-smell that had persisted since her arrival among the Moonglow wolves. As she came in to view with her scowling face, she called out to him an explanation.

Kigipigak did not like the look on her face when he found her; but soon enough she relented, easing out of the defensive posture. Nyra's body was marred with new marks, matted with old blood, and marked with a scent that Kigipigak could not identify.

I thought that you had found a caribou and went after it, against our agreement. He returned, looking her over where she slouched. Your trail was rich with blood. Whatever the reason, I cannot accept it.

She had been defending herself. But the real question for Kigipigak: what was she doing outside of the camp in the first place? His expression deepened in to a rare frown.

You were injured when you came to us. Kukutux has used the supplies of the village to mend you, and yet here you are with more wounds. It is not right. He spoke plainly. How will you repay the kindness of Moonglow?

Nyra watched Kigipigak as he came closer, his expression deepening into a frown she'd never seen before as he spoke.
He was right, and she bowed her head lower as he pointed out the fact of the matter. 

"I was starting to feel better and wanted to try and patrol around, to help out as thanks..." Nyra murmured in response. 
In her mind she had been trying to pay back the kindness of Moonglow, but with Kigipigak's words, she understood different now. 

"I'm sorry." She sighed after a pause, slanting her ears back with shame.

For the first time in a while, Kigipigak felt a spark of white-hot anger; that wasn't the right word for this sense of indignation at her answer, though. Righteousness, maybe. Disappointment also.

I do not want your apology, that is only a word, it does me no good. He watched her, the way she carried her shame and sank beneath it, letting herself become weak. No, if she was to be part of Moonglow and be useful, she would do away with this weakness.

Apologies are a sign of weakness. I did not think you were weak when we sparred the first time. You have survived until now with your wounds. The man paused a moment so his words could sink in.

You did not answer my question. He would not speak it again. It was her debt, and her decision on how best to repay it.

Nyra forced herself to steel against his firmness, force herself not to sink down further. 
She was only a soldier now, after all, and he her superior in a way. 

She glanced away with a small exhale as Kigipigak continued to speak. 
To his push at wanting an answer, Nyra looked at him with uncertainty. 
"I don't know. I'm not an herbalist, a medic, or a spiritualist, and I'm afraid if I were to try helping heal I might kill someone because of my inexperience in those fields. And I'm too weak to provide much protection right now..." She expressed with some pained earnest. She wanted to help, that much she hoped was clear, but it might have also been clear she wasn't sure which direction to go to pay her debts back.

She continued to evade him. Words spilled from Nyra with a defaming quality he found unsatisfactory, beyond being untrue; she was injured yes but that did not limit her as much as she thought. If she could not come up with a suitable answer for Kigipigak to take back to Kukutux, he would have to take control of the situation himself — but that would mean Nyra would become his charge rather than a member of the village. They lived in different circles. It was not right.

Kigipigak sighed and his frown remained etched upon his face.

Pick something. Focus on it. It was not very good advice, and did not take in to account her skills or her injuries. He was frustrated with how self-deprecating she was being. Where was the strong woman who had sparred with him? Where was the pride, the power? She was losing her worth before his eyes.

Kukutux could use someone around the women's camp to help tend to the hides. As her skills and supplies have been used upon you, perhaps you should devote yourself to serving her. Learn from her. Work hard, so that you may join the hunters again.

At this point he was ready to turn her away from Moonglow entirely; but Kigipigak did not have that power, and this was not Unnuakvik, where weakness was punishable by brutalization and death. Had it been, he would not be talking now - he'd be using his teeth.

Nyra again steeled, listening rather than further crumbling. It didn't seem to be what he wanted from her. 
So she cupped her ears for his words.
She wanted to continue to lie low and regain her strength, but fighting all the time went against that and it was too late to think about the consequences after her most recent brawl.

When Kigipigak suggested she dedicate her time to serving Kukutux, Nyra latched to the idea with a newfound ambition. 
"Then I will do just that. I'll learn from her, dedicate my time to learning the culture of your village, and serving Moon Woman." Nyra confirmed, a burning ember in her gaze to replace the uncertainty. 
She wasn't used to having debts, but she felt she could learn much from where she stood now.

He thought of offering to lead the way, but he trusted Nyra could find the camp herself. She had made it this far — from Moonglow's village to the hunting camps — and even with fresh wounds from her ill-timed brawl, Kigipigak did not think it was right for him to offer. She was strong, he wanted to believe in that.

Her vow to serve Kukutux settled the matter, at any rate. He was of half a mind about what to say next: wanting to command her against further upheaval, which seemed to be a part of her spirit and impossible to avoid, and wanting to leave her to her own devices, as Kigipigak was only hunter, he was not sivullik.

In the end he merely nodded, turned, and strode away. He had work to do and this matter was no longer a priority.