Just Another Day

So Shanku learned how to cope without the sun. It was a strange thing to watch as the sun hovered lower and lower to the horizon, staying gone for longer periods at a time, and an extended twilight appearing in its stead. To Shanku's relief, the sun only completely vanished for about a moon's cycle before beginning to peak at the village once more. But, when the sun had vanished, a beautiful green mist seemed to dance in the sky in its place. Once she learned how brilliantly the stars could shine along with the moon and the mist, she realized there would never be complete and utter darkness, and settled in happily. Except for the windstorms, those proved to be something fierce.

Before long though, she began to feel restless, and wanted to join in with the fishing parties to feel useful. Before she was allowed to help, she was instructed on very strict and specific rituals regarding the capture and death of the creatures they would eat. Should disrespect be shown to the creatures who gave their lives for the kurach to live, the sea may prevent them from being captured, and thus, they would starve. Shanku strongly suspected the spirit of the sea would not punish the Imnek for any misdeeds on her part as the Imnek were able to routinely bring in fish and seals while Shanku instead was only able to catch sticks. Maybe I should have listened to Dai about honouring the dead before I eat 'em?

With great resignation, she realized she was being only somewhat helpful as the gatherer of soggy firewood, and felt herself most useful spinning and working the hair of the yak and musk ox that had been gathered. The ladies would gather into an ice cave to be sheltered from the wind, and there would spin and knit. Before Shanku could join in, she had to carve her own needle from one of the bones kept reserved for such endeavors. Shanku instead carved herself a crochet hook instead of a knitting needle. Curious, Huata and the others asked about her technique, and Shanku explained how the Scissortails preferred to crochet instead of knit. Also that she never quite got the hang of knitting, which the ladies were quite happy to help her fine tune her technique and remove the clumsiness she had with it. So Shanku learned a few tricks and taught a few.

Little Innugati made herself useful as well. She found many herbs and spices in the snow from the summer that had been buried, which Shanku and Huata took full advantage of. Using some of the driftwood Shanku had fished up, they would make a small fire and boil the leaves to make a soothing tea. A small cup was carved for the dragon, and perhaps Innugati enjoyed the fruits of her labor as well. She certainly did not refuse a draught of the tea.

One evening, as Shanku was working on her crocheting in her cave that she had found and claimed at the new settlement, Huata came to call.