[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zbG4Dfo.png[/img] [h2]Tup'wik[/h2][/center] Wailing. Wailing came to the hunter's ears. [color=657078]"The time has come, partner,"[/color] came a whispering voice to the hunter's right ear. Slowly, the Hunter looked up into the bright blue sky, which was broken by the dense foliage of the tall evergreens. Smiling as his head tilted back, his crown of great scooped antlers making the motion slightly straining, the Hunter listened with joy to the wailing. From beneath the darkness of his antlers, his Second Shadow whispered, [color=657078]"Here, shall Utilaik be, to dance alongside you, Maliuit. As ever this one has. Look. Here comes the Mother."[/color] Looking to the side, the Hunter rose to his hooved feet as, from a hut made of bear hides and sturdy logs, there emerged three. Bereft of clothing, two walked toward the hunter, as the third was held, swaddled in a covering made of soft hide, which was insulated by the Hunter's shorn tail and mane hair. The Human, whose face was covered by a simple wooden mask- with silts only for eyes and a crooked carved grin- lead the Kinneras Mother along by walking before her. Blindfolded, the Mother- T'unucra- walked slowly, her twelve point antlers wavering as she fought to keep her steps balanced and sure, for she had only just finished giving birth. The Hunter watched the Mother's strong yet pained steps in admiring silence. He yearned to help her but these were the traditional first strides, which were vital to the survival of the child, and he could do nothing but watch. For her to falter or fall in this walk would mean death for the child when the snow fell, as all who were [u]Tup'wik[/u] knew. Gently, the Masked Human blew into a simple wooden flute. It was a tune of a few long and joyous notes, which acted as chorus with the wailing of the baby. These sounds helped to guide the Mother on her walk in blindfolded "darkness". The Hunter held his silence as they approached. He did not hold back the overflowing of his eyes as they filled with emotion. Proudly, he watched the Mother's surefooted steps toward him, as she carried his Child. His firstborn. Biting his lip so that he did not sob aloud, the Hunter bowed his head as the Mother came within one stride of him. As he should, he fell to his knees before her, keeping his silence. She halted from taking the final stride. All of the omens were good: she'd stepped steadily, halted when feeling his presence near, and had not faltered or stumbled. His heart was soaring with quiet elation. Slowly, T'unucra knelt before him, then placed the child upon the ground between them. Warmly, she placed her hands soothingly atop the crying babe. Shakily he slowly reached his hands out, to place them atop hers, giving a gentle and reassuring squeeze. The Hunter couldn't see a thing for all his tears. He felt only the warmth- the joy- of his hands atop his child, atop the second half of their beautiful creation, and all the hands of Ancestors who had done the same for each of them. This position, the two held in silence as the moments passed. As if knowing they were safe, the babe soon began to quiet beneath the quiet palms of their parents, steadily sinking into a contentedness, which held in it a quiet plea. In the wordless manner in which all infants plead, the soft babbling beneath the parents palms begged them: protect me, love me, teach me. And then the Hunter's Second Shadow reached from under his antlers, toward the Second Shadow of the Mother. The blindfold was removed from the Mother by the Umbra which resided in her shadow, then passed to the other Umbra, who tied it about the eyes of the Hunter. The Father. Once it was secured, the Father rose to his feet, and the Masked Human began to sing. These were the sounds of the throat and chest- the early music of those who lived in the cold, those who breathed in the bitter air of frozen earth and frosted pine. On cue, the Father took three strides away from the Mother, as she took up their child in her hands. Her eyes lifted toward the Father- Maliuit- with joy and unfathomable trust. She held their baby close, to warm them against her bare skin, as her eyes too, began to flow with joyous tears. To the sounds of voice and flute, the Father began to dance. He had to be as swift as the Cold Star in such a dance, for this would grant vigor to his Child, to the Mother, and to both of their Second Shadow protectors. That Cold Star, which graced the Ancestors with it's appearance on the day of the [u]Tup'wik's[/u] birth, was called Myrtu by the Umbra. They told tales of it having been a God and so the [u]Tup'wik[/u] hailed the Cold Star as God and Progenitor both. They admired its swiftness, it's freedom and vigor, as it sprinted across the sky, and their Ancestors taught them always to value such traits. To value freedom. His steps had to be as sure as the blackness of the space between stars, as he danced around, leapt and spun, to dance in sacred circle around the kneeling Mother- for what else was so certain as the darkness from whence they'd came? They had been left behind by the Cold Star- fragments of that Godly power- and they'd come from that space between the stars themselves, just as the Cold Star had come fourth too. The [u]Tup'wik[/u] knew that they were but fragments of the night sky as well and would return there in death. When he danced, his hooves clicked against stones- the perimeter circle which told him to dance back toward the sound of song- for even they, wild and free, needed to know their limits and boundaries. Some of their Ancestors spoke of those who had ventured north, those who didn't know their limits, and how most had never returned. Stores of the few that were out there spoke of how and they'd grown foul, had turned into frozen hard people that still reached for more than they were given. They were of cold hearts, with frozen pale fur and hard bodies, and a frozen fury toward the Cold Star Myrtu- a fury that the Tup'wik could not understand. They knew of those people's name- what they called themselves- and used it as the name for this vital lesson in knowing restraint: To always be as free and joyous as one could, but to never go beyond limits and strive for more than was given by the land and the Cold Star. To dance within the boundaries was to bless the child with a level head, a sureness that would be as steady as their hooves, and as stable as the humans that balanced often atop the backs of Centaur at full canter. To survive within the Taiga, facing off against the creatures and hunting the great beasts, one needed to be sure of themselves and every action they took. And for all these things the Father danced. And danced. He danced until the sun set and his heart pounded furiously. He danced as his name became Maliuit'cra- the father of T'unucra's child- and beloved by them both. And he danced until the sky grew deep and dark... [hr] [color=D1D5BC]"T'unucra!"[/color] It was the the horrified edge in the voice which caused her to look away from the tracks, which she'd been examining in the snow blown foliage. Toward her a Cenatur rushed. This Centaur's antlers were freshly growing and covered in downy fuzz, and so her approach was swift indeed. Without stopping to breathe, the Centaur shouted, [color=D1D5BC]"We need your medicine!"[/color] She turned just shy of T'unucra and presented her hide covered back to her, [color=D1D5BC]"The hunters- they were attacked- the Hunters were-"[/color] the Centaur let out a grunt, as T'unucra's weight landed atop her back roughly. [color=BBB09A]"Go,"[/color] she shouted, her eyes already burning with fear. Who had gone out? Who all had gone out this time? As the Centaur sprinted across the snow, dashed between the trees, T'unucra shouted in alarm, [color=BBB09A]"We're nearing the Ice?!"[/color] [color=D1D5BC]"-something terrible-"[/color] the Cenatur managed while sprinting, her voice raw with emotion [color=D1D5BC]"-oh terrible."[/color] Silence. Crimson. Who could have made it back in time? T'unucra could not blame her for not moving. Fast. Enough. Howling, something was howling over the sound of the frigid wind. No. Wailing. Wailing came to her ears. Much like their babe, he was wailing now, too. Maliuit'cra lay upon the ice with a harpoon, thicker than his own arm, thrust through his center and out of his back. His blood pooled around him, steaming and hot, in the frigid temperatures. Icy spires reflected the light across the surface of the intricately carved harpoon. T'nunucra noted sickly how beautiful the walrus rendition carved into the handle of the harpoon was, as it was not coated by Maliuit'cra's blood. He'd been struck in the back, for the pointed tip was blindingly red with his life's essence. Two hunters, a duo of Kinnaras, stood next to T'unucra, speaking to her and... and? Had she gone deaf? No, she could hear the wailing. She couldn't hear the hunter, but she could hear the wailing. Numbly, she knelt next to Maliuit'cra, as he screamed and fought for his life, which he had no chance of holding on to. Holding. On to. Gently, as he had laid his hands atop hers, oh so many moons ago, she placed her hands atop his. His tears and screaming forced more blood onto the ice in pouring rivulets. Curls of steam rose from the pools he created. Frosted tears coated his face. Desperately, he grasped her hands while taking pained inhales, as he stared into her eyes. [color=767C5A]"I don't- I- I can't- not- so. So- soon-"[/color] he wailed [color=767C5A]"-T-T-T'nuc-"[/color] His grip released. The only cold she noticed was in his eyes, as they stared unblinking into hers. She had gone deaf, hadn't she? For the silence itself, as his wailing ceased, blocked out all other sounds. From beneath his antlers, his Second Shadow materialized in full. Despite how the light harmed them, Utilaik stared down at Maliut'cra in silence, and did not move. Alongside T'nucra the Umbra stared at the husk that was once Maliuit'cra. Their beloved Maliuit'cra. Beloved by them both. How long she'd knelt there on the ice she could not say. Those other Hunters had huddled around her and the Umbra Utilaik at some point. The other Hunters had kept watch, offered silent company, and pressed in closely for heat sharing while they mourned at the edge of the glacial lands. So it was the Hunters that were surprised when T'unucra suddenly moved, abruptly after having knelt for so long. Without a word, stood, walked, then grasped the harpoon sticking out of Maliut'cra's body. It took multiple pulls, as the blood had turned to ice in the freezing wind, but she wrest it from his corpse, having had to do so by grasping its pointed edge. Collectively, the other hunters had turned with a start to watch with fascination and horror, none of them having made a move to stop her, nor uttered a word. Quietly as she let the large harpoon lean against her shoulder, she removed a few herbs from her medicine pouch, then chewed them. She couldn't feel it, but her hands had been cut from her grasp upon the weapon, despite her gloves, and would require something to halt the bleeding at least. The others exchanged worried glances as T'unucra treated her wounds, by placing the herbs into them, before taking up the large weapon. Despite its weight and size, she leaned it over her shoulder, for she felt no pain for now, and the weight was far lighter than that... of... [color=657078]"Utilaik offers their service to T'unucra as third shadow.. in... in exchange for. Trust,"[/color] spoke the Umbra, with a tone heavy in emotion. These were the words a Second Shadow said before becoming a guardian, partner, and companion to a Tup'wik. They echoed grimly now in the silence where Maliut'cra's voice should have been. [color=BBB09A]"Then come,"[/color] T'unucra told the other coldly, [color=BBB09A]"Walk the ice with me. We will speak to the [u]Nuqtuq[/u] of this. Return to them this kakivak. Tell them of Maliuit'cra and how he was loved. Second Shadow will stay behind and tend to-"[/color] her voice choked before she could utter the name of their child. Their fatherless. Child. That last living fragment of Maliuit'cra. [color=657078]"Utilaik... cannot be trusted alone in Second Shadow's place. To guard. To give help. Not anymore,"[/color] replied the Umbra, sinking toward the body of Maliuit'cra, [color=657078]"This is why. Utilaik offers as Third."[/color] [color=BBB09A]"No. You cannot be trusted. Not at the moment. But walk the ice with me and prove yourself again, is what I offer. A trade for your guilt as I offer my trust,"[/color] T'unucra told Utilaik firmly. [color=6A707D]"Umpanitit believes this fair and valuable trade,"[/color] came the whispering voice of T'unucra's normally silent Umbra partner, for all in attendance to hear, [color=6A707D]"Generous on part of T'unucra. Far generous. Utilaik will have debt lingering still but less so, if they do not walk the ice."[/color] Utilaik gently placed a hand atop Maliuit'cra's, before looking to T'unucra with glowing blue eyes, nodding hesitantly, [color=657078]"Umpanitit has wisdom."[/color] [color=BBB09A]"We return to the others now,"[/color] T'unucra addressed the collective coldly, [color=BBB09A]"I will bury Maliuit'cra. Then I will leave. I will make the [u]Nuqtuq[/u] answer all that I ask."[/color] And without another word, nor waiting for the others, T'unucra turned toward the migration path. [hider=Summary] Intro for the Tup'wik tribe in the North-Eastern Taiga. They are a tribe composed of Centaur, Human, Kinnaras, and Umbra. The Kinnaras and Centaur have grown Moosehorns and Deer Antlers. They're also Bigger in physical stature. The Umbra reside in the shadows of the antlers, acting as second eyes for hunting and watching their backs, and being generally good company to keep one from being lonely. A trade of trust. The Tup'wik migrate along the Not-On-Fire Coast of the Taiga, sticking mainly to the coast, without going inland or too far north. Story: A Tup'wik Hunter has a baby. Hunter gets killed by a Nuqtuq tribe harpoon while hunting too far north. Mother of the Hunter's Baby wants to get some vengeance/closure by confronting the Nuqtuq tribe. She goes to prepare.[/hider]