Northern Taldera - Mayumi

[Mayumi]

The moon hung proudly in the sky, illuminating the forest around her and shimmered off the gently moving river. The Ice clung to the mud by which Mayumi sat, and encased the flora and trees as if trying to preserve it forever. The aurora borealis danced to its own beat, free and wild in its beauty. The hues of green and blue were mesmerizing. To the left of her the river stayed relatively straight. She was able to at least see the banks for a long time before it curved around out of view. To her right was shallower and allowed the water to freeze on the top, though she wondered if it would hold her weight. She had been tracking a caribou for five hours now, and she was sure that it went across near this spot. Knowing that the trees thinned out on the other side of the river, she assumed the deer need to re-cross the questionable ice in order to get back across to get to a food source. In which case, she’d be able to see it.

Even with her seal fur parka the wind still bit into her skin. It had always been much easier to keep warm at the Hold. Merry tunes echoed off the walls as people danced and laughed together. The old men and women of the Hold would always tell stories or sing while the young children sat crowed around, leaning forward as to not miss a single word. Beautiful tales of the past, adventures, hunts, crafts, and fantasy. These tales captivated her as a child.

Absentmindedly running her left thumb over the intricate carvings in her bow she traced the lines that spelled out the names of her closest family members. K-U-R-U-K. Smiling at the images of her father she thought about how often he would carve something for her whenever she had asked him. How she enjoyed watching the wood shavings fall away to reveal what her heart desired inside, just for her. It was like a magic trick that she just couldn’t quite figure out. J-A-C-I, T-A-R-E-N, and K-A-T-S-U. My how often they would all get into trouble together! Her darling little sister and her devious twin brothers. Being the oldest Mayumi often had to help her mother watch the kids, which always proved to be more than any of them could handle. . . Mother. She thumbed over the letters A-R-A-M-I and closed her eyes. She always worked so hard and never asked for anything in return, she’d just smile in a mother’s way. A verse from the lullaby Arami used to sing drifted through her head.

Not a star in the sky,
Could measure up to your eyes.
Sweet, sweet little one,
For you I’d come undone.
Not a thing on this earth,
Could describe your worth.

A twinge of pain brought her back to reality as sorrow etched itself into her soul. All of that was gone now. Taken. Mayumi looked down at Akira, her large white wolf and stroked her long silky fur in attempt to console herself. Akira lifted her head, liquid gold eyes fixed intently across the river, the hairs on the back of her neck starting to stand on end and a low growl escaped from her chest. Mayumi gripped her bow and stood slowly. Carefully nocking a whalebone arrow, she took a deep breath and quickly raised her bow in one smooth motion and felt the familiar tension in her arm, her cold fingers pressed against the seemingly flawless olive skin on her cheek, and the bowstring brushed against her soft full lips. Tucking her thumb and positioning her palm firmly against her neck, the bowstring now rested against her chin and the tip of her slender nose. Her brilliant purple eyes were set in the direction in which the sound came from, waiting for what was hopefully their next meal, to step through the tree line. Her breath was slow and steady like the river, her heart the aurora, and her mind as still as the night.