Moonspear I'm gettin' tired and I need somewhere to begin

if/when you have time... can also be aw. :o

A side eye given in the direction of the Sunspire once more—the moon hung tentative above some darkening clouds, though the last traces of the sun could still be seen in the horizon, painting the last of the day with orange and purple.

He had been hesitant before—but he stood steadfast now, pulling the lifeless mottled fox in his jaws once more and stalking through the night on a path very familiar to him: to @Sialuk’s ulaq. He had intended before the thaw to seek his old homelands—garner insight and answers for himself, but he found himself reluctant now to travel… the very reason why being the one he sought now.

Dropping the fox, he nosed it aside, pity in his eyes only briefly before he crooned for the raindrop. He had caught the creature raiding a cache he had been building—but he had made its end swift. It still held the thicker, luxurious red fur of winter—and he had felt no better suited for such softness than the one who had invited him into her life, and from there, she could decide what she wished to do with it.

She had seen him look often to the mountains beyond. Sialuk had seen the way his gaze drifted away from the present even when they shared a night together. He came now to her ulaq, a gift of bright fur laid out before her. It would make a fine addition to her sleeping place. Perhaps a first bed for one of her children.

You are here, she said, but you are elsewhere, too. Does somewhere call to your spirit? She had known that pull for herself. It was why she stood here on the mountain which she would always return to. Even in village Moonglow, she had felt that pull. It ebbed and flowed, but always more the latter than the former.

Sialuk read him like an open book—and in many ways to her, perhaps he was. Amusement flickered in his eyes as he looked over her—glowing in the moonlit night and stunning as always. He nosed the gift to her—but it was she he reached out to—to gather in his arms and embrace—to rain kisses upon her nape as he considered her words.

She had only ever asked him of honesty and offered it in turn. “I was born to the mountains opposite us,” he offered her, his words quiet near the base of her ear. “My father died and left my mother a widow. But a man who was her friend helped raise me. I think he still lives there—I would like to visit him, soon. Seek answers, maybe.”

she is bein' dramatic, hehe.

She melted into him, even though his answer would call him away from the spear. Sialuk pulled away to seek his gaze, knowing that what he said was true. If not to all, then to him. It was a journey he must make on his own, to seek out his kin and whatever questions he may have of them. She knew she could not make him promise to return, but she wished for it in her heart. He had become dear to her. Sialuk would not be selfish.

It will calm your spirit, she said, not a question but a statement. You will be missed, but I will not seek to keep you prisoner here. Sialuk did not ask if he would return, knowing that she may not enjoy the answer. The starwoman reminded herself of the others that would warm her bed and comfort her in his absence. Perhaps she would call upon Chakliux. Her way of loving was, after all, meant to make the absence of loved ones easier to bear.

She looked up to him—and he found herself softening at her words, a rumble of pleasure shifting to a snort of laughter. “If this is prison, what things can I do to make sure I stay here more permanently?”

His tone was teasing—the croon an invitation to any naughty suggestion she might have. He held so many questions for her—so many things to learn of her, to share with her—and yet it still felt their time was limited, despite the frequency of his visits to her ulaq.

Soon, she would take another here, and he would have to pretend it didn’t rankle him or spark jealousy.

And likely, knowing how insightful she was, she would somehow know. Just as she knew the restlessness of his spirit.

“You could come with me,” he noted, pleased at the idea though knowing it unlikely—but they could make the visit swift.

A playful nip at his chin for his suggestion, though she did not scold him.

He offered her a chance to come along; an unexpected invitation. Sialuk had thought he would wish to go on this journey alone. She was torn, but she knew there were many capable people here to handle things while she was away. Njord, Chakliux, Alaric, Kannoyak, Keen, Elentari, Lele... all would keep the spear safe if she could steal away with Argent for a few days. The village was strong, and it would not crumble in her absence.

Not only this, but she did not know when her time would come. Someday soon, she would be more tethered by children at her heels. It could be her last chance to travel unencumbered for some time.

I could, she said, looking now to the red fox that lay nearby. Come watch my work? She would enjoy the company as she made a soft fur from the creature. And he could see that she had cleaned the goat's skull, which now sat proudly among her other things.

She considered it—which was all he could ask for. Her invitation was met with him reluctantly releasing her—for there did seem to be an hourglass on their time with one another, and it felt as if it were running dangerously low—and shifted to follow her lead.

“Just so you know,” he rumbled, knowing he wished to make his intentions very clear to her… “I plan on courting you, Sialuk of Moonspear. Our ways might be very different, but I want it known that if you will have me, I will be doing what I can to vie for your attention. I will bring you gifts—I will offer you my ear and words. If it comes time, I will fight for you, if that is custom for you and yours—or I will partake in whatever task before me.”

His eyes never wavered in this moment—his spirit was called to the Sunspire, surely—but he knew it would remain tethered, here, with her, should she allow it.

*endlessly edits*

She worked at the skin, peeling it from the creature's flesh, away from the doe pelt which was kept clean. Argent poured his devotion out in words in such an eloquent and passionate way, Sialuk could no longer focus on the task at hand, her eyes fixated on him as he spoke. He spoke of gifts, of fighting for her—and she was reminded of Kigipigak. It was his way to fight for the issumatar. The starwoman found she did not need this. Not of Kigipigak, and not of Argent.

You needn't fight for me, she said, placing a gentle paw on his. It will be a time of learning to love me, and all of those that I love, even if it is not in the same way. This, she knew, would make Moonspear strong. Harmony among all those who vied for her attention was essential to its existence. It is a time for learning for me, too. Many lovers have warmed my bed, but—she paused, a rare warmth coming to her cheeks—never so many in chorus.

Ugly feelings will threaten darkness to our spirits, but when we speak with our lovers, we find strength and love in overcoming these demons.

He listened with an appreciation for what she felt would be the path for her to carry. A strong woman, and yet there was a seedling placed within those words—a blush that crept to warm her beautiful cheeks, and Argent found his brows lifting momentarily in a rare display of surprise. “Is this your first time building so many…. Relationships at once?” He had assumed polygamy had been something she had been raised on, and so his interest was fully piqued, now.

She was confidant that Moonspear would thrive with countless lovers intertwining with one another—Argent, a man who had seen the other side of jealousy and what it did to others—including the demise of his father—was doubtful… Yet unwilling to let her go for lack of trying.

She nodded at his question unabashedly. None I have lain with in the past were those who I made a village with, she said. She had only been passing through in those times, and it had been a way of becoming intimate with a village member (or two) for the short amount of time that she had stayed. Her intention had always been to return to Moonspear, and each bed she shared had known this.

Sialuk returned her attention to the skull once more, ripping and pulling flesh from bone. The horns remained intact, just as she thought they might.

free to fade?

At the very basis of it, it seemed as if Sialuk was looking to bring untried culture to fruition—or, at least to her home. He spoke nothing more of it—instead, the man very unabashedly watched her as she worked—the fine curve of her body and the manner in which she moved. A woman who held confidence in so much—and yet he had seen the blush brush along her cheeks, had felt it heat her from time to time.

And so when she was done, he would coax her back to his embrace—whispering more to her in hopes of eliciting another blush that would fluster her, or stir a smile from her lips. These few moments were quickly becoming his favorite.