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Strange Things

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"Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree."

:icontokotas:

PreviouslyJourney To The Past

As Kayu had predicted the snow began to fall in thicker flurries as she walked between the rows of headstones. This far back they were little more than weathered rocks standing in neat rows between the trees, the persons lying beneath them forgotten by time. It was true that cemeteries were only for the living, what use had the dead for such places? The forest had even began to reclaim the land in some areas. Miniature pines  swayed in the breeze, collecting snow as if it were part of some dance. Tiriaq trotted off and not having a better indication of where to look Kayu followed him.

Mausoleums lurked in the snow like great beasts, the carved angels seemed to follow her with blank eyes. All claiming her into their domain. Kayu could feel that dark presence at her side as she walked, the call growing stronger. She shivered, gooseflesh rising along arms and back. Gritting her teeth she ignored it. Had so many people lived out their lives in such a small town? Her eyes travelled over loving inscriptions, forgotten names and dates from over a century ago.

Kayu flicked up the hood of her parka against the wind and snow.

Tiri waited for her, her silent guardian in the snow. She gravitated towards him and they sauntered aimlessly between the graves. Kayu looking for something she didn’t want to find. Tiriaq, on the other hand, was fascinated by the fake flowers and burned down candles that lay scattered around the cemetery - smelling each one, sneezing then moving onto the next but never straying. He sensed something was wrong.

A sprawling oak sat on a low hill, the last leaves clinging to the coiled branches gathered the falling snow. It used to be the hanging tree when the town was first established and such punishments were the norm. The tree had since been used as a meeting place for forbidden lovers. Initials were etched into its bark as promises. The older stories claimed it was a strange and highly mystical site, with sightings of spirits often claimed by those who believed such things. A fox looked at her with golden eyes for a moment before disappearing with a flick of  its fluffy tail.

Kayu walked up to the tree, placing a hand on the bark – fancying she could hear its song and the stories its spirit could tell her. She watched as a red leaf quivered, fighting to hold on against the inevitable before wafting down to lay in the snow like a drop of blood.

There they were.

She staggered as she caught her parents gaze from within oval frames bordered by some type of carved foliage to fill the curved top of the otherwise plain stone. The images filled in what she had forgotten about their faces. It was strange how time erased even those things one would have thought would be impossible to forget.

Abigail Kunayak

1966 - 2011

Michael Nanuq Kunayak

1964-2011

Kayu found herself on her knees with no recollection of getting there. All her strength vanished and she felt like the lost girl she’d woken up as after the tribe had found her wandering in the woods with no recollection of who she was or what had happened. The memories had come back, eventually, but Kayu often wished they hadn’t.

Tiriaq sensed her distress and lay down at her side with a chuff. She entwined her fingers in his mane. The wind caught her hood and pulled it down, she didn’t bother fixing it, letting the snow melt on her skin.

She heard her mother’s laugh on the wind, her father’s comforting voice in the whispers of the leaves above her. She thought she’d cry but she couldn’t bring herself to feel anything. Kayu felt empty and very much alone. She should have been with them. Returned to the earth, not here walking half in life, and half in death.

Her eyes drifted from the faces she had almost forgotten to the grave stone adjacent to her parents’.

The sight hit her like a physical blow. Her own face… her old face, bright eyed and smiling, looked back at her from its own oval frame. At the base stood a vase. Her vase from her room, holding flowers that were just beginning to wilt but nonetheless stood out against the monotone landscape. She scrambled over. A small carved fox, a replica of the one in her pocket lay next to the vase. With shaking hands Kayu reached out and touched it, remembering the hands that had carved it.

A sob shook her body, sounding oh so loud in the stillness. Well, of course, they would have thought her dead. She had not come back, they obviously would not have found her body.

This had been a mistake. Kayu shot up onto shaky feet, Tiriaq instantly propping her up. Her thoughts swirled around with the snow, and she felt not quite herself. She stumbled as she walked. She had to get away.

The tokota swung his head around, a deep growl rising from deep within his chest, making the ground tremble beneath her feet. His lips curled back in a snarl.

Kayu looked back.

Her eyes met the warm chestnut ones that had been haunting her dreams. He stared at her and time slowed, moving like molasses. The snow had lessened, melting into his dark curls. Her hand gripped Tiri’s cream coat so hard it hurt. She was sure the pounding of her heart was louder than the ferocious snarl and the snapping teeth.

“Allison?” he breathed. She watched the plume of breath as if were magic. His voice thrummed through her, igniting the embers that lay in her heart.

Alli… Kayu didn’t know what to do. Part of her wanted to leap onto the tokota’s back and ride off with the wind that pulled her away. The other wanted to stay here, in this moment. To run into his arms, to lose herself in him. To forget the last three years; forget the accident, forget the tribe and Siluk, forget Ian and what he’d made her do, what his fellows had done to Tiri. To forget everything but him.

“You… you’re alive?”

Kayu shook her head. No, Allison was dead. She died that day. She was not Allison.

He was walking towards her in a trance. Oh gods, she had to get out of here. The flowers he had brought dropped into the snow. Kayu fell against Tiriaq’s shoulder. This was a terrible idea. The tokota growled again, taking a step forward but a touch on his foreleg was all it took for him to settle. Instead he watched the newcomer with intense ice blue eyes. Tension laced his body, he was ready to defend his human against whatever threat this man posed.

Stupid, Kayu, this is stupid. This whole idea was stupid. Run!

His fingers shook as he reached out, tracing the contours of her face. Convincing himself of her presence. Kayu recoiled from the touch as if it burned her. Maybe it had, she could still feel it even though his hand had dropped after hanging awkwardly in the air.

Kayu started to panic. Oh, by the gods, he’d touched her. Why was she so stupid. What if…

“How… where have you been? What happened  to you? We all-” His voice broke with emotion, “I thought you were dead.”

Kayu glanced at the grave. Tears burned her eyes and the grief that had been absent moments before came crashing over her.

“I…” Her voice came out raspy. “I’m sorry.”

She used the remainder of her strength to vault onto her tokota’s back. Peter grabbed her arm, “Al… stay, please.”

“No, don’t touch me!” Kayu screamed, ripping her arm from his grip. She kicked her heels into Tiri’s sides, shouting at him to run. The big tokota gave a warning growl and spun around. His muscles bunched and released, carrying them away from her past. She looked back and saw Peter standing in the swirling snow, his body sagging as he lost her again.

“ALLISON!”

The wind caught his cry, tossing it through her heart like a spear.  Kayu buried her face into Tiriaq’s mane to muffle her own screams. Agony spurned her on. And despite knowing that running was her only option, Kayu knew that she would never forgive herself for it.     

Word count: 1400

Art (c) scaramouche2802 

Next: 
Friend or Foe 

Link to import sheet: Tiriaq 1487

Link to hunting/expedition/summary journal: Tiriaq 1487 Tracker

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