Tak'Tuq

The light of day arrived beautifully, and the morning breeze greeted it with the playful nip of its Autumn teeth. There was a distinct chill in the air to be so early in the season; but this is how weather is, it changes from place to place and time to time. Weather, like time, does not stand still.

There were things to do; gear needed to be checked and traded, I had no clue what might be among the possessions of Tulimak, which were now mine. I would need Lilyana to show me those things which had been his; other than herself. There was now trading to be done and agreements to be reached before I could depart Kanirniq taking Tulimak to the Place of Returning; before I could continue my path northward to hunt.

It can be fairly said that the Tundra can seem barren and desolate, dangerous and imposing; but the same manner so can all places be described if one is unprepared to meet their particular challenges.

Tulimak may have been many things, depending upon who was speaking; but unprepared he was not. He had some measure of the daily gear of basic survival, but not much; and not well made. These things would definitely be traded away as soon as possible, for none of it bettered my own.

I spent the morning ahns trading; lightening the load by being rid of those things among my new acquisitions which did not suit me. The hunting and fishing gear were easily disposed of; as were the furs, and most of the daily cooking gear. Several items had more appeal for me than others; he did have a three finely shaped and thickly haired verr of H'rimgar. They were large and beautiful animals, powerfully built and well armed with sweeping twin curls of massive horn.

The verr I would keep; their harness and saddlery, as well. Perhaps one day I would teach Melete to harness and guide them; or perhaps she would simply be draped over a saddle, lashed securely to it and led where I wished to take her. Tulimak had travelled with Lilyana in exactly this manner; bundled, and bound up a sled frame.

Some of the better cookware, the black iron, I kept. There was a good sized kettle and lid, big enough to feed three or four people a good portion of stew without being more than half full itself. There was a smaller kettle with a flared edge which shaped a pinch upon its lip; there was another such similarly sized, and perfectly lipped. There were two deep skillets of this same black iron; one larger, and another half its size. I kept a well formed dipping ladle and some bowls of dried long necked gourds. I kept the heavily bladed cleaving knife, a large spoon and a large prong of the same strong dark iron.

He did have good cooking gear, but I knew lilyana; and I questioned her ability to boil water. I assumed Tulimak cooked for himself; and Lilyana, was a trade I wanted to make. I found her to be mostly useless; the woman had no sense at all about her, but such women are not bred to be sensible; they are bred to rendered senseless among the furs and racks, These women are those who are never truly useless; as are many who are called free.
Katjuk had a son, who would not be a Hunter; he had not the physique required for it, nor the full control of the physique he did have. Taktuq was tall, and thin, and awkward. He went about tripping upon himself daily; but he was young, and bright of mind, and ambitious. He was haunted by a type of wicked spirit that came and went as it wished, possessing him with fits which at times did him great mischiefs, it was not uncommon that his head was knotted or his face bruised.

Taktuq was known for two things; he was a shrewd trader, and that he was a haunted man. He did not walk without tripping, he did not sit without sliding, and he did not crouch for falling over; yet none of which affected his knowledge, skill or ability in trading; he had amassed a good many things for himself by means of the practice.

It was with Taktuq that I came to an agreement with for the caretaking of Lilyana. He would retain my property, to keep and care for, and to use as his own; but for all other men her use came from trade. Lilyana would be housed and fed, used and bartered as he saw fit; and when I returned again, we would split the profits. It was also with him that I traded the remainder of Tulimak's gear that hadn't interested me.

With the trading complete and the agreements made, I could at last begin the journey to the place of returning and then get back to my hunt. The few things I was keeping as surprises for Melete, I stored securely in a fur of their own; then rolled it, bundled it and lashed it onto my pack frame. Those things that were staying in Kanirniq were taken to where they would be kept and left there.

Those things that were going with me; including Tulimak, were loaded onto pack sleds hitched behind the sturdy limbed verr, and lashed securely in place.