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♦ - Elk Charm - 2/14/2026
nate had gone ahead. many were at his side, including the seal hunter.
when chakliux had gone from sight, elk charm shivered somewhat. she did not feel frightened to see him, and yet she was clawed too constantly by taboo in memory's practice to enjoy his presence. it was better that they were separated and remained apart as much as possible.
for now, the sharadoii tried not to think of the seal man. her stores of dried herbs had dwindled no matter her attempts at replenishment, and her traveling-food was also sorely lacking. it was this need which drew elk charm tentatively to the blue flame, beside which had been built a small-lodge, an offering from chakliux to please the fire spirit.
she, who had hunted a rabbit, now fed pieces of meat to the heated one, gratified to see the bright blueness leap.
carefully in the hours that followed, elk charm lay strips of meat to be dried beside the cerulean glow. it took three days of time, and without smoke, it did not have the flavor to which she was accustomed. still, the carefully bitten pieces would keep for a while. stuffing them into her deerhide, the sharadoii straightened, bowed toward the flame, and stepped off in the direction where nate had gone.
in time elk charm passed the woodland where she had first met him. trails here, and ones familiar. her paws continued their searching trail.
when chakliux had gone from sight, elk charm shivered somewhat. she did not feel frightened to see him, and yet she was clawed too constantly by taboo in memory's practice to enjoy his presence. it was better that they were separated and remained apart as much as possible.
for now, the sharadoii tried not to think of the seal man. her stores of dried herbs had dwindled no matter her attempts at replenishment, and her traveling-food was also sorely lacking. it was this need which drew elk charm tentatively to the blue flame, beside which had been built a small-lodge, an offering from chakliux to please the fire spirit.
she, who had hunted a rabbit, now fed pieces of meat to the heated one, gratified to see the bright blueness leap.
carefully in the hours that followed, elk charm lay strips of meat to be dried beside the cerulean glow. it took three days of time, and without smoke, it did not have the flavor to which she was accustomed. still, the carefully bitten pieces would keep for a while. stuffing them into her deerhide, the sharadoii straightened, bowed toward the flame, and stepped off in the direction where nate had gone.
***
in time elk charm passed the woodland where she had first met him. trails here, and ones familiar. her paws continued their searching trail.
RE: ♦ - Samo - 3/2/2026
Samo did not know how long it had been since he last spent time in Elk Charm’s wetu.
The journey he took with the seal hunters should not have been so long, but Samo was a stranger to cold waves and the slippery, dark beasts that dove beneath them. A storm had overtaken him, and though he was strong—
He had not been born a seal hunter.
The wolf that now walked through the woodlands was ragged, tired, paws aching as he tried to retrace his route. It had been a struggle, at first, to remember his name. But he remembered Elk Charm’s. After a time, he thought, he had only dreamed her. Perhaps it had all been a fiction of this strange land.
Yet the notion filled him with a despair he could not name, and so Samo searched. He looked out for Martius; the Roman. He remembered him too. Samo never saw head or tail of him again. Good riddance. But there was a part of him that cringed in terror still.
The path he walked now smelled familiar. Felt familiar, to his heavy paws. Still it was not right. He walked. He rested. He ate, when he could catch game; the rabbits were still too quick for him, but he was growing wiser. He caught pheasants as the leaves changed, fat and slow from the berries they had feasted on; then with the first snows, a doe made careless by winter’s hunger.
He carried the skin with him still, imagining he could bring it back to Elk Charm. He imagined that her wetu would still be there, and that he might see her eyes light up again.
***
He lay down in a patch of clear ground beneath a bending pine and panted. It was then that he tasted a scent he knew.
He moved with quick, cautious steps, heart pounding in his chest. When he laid eyes on a brown shape, at first he could not speak.
“Elk Charm?” he croaked out.
RE: ♦ - Elk Charm - 3/2/2026
this voice.
this voice.
elk charm stopped where she had been slowly pacing. a moment ago her mind had been filled with the considerations of where to forage before she kept her travels in continuation.
but now it felt as though the world was whirling to a blur, and she clutched at the ground desperately to keep herself from lurching away, aside, forward; of fleeing the voice at her back for the sheer intensity of shock.
bundle slid from trembling shoulders.
she had waited! she had waited --
and then she had left behind the singing hills, trying to leave her memories of samo behind in the wetu they had shared, however briefly. elk charm had not known the magnitude of that wound until this moment, this lilted, impossible second --
at last she turned. that scarring above his right eye were the same. the eyes that looked back at her still held the same soft expression. samo carried a deerpelt, and this framed the hard long lines of his body.
he breathed; he was real and vital, hale and only now hoarsened by perhaps the same shock that seized elk charm. when she had shared her shelter and hunting with him, she had still been militsik. did he know she had sought ritual for him alone? to clear a way where one day she might be free to answer him, if ever he asked?
her breath shook.
now she was no longer. now elk charm stood before samo without taboo between them, unbound to look upon his face, to hear his voice --
it was all she could muster, riverdark eyes glistening with a thousand unspoken things.
this voice.
elk charm stopped where she had been slowly pacing. a moment ago her mind had been filled with the considerations of where to forage before she kept her travels in continuation.
but now it felt as though the world was whirling to a blur, and she clutched at the ground desperately to keep herself from lurching away, aside, forward; of fleeing the voice at her back for the sheer intensity of shock.
bundle slid from trembling shoulders.
she had waited! she had waited --
and then she had left behind the singing hills, trying to leave her memories of samo behind in the wetu they had shared, however briefly. elk charm had not known the magnitude of that wound until this moment, this lilted, impossible second --
at last she turned. that scarring above his right eye were the same. the eyes that looked back at her still held the same soft expression. samo carried a deerpelt, and this framed the hard long lines of his body.
he breathed; he was real and vital, hale and only now hoarsened by perhaps the same shock that seized elk charm. when she had shared her shelter and hunting with him, she had still been militsik. did he know she had sought ritual for him alone? to clear a way where one day she might be free to answer him, if ever he asked?
her breath shook.
now she was no longer. now elk charm stood before samo without taboo between them, unbound to look upon his face, to hear his voice --
samo.
it was all she could muster, riverdark eyes glistening with a thousand unspoken things.
RE: ♦ - Samo - 3/3/2026
She spoke. Not a figment of his imagination. Her eyes were as he remembered: the deepest blue. Blue as the sea on a clear day; he could compare it, now, having seen the vast expanse and all its joy and terrible fury. The memory of salt in his lungs still burned. But she was real. She was here; she looked him in the face with the same shock he wore.
He knew nothing of what she had done in his absence; only the vaguest memory of ceremony, something meant for women. He did not think of the seal hunters she had stayed with. He did not think of the distance and time, and all that had changed with the seasons. All he knew was that he had found the closest thing he had to a home in many years, and then lost it, and now found—
He stepped towards her, eyes stinging, unable to find the proper words. Perhaps there were none. If she allowed it, he would embrace her. He needed to know that she was real. He would bury his face in her furs with a choked sob.
"Ȟákac'enyu," he said, recalling the name she had given. "You live, you live. You live."
RE: ♦ - Elk Charm - 3/5/2026
when elk charm had set out from the blue flame, it was with one face held in her mind.
now the first was against her fur, her skin warming to his touch in shock and delight and wariness --
her voice shook, for he had not forgotten her name. the sound of it spoken. her eyes shut, but the tears that pressed against them, she did not allow to fall.
a welling of hurt instead, but she did not pull away. elk charm possessed no blame, yet to her heart it was simple: he had left her. there was no formal pledge, nor even utterance. only the play of their gazes against one another, the way the tension had risen, fallen, within the wetu. then, she was militsik and simple observation of the taboo formed a proper boundary.
now -- now there was nothing to hold her from turning into samo, from letting her breath find the scars upon his face, but she did not.
elk charm was afraid.
and yet with his return, he restored some measure of hope. to grapple with an appearance she had not expected -- she was glad to hold him, to be held, to keep her face unseen for now.
now the first was against her fur, her skin warming to his touch in shock and delight and wariness --
i am here, samo.
her voice shook, for he had not forgotten her name. the sound of it spoken. her eyes shut, but the tears that pressed against them, she did not allow to fall.
a welling of hurt instead, but she did not pull away. elk charm possessed no blame, yet to her heart it was simple: he had left her. there was no formal pledge, nor even utterance. only the play of their gazes against one another, the way the tension had risen, fallen, within the wetu. then, she was militsik and simple observation of the taboo formed a proper boundary.
now -- now there was nothing to hold her from turning into samo, from letting her breath find the scars upon his face, but she did not.
elk charm was afraid.
and yet with his return, he restored some measure of hope. to grapple with an appearance she had not expected -- she was glad to hold him, to be held, to keep her face unseen for now.
RE: ♦ - Samo - 3/5/2026
After a moment, he recovered his senses and let her go. He tried to find her gaze, but she would not meet it. With the initial shock wearing off, he realized that something had changed.
Elk Charm looked different. The feathers were placed in her fur in a different way. Of course, she was different. Of course, all was changed. He did not know in what way, or to what end; only he saw that the gap between them was wider than ever. Slowly, doubt crept in. He averted his eyes to the ground and stepped back to give her space.
“I’m sorry,” he managed after a moment. Weak, foolish words. “I was—I was looking for you, for a long time.”
He had left and been gone. Not by choice, he wanted to say. But he had made the choice to leave, hadn’t he? He could have argued with Chakliux. He could have told the seal hunters to forget him and turned back. Instead he had made the very same mistake as the boy of sixteen had. He followed his father into battle; he followed the seal hunters to the sea. The Romans captured him. Then the sea claimed him. It would have kept him, too, if not for a passing stroke of luck.
Only the first time, he had paid for his mistake. This time, Elk Charm had paid for it. He wanted to say something but he could not think what. There was nothing he could say to undo what he had done. Only that—he would never have been worthy of her anyways. He was a slave and nothing more; whatever was good in him, the dominus had beaten out. Whatever was good in him had been tarnished by what he’d done in the arena. And then he had gone and let her believe he was a good freedman.
Those words never left his throat.
Quietly, he turned to grab the deerskin off his back. He folded it carefully into a bundle, and nudged it towards her.
“This is for you,” he said, ”if you would like it.”
RE: ♦ - Elk Charm - 3/5/2026
how unfair! her mind cried for the sudden rush of air between them, the careful way samo folded himself apart. his thoughtfulness had always surprised elk charm, pleased in her those tender moments of solitude when she had allowed her thoughts to wander.
maybe now she saw only that she had been a girl, a stupid, foolish girl. the ritual was passed and with it the restrictions --
elk charm wanted to touch him, at last. oh! her foolish limbs refused to work, and each second was a personal failing of her own.
deerskin removed; she had forgotten its existence, and in silence her riverdark eyes traced his face, then fell to the pelt.
she believed him. these things, they happened. elk charm had not asked because she held no blame. the singing hills had carried her pain until its heaviness was too harsh a burden, and when it was time for her to travel away from that place, she had tried in earnest effort to let samo go.
now he stood here, and a rift had come up between them -- the joy she felt at his return was so gnawed by unsurety that now guilt reared a third snarling visage.
when elk charm lifted her face, it was wet with tears. her arms were around his neck before she realized it, holding tightly through the cadence of her terror that samo would disappear.
daring not to clasp for long, the sharadoii fell away, passing a shaking paw over the pile of fine fur. a smile glittered her tearstained cheeks into a true grin.
a man with blue eyes who denied himself as chieftain even as he led many -- nate waited for her to return.
a man with a fathomless gaze and scars upon his brow reappeared in her path, and samo's eyes held their few moments.
elk charm, with a cravenness that ashamed her, wanted simply to run away, back to the singing hills. she would throw herself upon the mercy of grey shrike, ask him to adopt her as sister. he would find a husband for her, or, if none could be found, she would help him to raise the children of his wetu.
then she would not stand here with this empty lake of unsaid things between herself and samo.
her face was smooth, belying nothing now outside of the salt tracks.
maybe now she saw only that she had been a girl, a stupid, foolish girl. the ritual was passed and with it the restrictions --
elk charm wanted to touch him, at last. oh! her foolish limbs refused to work, and each second was a personal failing of her own.
deerskin removed; she had forgotten its existence, and in silence her riverdark eyes traced his face, then fell to the pelt.
she believed him. these things, they happened. elk charm had not asked because she held no blame. the singing hills had carried her pain until its heaviness was too harsh a burden, and when it was time for her to travel away from that place, she had tried in earnest effort to let samo go.
now he stood here, and a rift had come up between them -- the joy she felt at his return was so gnawed by unsurety that now guilt reared a third snarling visage.
when elk charm lifted her face, it was wet with tears. her arms were around his neck before she realized it, holding tightly through the cadence of her terror that samo would disappear.
daring not to clasp for long, the sharadoii fell away, passing a shaking paw over the pile of fine fur. a smile glittered her tearstained cheeks into a true grin.
a man with blue eyes who denied himself as chieftain even as he led many -- nate waited for her to return.
a man with a fathomless gaze and scars upon his brow reappeared in her path, and samo's eyes held their few moments.
thank you. i will make something beautiful.
elk charm, with a cravenness that ashamed her, wanted simply to run away, back to the singing hills. she would throw herself upon the mercy of grey shrike, ask him to adopt her as sister. he would find a husband for her, or, if none could be found, she would help him to raise the children of his wetu.
then she would not stand here with this empty lake of unsaid things between herself and samo.
i have left the hills. there are too many ghosts. i follow a new tribe now. many others.
her face was smooth, belying nothing now outside of the salt tracks.
you will come with me, samo?
RE: ♦ - Samo - 3/5/2026
He did not move away when she hugged him again. He felt her trembling limbs, and ached and felt joy in equal measure; selfish joy, for the care she still felt, for the comfort of her touch. And regret, for the pain he knew he had caused. He rested his head against her cheek as long as she wished.
In the end, he had kept his oath. He had returned to her. But it had still been a mistake to leave. He saw it in her tears.
The deerskin earned a smile, and Samo could not help the warm, tentative grin on his own face. There was much he wanted to say. Much he wanted to ask. Her grasp of common was stronger now; who had spoken with her, in his absence? Had the seal hunters returned, reported him lost or drowned? Had she found comfort in another? There was no reason for her to not have. It was not his place to ask, nor to hope otherwise; yet the thought still made his chest ache.
She spoke first, and her voice kept him from his darkest thoughts. She had found others. It eased the guilt bearing down on his spine, some, to know she had not been wholly alone here. A new tribe?
“Of course, yes,” Samo said. He would follow her wherever she asked. “They are seal, or caribou?”
Curiosity, trepidation, and hope all mixed together in an intent hazel gaze.
RE: ♦ - Elk Charm - 3/8/2026
a shake of her head.
what had happened?
why had he looked for her?
she found it better not to insist. not to press.
she found it hard to make her tongue do as she wished, and so the tangle of sentiment stood then in her riverdark eyes, foremost among them a heavy relief that he had come back.
not seal. not caribou. but we are with them.her voice paused. resumed.
moving from cold places to warm. have -- they are following a man called nate.
what had happened?
why had he looked for her?
also chakliux is with these others.he had said nothing to her, and now elk charm was confused anew. what had gone on? what had been overlooked? too late she was afraid that her mention of the salthunter might insinuate the one thing she did not: that they had become something else, when in truth the man and woman had avoided one another.
she found it better not to insist. not to press.
ah!pulling down fur-bundling from her own shoulder, elk charm extracted several sticks of dried venison and offered them to samo.
for -- long-walking,she murmured, finding a piercing delight in the chance to feed him again.
she found it hard to make her tongue do as she wished, and so the tangle of sentiment stood then in her riverdark eyes, foremost among them a heavy relief that he had come back.
RE: ♦ - Samo - 3/8/2026
He lives too!Samo exclaimed in relief. It never crossed his mind that anything could have gone on between Chakliux and Elk Charm; he was only glad that the man he had come to see as friend was well. Chakliux had gone separately from the group for a time. Samo had not questioned why. The seal hunters knew the shore and the hunt far better than he did.
Then the storm had come bearing down, and a wave had dragged Samo about as easily as a child’s doll. He remembered little between gasping breaths and burning saltwater in his throat. The sea had tossed him onto a strange shore, with no seal or caribou hunter in sight. If ever the hunters had passed through there, the sea had washed their scents away.
The gods must have heard his oath, he thought, and decided to toy with him.
Thank you,he said, surprised and grateful, as she offered him the dried meat. He accepted it gratefully, hardly waiting before scarfing down one stick hungrily. Even now, she cared for him. His eyes watered again, and he had to shut them for a moment to hold back the tears.
You are too good to me.
He saw in her eyes and actions her relief, and the relief in his own expression matched hers. He saw, too, that she struggled to find the right words. He smiled, soft and sad, as he tried to think of what to do. During the nights they rested, the seal hunters would trade stories. Samo had listened, too, of course, but he had nothing to share then. (Or, rather, he had not been able to speak of his life before. He had not even been able to tell Elk Charm before he left of Gaul and Rome.
He wanted to know her so badly, but he had been afraid of what she might think if she knew him. Yet he knew now that he owed her answers.)
Will you show me where you make camp?Samo asked.
I will tell you the story of what happened. But it is a long one. Maybe better to sit.