another day of rain. fish leapt airily in pools surrounded by purple flowering. here the sharadoii had spent many hours of this day, fishing steadily through the morning until a stiffness in her shoulder forced a respite.

a meal of trout and tubers, a wash of muzzle and paws. elk charm cached a good deal of what she had higher up the bank, then tugged several of the remainder out into the sun.

crouching over her catch, she prepared the fish for drying, stripping off all entrails and piling it aside to be used as bait for more of the fast-moving creatures. elk charm caught herself humming, belly rhythmic with the breath these sounds required to make.

a tawny flash caught the corner of elk charm's eye, and she glanced to see the familiar face of a walosi-follower with a hint of coyote to their look. a pleasant pine scent wafted to her, and she looked warmly into the eyes which were like autumn. this was cecil, and they were close to nate in a way not yet discernable.

they had offered help and she nodded shyly after a moment. we use this, motioning to the piled guts, to catch more, to the gutted fish. her mien remained open, dropping to where earth still clung to the other's forelegs. what had they been digging? there were many edible roots in this area, and as walosi acclimated to the nestle, she had seen the seal hunter pace out his lodge. she herself was pleased to have a more permanent cache, though she had not yet found where she would build a wetu.

close to the others, the woman imagined, spaced for privacy but within earshot of the tiny village already taking shape in the heart of lapis.

i will let you have one, when we are finish, elk charm added with a glow, turning to spit bones into the brush.

how had she learned?

father.

once there had been another word for the man which had raised the little girl of the great stag to always be looking for that which might be gathered. in his name, elk charm took twice as long in travel to ensure that those with her might never starve. he take me fishing first when i -- and here the sharadoii held up a paw not far from the earth at all, indicating how she had only taken a pawful of steps before the beaming man had declared her ready to be a pupil.

riverdark eyes climbed with curiosity the cheekbone of taloka. their name was musical, and the way they watched with intent interest the things she did reminded elk charm of herself in some way. it was not staring for the sake of staring; it was observation, a dedication of detail to an intelligent mind.

elk charm extended a paw, gently thrusting toward her companion a fish which had not yet been gutted.

i can teach.

the belly, slit with a claw. teeth to peel back each side of flesh. offal removed, and then the bones in large pieces of spine if it was manageable.

again, gaze toward taloka, encouraging.

what is 'shot?' elk charm asked, shaking her head to dislodge a particularly clinging piece of gristle.

a claw. she crooked her own and dragged it along the belly of the fish, not slicing, only to demonstrate. first, that. then -- make wide, she went on, motioning with her palms in a gesture of spreading. see bones? see belly dark? take all.

it would taste of silt and brackish water, but she had learned that such portions carried much strength when eaten in mouthfuls. if you bring fish, i make like this. or cut, give sun, she faltered with a little laugh, trying to indicate how the meat could be dried.

you do not say father. you say 'brother of father,' she observed, her eyes raising to those of cecil.

there were ways other than her own, but this felt familiar, the substitution of uncle for father where she had known her own. what you take, you keep, added the sharadoii with a bright look to her eyes.