#paleofantasy

It had been a bloody affair, birth usually was. But this was something else. Skadi couldn't stop thinking about it as she picked up the blankets that made up the floor of the tent. They had been thoroughly soaked, a full person's worth, and the worst part was that it wasn't an exaggeration. As she stepped out and tossed the cursed things into the fire, she watched the smoke rise, smelled the acrid stench of burned fur and boiling blood, and she heard the junior wise-woman, Ada, chanting, bidding the spirits that had done such a horrible thing to go away, begging for them to take mercy on the child in her arms, hearing it as if she was underwater. She watched as her mother, the senior wise woman, sat near the fire, tending to it, ensuring the taint of death would be burned away, as any wise woman should, even though she had tears in her eyes and stains on her cheeks Skadi could not help but feel confused, numb. It had started so normally after all.

The night before, the chill had not been as terrible as it usually was, a sign that the winter was leaving for now and that spring was upon them, an auspicious time for a child to be born. Hele had gone straight to her mother's tent to complain of labor pains. Normally, she would then be compelled to wake the eldest wise-one, but with her mother also being the eldest wise-one, that was wholly unnecessary. Instead, Ula merely went to go wake Ada before leading Hele to the birthing tent, where she was fed herbs for milk and luck and calm. All of this done with the expectation that they would have a proud mother and a new baby to introduce to the daylight, right at dawn if they were lucky. Skadi had been woken too, made to stand guard while her father, Nansi, held Hele's hand. All of it done to utter perfection.

And yet, though was a squalling babe at dusk, there was no pride, only pain. When Skadi looked at Ada's eyes, she saw that the tall woman was staring at nothing, only holding shock in her gaze. When she realized Skadi was watching, she forced herself to focus, finishing her chant and asking, "Has she been put in the snow?"

Skadi nodded, telling Ada, "Father did it. He took her to the burial grounds and is still there now. He'll have made sure that she was covered."

"Good, go and tell the others."

It was then that a strangled sob came from Ula. She covered her mouth but was still heard by the other women. Skadi crouched down and wrapped an arm around her as she began to properly sob.

Skadi shushed her, "No, no, don't Mother, please don't. No one could have known, not even you. What else could be done?" There was nothing to be done for Hele bleeding out.

"I know, that doesn't mean I shouldn't have tried harder. What kind of wise woman can't even save her own daughter?" She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "Just head back to camp. We have arrangements to make."

Skadi nodded, standing up and taking a breath before she headed for camp. It wasn't a long trip, just out of ear and eye shot of the birthing tent. Skadi suspected that it was to ensure that others didn't hear screaming, rather than for the mother's sake.

It was strange to see him so calm when he came back. Nansi wasn't the type to hide his emotions, the first to laugh and the first to cry. And yet now, after the loss of his lover's child, his eldest daughter, his eyes were dry. The last time someone had lost her daughter to childbirth, she had supposedly sobbed and beat at her chest for days on end. Though it wasn't as though Skadi could say much, feeling as far away as she did. With this in mind, Skadi let him join her in telling everyone what had happened, until everyone knew that Hele wasn't coming back. They all headed to the ritual cave to await their wise women. Luckily, they didn't have to wait long, as they both arrived and headed to the back of the cave. Ula took up her staff and Ada lit the fire, the baby handed to a nursing mother.

The ritual cave, when lit up, was a glorious place. The fire itself was on a natural shelf where the wise women stood. Both had brought in a stag's skin, putting them on so that the antlers rested on top of their own heads, Ula's bigger than Ada's. There was art on every surface of the cave; the little handprints of children lifted up by their parents covering the upper wall, the rest of the surfaces covered in all sorts of animals. Hunt-luck paintings of aurochs with spears in them, horses that were so skillfully drawn that they looked like they were running, the beasts so beautiful that they simply had to be captured forever. And on the wall behind the wise women was a painting of a great stag. No,The Great Stag. His legs were long, thin, and pointed. His chest proud and thick. His neck curved and elegant. And his antlers were magnificent, having more points than any deer could possibly have, for he lived longer than any deer possibly could. This was a deer that sired many fawns indeed, their spots making up the stars in the night sky. And yet, looking at it, Skadi felt that distance she felt earlier turn to anger rather than awe or comfort. Why? Why hadn't The Geat Stag, or the many, many does in his herd, protected Hele? They had done everything right.

Ula spoke first, her eyes red from crying, but she was otherwise the vision of a calm and dignified wise woman. "On this night, we have lost Hele as she birthed her child, a son. I thank Skadi for informing you all. While she did so, we burned everything that was tainted by that which killed her, the ashes scattered wide where it happened. However, that is not the only reason we are gathered here, in this noblest of places."

Ada spoke then, "Hele has not been buried but remains in the snow. We need a pit prepared so that she may properly sleep."

Nansi spoke up then, not needing to step forward or raise his hand with how tall he was compared to everyone else. "I'll do it, it's only right. Anyone who wishes to can help me."

Someone else spoke then, a young man, telling him, "But Nansi, you've already buried your children in your homeland. You don't need to do it for someone who wasn't yours too. You've been through enough."

Nansi glared at the young man who said it, the expression not befitting the gentle man's dark face. "She was my child. I may not have helped make her, but she was mine. And where I am from, the eldest of a person's loved ones always buried them and I am older than Ula. I'll do it."

The young man backed down. Ula nodded at Nansi, and he nodded back. "Thank you, Nansi. I have no doubt you'll help her rest well."

Ada spoke then, telling the crowd, "We also need a hunting party to prepare her bed. We'll need something she would have liked. Something beautiful."

Although she was not as tall as her father, Skadi had no need to raise her hand when she spoke firmly, as she was the tallest woman, "I'll hunt a swan-hawk for her. She always liked feathers. And if nothing else can be used, just one wing will hold her."

And just like that, whispers broke out. Was Skadi serious? A swan-hawk? And at her tender age of 15 summers? There was devotion, but this was something else. Not to mention how selfish it was.

Skadi heard these whispers and turned around so that her back was towards the shelf. She told them all, "I'm not doing this for glory, and I don't care that I'm young! I'll go take it down and give Hele the best bed I possibly can. Isn't that what she deserves?"

A cry of, "Enough," rang out, Ula's arms raised and her staff in the air. "She is a huntress and has volunteered. It is her right. She shall help us prepare Hele's bed. And so, it shall be her first big game hunt, you will then allow her to join hunting parties, as is her right."

The cave quieted down. Skadi would hunt a swan-hawk. It was not as though she was an incapable hunter, having brought in plenty of small game. No one could stop her.

Ula spoke once more, with finality, "We start at dawn, it's getting late, and we should all rest." She climbed down from the shelf, putting her staff down and removing her deerskin, Ada following her lead and everyone else following her.

No one spoke once everyone returned to the campfire. No one was sure how to break the silence, so the only sound was that of the cooing baby, a baby they had all expected to return with Hele. Finally, an old man spoke, "Have you had a single thing to eat since yesterday?"

Skadi confessed, "No, we thought we would be here by morning, so we took nothing but water."

"No wonder you spoke nonsense then." He went to a pile of snow nearby, "I was saving this for Hele. I knew how much she loved them and how hungry she would be after her ordeal, but you should have it. Be full for your hunt."

It was a fat and plucked bird, which Skadi took gratefully, setting to cook it immediately. As she did, quiet fell over the campfire once more. The bird changing color from pink, to white, to brown before Nansi asked, "Do you remember when you were weaned, Skadi?"

"I do, but only vaguely."

"You refused to eat birds at first. Hard to tell why, you simply refused."

Skadi grew a bit embarrassed, telling him, "I'm sure there was a reason."

"I'm sure there was but either way, you cried when we tried to feed it to you. That was until Hele tore it up and ate a piece. You must have thought that if your big sister ate it, then it must be good. Never mind that I caught it for you."

"In my defense, you also like eating roots."

"Because I have good taste and you're still a child."

That got a laugh out of everyone. The baby squirmed in Ada's arms, and she rocked him gently. And Ula looked at him as she spoke, telling of her memories. "I still remember the day she was born. It was in those days where spring was turning to summer. One of the happiest days of my life. Steved nearly fainted, my mentor practically attended to him more than he attended to me."

"Really? I thought he would be more resilient about these things than I am," Nansi added.

"Oh, you know very well that hunting and birthing are not the same thing, Nansi. You're hardier than he was in a lot of ways."

"You're right about that, Ali always hated to watch butchering, but had no problem watching the healers." He sniffed and rubbed at his face then, as if he was wiping sweat but Skadi noticed tears. And then, he began to weep.

Skadi could only imagine what her father was feeling at the moment. Ali had been her father's son, her brother, in Nansi’s homeland, he was only seven summers when he died. Now, Nansi was losing a child all over again. And the worst part was that they had truly believed that Hele would be fine, and yet the only evidence she had ever been here was in Ada's arms. Skadi offered him water from her water skin, and he took it gratefully, chugging it as he tried to stop crying.

The old man spoke again, looking to Ada and telling her, "I saw a bull with a calf today. No cows around, just him. He wasn't an old man with only the little one to his name or a young thing with a sibling tagging along. This looked like a strong bull. One who should already have more. What do you suppose that's an omen of?

Before Ada could answer, an old woman interrupted, "What does a bull have to do with anything? And why are you asking now of all times? And why are you asking Ada of all people about bulls?" She even glared at him suspiciously.

"It doesn't have anything to do with anything Narna, that was the whole point. It's called a distraction!"

Skadi took a sharp breath through her nose and instantly regretted it, the cold burning her nostrils. And then the baby started crying. This was going to be a rough night.

Skadi was the first one up, before dawn. The night watcher was heading to sleep as she came out of her tent as he told her, "The fire's already lit. You don't need to worry about it."

"Thank you," Skadi said tersely as she went to the fire to warm up. There was new snow on the ground, so she had extra hunting time. She also roasted some roots for her morning meal while she was at it.

After that, she headed to the ritual cave. She took off her mittens and took up the shell dust kept in a bowl and mixed it with water, making white paint before dipping her fingers in and drawing on the wall. It was then that Ula came in, early riser that she was, and saw Skadi painting. "Already preparing?"

"Yes," said Skadi. "If I don't start now, then I may lose time we don't have."

"You know, Skadi, I've been thinking. There are plenty of hunters; I don't think you should take this as your hunt.

"You said yourself that it's my right and it needs to be done. Does it matter if it's a hunting party or by myself? It's not as though I'm doing this for glory."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. It's just such dangerous prey-"

"I know it is."

"Please don't tell me that's why you chose a swan-hawk."

"No, of course not! I only chose it because all the real swans are gone. We don't have time to wait for spring."

"Skadi, look at me."

Skadi stopped her painting and looked at her mother, instantly regretting it. Ula had been crying again. From how tired she looked; Skadi guessed she must have done so all night. Her hand was shaking as she reached up to grip Skadi's shoulder. "I know you want what's best for Hele, but I refuse to lose another child. And your father cannot stand to lose you either, I don't think he could survive it."

Skadi's eyes flitted to the ground in guilt. "I understand, but Hele needs this. I need this. I just," Skadi tried to find the words, "I need to kill something. I need to because what happened wasn't right. And there's a weight in my chest. Like I'll scream if I don't do this. Besides, what I said is true. Hele loved feathers and a swan-hawk has enough for her."

Ula took a deep breath, "Alright, I can see you need this. Just go talk to your father when you're done. He has something to show you."

"Of course, Mother." And so, Skadi went back to painting, Ula going deeper into the cave. The white bird looked quite fearsome, in her humble opinion. She made sure to capture its claws, its massive wings, both these things used in battle with swans. And though the bird's bill was closed, it was still dangerous looking. There was only one thing left to do. Skadi took up the red rock dust, mixed it with water and, using her pinky, swiped a single red line going into its breast. It was a messy stroke, but it struck true. The beast would surely die.

Just as Skadi was about to leave, Ula returned from deeper within the cave, carrying a bag. "Wait, take this with you."

Skadi took it and looked within. She expected to find some sort of herb blend or talisman. She instead found, "Dirt?"

"Trust me, it will save your life. Just don't get it wet."

Skadi was skeptical but nodded anyways, telling her mother, "Of course and I'll be careful." She thus left the cave and headed to the weapon makers.

Nansi stood out even when he was sitting with his fellow weapon makers. He was tall even when sitting. It seemed everything aboout him was longer than the average person, a sort of elegant quality to him. He also had darker skin than everyone else, the color never fading even into the coldest of months when everyone else began to match the snow. Skadi had inherited a mix of his and her mother's skin. Her hair in looser coils than his. He waved her over and said, "I'm sure your mother told you to come speak with me," as he stood up.

"She did, is everything alright? None of my weapons are broken."

"Oh, I know your weapons are fine. You're not foolish enough to go and hunt with broken tools. No, I have something new to show you." He then handed a strange looking branch to Skadi.

Upon closer inspection, Skadi found that it was not a branch, but something Nansi had crafted. Still, she puzzled over what it could be used for. One end was thicker than the other, like a club, but it was still far too thin for that. It had a divot on one end and was very flat overall. It was decorated with her father's usual flair of square patterns, so it was very pretty at least. At a loss, Skadi asked, "What is it?"

"It's a spear thrower," Nansi explained. "You balance a spear on it and throw. That way you can send a spear farther than you could before. I wanted to gift it for your first hunt but-"

"But you decided to turn your sister's burial into your first hunt," interrupted a woman who was knapping flint.

"That's not fair to her. If the other hunters had spoken up first, she wouldn't have needed to go hunt."

"She could have also chosen to stay silent, but she declared she would kill a swan-hawk instead."

Skadi stepped towards the woman, "If you're so opposed to me doing it, why don't you go kill it yourself!"

Nansi put a hand on Skadi's shoulder before picking up a second spear and telling her, "Let's just try this."

Skadi nodded and took the spear from her father, walking with him to a nearby tree, farther than the distance she usually threw a spear at. He showed her how to balance it before handing it to her and had her take position, "Now, throw with all your might."

Skadi did just that, launching the spear with all her strength. Unfortunately, she had underestimated how much grip she needed and launched the thrower along with it. The whole thing, spear and thrower, dropped like a stone

Nansi picked it up for her, telling her, "Well, I suppose now we know that we need to hang onto it tightly."

Skadi nodded and gripped it more tightly this time. The spear flew, but not much farther than it normally did, it didn't strike the tree.

Nansi hummed in thought, "Did you throw from the wrist or the shoulder?"

Skadi groaned at her own foolishness and told him, "The shoulder. I suppose I should be flicking it like a spear instead of using pure force."

"Yes, that would do it. Precision may be the issue here."

Skadi nodded and took the spear from her father before trying again. This time, she used her wrist, and the spear flew into the tree and hit. Just as surely as if she had walked up and stabbed it in.

"And there you have it. You're ready for your first hunt."

Thus, Skadi prepared properly for her hunt, double checking her spear and her knife, making sure her shoes and coat were dry, refilling her water skin, and said farewell, assuring everyone that she would slay the swan-hawk. As she headed to the lake however, she needed to pass by a certain area of camp. The lair of the friend-wolves.

Friend-wolves were strange beasts. They lived at the edge of camp, eating what they were given and only hunting if they wished to. They were a touch smaller than regular wolves and more colorful. And the reason they lived at camp was because they were loud. Barking and howling in the night whenever they so much as smelled something that didn't belong. They had once pinned a bear that had tried to sneak into camp and tore it to shreds. The beast that had no doubt been trying to eat people at camp instead found himself the meal. All in all, useful in the unpredictable night.

Nonetheless, they were always fed each day, such as now. They were given cuts of meat that were a little too tough or weren't very tasty for people. But then Skadi noticed something, "Umen! Don't give them marrow bones! That's people food!"

"But they've been so good," the young boy countered.

Skadi sighed, not happy about the delay but going up to the friend-wolves anyways, making sure that Umen wasn't giving them anything too important. Luckily, she found that they were not being fed marrow bones at all. It was cleaned ribs and aurochs' tails. Skadi then sat down with a huff, making sure none of the friend-wolves got too nippy with Umen. "Why isn't your mother helping you with this anyways? She clearly gave you the food." She looked at the eldest she-wolf gnawing at a particularly large rib.

"Because Mama is with Hele's baby, and I wanted to do this all by myself."

Ah, that would explain it. Both who was nursing Hele's babe this morning and why Umen was here. It would be very strange indeed for Chara to truly allow her child to do this all by himself. She must have been watching from nearby. One of the friend-wolves, a pup no older than a summer, went up to her and Skadi absentmindedly scratched behind his ears.

"If you have this handled then, I'll leave you be." She used her spear as leverage to get up and walked away. But as she walked, she felt as though she was being watched. At first, she thought it was some rabbit or bird keeping her away from its nest, but it persisted. After a while, she turned around and saw who her stalker was. "Oh no."

It was the friend-wolf she had pet. He was the very picture of a pup at play, with his tongue out, tail wagging, and in a position ready to pounce. He bounded up to Skadi and tried to jump on her, but Skadi pushed him away, "No! I don't have anything for you! Go away!"

But the friend wolf would not go away, he simply stared at her.

"Look, this is my first hunt alone. I'm not supposed to bring anyone, let alone something that's just going to steal from me."

Once again, the friend-wolf only stared at her. Skadi wasn't even sure he understood her at all. Groaning at the realization that he wouldn't be leaving any time soon, she told him, "Fine, but if you steal from me, I'll make you into a blanket."

He gave no response to the threat. In fact, he followed her as she kept walking. Through the plain and into the forest until they reached the lake. And it wasn't even high sun yet.

The lake was always a pretty sight. In the spring and summer, it was a lovely sky color, its waters cool and full of fish. It often attracted deer, the most sacred and noble of animals, but they weren't the only ones; it also attracted birds like ducks, geese, and swans. And where there were swans, there were swan-hawks. Though in the winter and autumn, when the water froze into ice, the swans left while the swan-hawks stayed.

And that was exactly what Skadi found when she arrived. A swan-hawk sitting upon the ice, scratching at the surface with the claws of its webbed feet. No doubt it had seen a fish and was trying to get at it for lack of its usual prey. How strange that something that looked so similar to a swan feasted upon them, sneaking under the water and grabbing them with its toothed bill or pouncing upon them and dragging them away. The swans would fight back, of course, but so rarely won. But Skadi didn't think of that now, only that she needed to kill it. With this in mind, Skadi balanced her main spear on her new thrower, took aim at the beast's heart, and launched her spear.

Unfortunately, the friend-wolf stepped on a stick at the exact wrong time. The swan-hawk turned and found its wing pierced instead. It shrieked in pain and Skadi knew that the hunt was truly on. It couldn't fly away, so Skadi gave a cry as she ran straight for it with her second spear in her hands.

The swan-hawk gave a loud hiss in turn and ran towards Skadi, enraged and in pain. Now it was a matter of who struck first and how.

The swan-hawk stretched out its great neck to bite Skadi, but she jumped out of its way. Skadi in turn thrust her spear but the swan-hawk wing-slapped at her with its good wing, forcing her to turn away. Skadi growled and, feeling her arms already bruising from the wing slap and trying to think of a different approach, ran to the bushes, her quarry now chasing after her.

It was then that Skadi heard a bark. She looked and the friend-wolf was just standing there on the banks of the lake. But the swan-hawk had also been distracted. Skadi took the opportunity to put her spear back in its holster and take out her knife instead, jumping on the beast's back to try and slash its throat. However, no sooner had she gotten on top of it did the swan-hawk throw her off, her knife falling into the bushes. Worse yet, she heard a snap as she landed on her back. Her free spear had broken.

The swan-hawk attacked once more then, slashing at Skadi's chest with its talons, managing to break through her coat and her undershirt. She screamed as she was ripped open, deep slashes already oozing blood. She only just managed to roll over as it went to bite her. How as she supposed to kill this thing now? Her spear was too short to attack it safely and trying to stab it from behind had already lost her a knife. The thing somewhere in the snow and dirt.

Wait, the dirt!

Skadi opened the bag of dirt and took up a handful, flinging it in the swan-hawk's face as it went in to try and bite her again. It shrieked and shook its head this way and that, blinded

But then the friend-wolf came back, lunging at the swan-hawk. Skadi took out her now much-shortened spear and screamed, "No! How dare you!"

But instead of ripping his stolen prey apart, the friend-wolf simply held the swan-hawk down. Teeth digging in to make the smallest of cuts on its neck, but no more. And he stared at Skadi as if waiting, as if he wanted Skadi to make the kill.

Now that her victory was assured, Skadi gave a primal scream and thrust her spear into the swan-hawk's heart. Screamed even louder as she felt the crunch of bone and the resistance of meat. It was even louder than when Hele had screamed the day she died. She screamed through the beasts' death squall. She continued to scream for a good while before she began to cry. Fat tears falling from her eyes as she fell to her knees upon the feathers. The sting on her skin nothing compared to the ache in her heart. She then broke down into sobbing for even longer, her tears hot against the frigid air until she had no more tears to shed.

And then, it was over. The friend-wolf let go of the swan-hawk's neck. Skadi panted and leaned on her broken spear for a moment before pulling it and the one stuck in the swan-hawk's wing out. She then recovered her knife and her thrower as she sniffled before she hauled the beast onto her back, its bloodied chest staining her jacket and its wings draped over her shoulders.

The walk to the river was, naturally, more arduous than the walk to the lake, though the friend-wolf also provided some relief, guarding her from anything that would seek to steal from her. When she finally arrived, she was a bloody vision. The swan-hawk's neck fell behind, its wings over her shoulders looking as if they were her own. And when she dropped it in front of her mother, Ada, and two butchers, she told them, "It scratched my chest and bruised me, but I'll live."

Despite this, Ada checked the wound, the young huntress hissing in pain as the ruined jacket was pulled away from her and revealed her tattered shirt. "The wound is deep, though not to the bone, likely to fester and certain to scar. Let me treat you while your mother takes care of the swan-hawk." She led her to the river proper so she could clean. "It's lucky I made a poultice." And with that, the wise woman treated Skadi. The young girl tried to not make too much noise as the fresh wound was assaulted with a mixture of allium, willow bark, and secret herbs. It burned like fire, but Skadi knew it was necessary, and that Ada would not let her go untreated, even as the friend wolf growled at her.

One of the butchers stopped cleaning his knife and asked, "What is it doing?"

"He sees me as a friend," Skadi explained. "He followed me as I went to hunt. He even helped me. When it was time to kill it, he held it down for me." She then sighed, "So much for a first hunt."

Ula, who had finished inspecting the downed beast, asked Skadi, "Did it kill the swan-hawk?"

"No, I did, but it did hold it down for me."

"And is the friend-wolf a person?"

Skadi snorted in amusement, "Of course not."

"Then this was a successful hunt. Now, it's time for you to butcher your kill, Huntress Skadi."

And so, Skadi set to butchering the bird with help from the others. She was careful in removing the uninjured wing, not wanting to ruin even a single feather. One of the butchers poured hot water over the feathers on the rest of the body before plucking them away and keeping the unstained ones. Skadi also saved the liver for herself, the fatty meat no doubt going to make a fine meal. She looked to the friend wolf, who was sniffing at and licking the blood off the riverbank and had a thought. He had held down the beast for her when he could have easily killed and stolen it, yet he didn't. So, she took out the heart and whistled to him. When he looked up, she told him, "You've been a good boy. Here," and she threw the mangled heart towards the friend-wolf, who immediately set to devouring it, tail wagging at his due prize

When the butchery was done, the time for glory was over. It was time to bury Hele. Ula gave the wing a once over, ensuring that it was suitable, as they went off to the burial place.

The burial place was very lonely, each mound being the only sign that people were in the ground. Some were very old, hard and compact and they would have had grass growing on them come spring. Others were newer, still soft, but not loose, clearly having been dug and covered. And then there was the pit dug for Hele. It was deep and empty but wouldn't be for long. Ula put the wing down first, then it was time for Hele. Without another word, Nansi went to the nearby snowbank to retrieve her. The cold had kept her safe from rot, Nansi's presence and digging kept her safe from animals. When she was pulled up, there were a few gasps from the younger people in attendance, not having seen someone die in childbirth.

To say Skadi's peers had never experienced death would be an absurd lie. Everyone had lost someone before; a father to a mammoth hunt, a baby sibling to sickness; but none had seen a body like Hele's. Where those were mangled by injury or twisted by the agony of disease, Hele looked almost asleep, having been peaceful when she held her son in her arms before fading away. She was obviously gone, of course, the blood that still soaked her dress, the lack of breathing or reactions, and her deathly pallor made it all clear. The darkness of Nansi's arms made the pallor look even more severe. The baby in Ada's arms began to cry, almost as if the sight of his mother made him mourn as well. But she could not comfort him, she passed him for Chara to comfort before going with Ula to take Hele from Nansi.

When the wise women came to the pit, they climbed down and laid her down gently on the great wing. They then added the feathers the butcher had plucked as the final touch. When they climbed back out, Ula asked, "Would anyone like to say a few words before we give Hele her things?"

Unsurprisingly, Nansi agreed to speak first. He took a breath, gathered his thoughts, and said, "Hele was not my daughter by blood, but she was my daughter in all other ways. From the moment she hugged me in gratitude for saving Ula that fateful day, she was mine. I knew that though I would never replace her first father and that she would never replace my children, I would raise her and do everything in my power to ensure nothing ever hurt her. Not the animals that had stolen my children from me, not the men who had taken Ula, nothing." His voice cracked and he took a steadying breath. "She was a flame in winter and to lose her at the very start of her journey into motherhood, one she was already taking without a lover, feels like a cruel twist of the knife in my chest. I will miss her for all my days, we all will."

No one had better words for her than that, though others also said their farewells. The culmination of these processions ended in the laying of different things for her in the pit. Shells from the ocean, bowls and figures she had made, and decorations she had once worn. There were no flowers about, so they made do with branches from the evergreen trees. In the end, Skadi thought she looked very comfortable and that, when they filled the pit with dirt, she would want for nothing else. Never would she grow hungry or cold or need to seek beauty elsewhere. One by one, the mourners threw dirt in and on the pit and dispersed until it was only Skadi, Ula, and Nansi.Even Ada had gone to attend to the baby. Each one was kneeling in front of the fresh mound of dirt. Each one was taking in the silence now that Hele was truly gone and at rest.

It was Ula who broke the silence, "I suppose I should go prepare the paint for your ceremony, Skadi."

"No, I don't want a ceremony, not today."

"But I didn't do this because I want to hunt mammoths. I did it to say farewell, because Hele needed a place to rest."

Ula sighed, almost in relief. She told Skadi, "Hele would be proud of you, child."