Eskimos : Chapter 1 : Blood and Snow (Laraqua)

[DSIGFUSS]

Just a few yards away sits a polar bear, it's red eyes flash in the morning sun. Crouched in an awefully human sitting position the bear looks off into the distance and watches the storm slowly moving across the sea. Two cubs play at it's feet, unafraid of the magics at work all around them. The Bear lies down close to its children and turns her head quizically, regarding Aglakti



Very impressive Shaman. This will make my brothers' job that much easier.

One of the cubs turns to the larger bear.



Can we play in the storm mother?

[Laraqua]

"Thank you," says Aglakti. "I do not trust that dragon... It is all wrong and should not be on Sedna's waters. Forgive me, but what may I call you? And what does your brother want with the dragon?"

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc - Aglakti instantly recothe bear and her cubs to be Ijiraat by their red eyes. (see Eskimo homewrok for details).


Indeed. Well said Shaman. My name is Furyok and these are my cubs Pandavol and Mya. As for my brothers. They will make short work of the Dragon's passengers. We wish only to protect the secrets of the island.

Furyok looks out to the sea and the pod of Narwhales still trailing behind Aglakti's violent ocean storm.

Pandavol, brave as the artic wolf, crawls up to Aglakti's feet and sniffs her confidently.


Are we going to eat the magic lady mamma?

Furyok smiles.

Not yet my precious child.

Furyok then turns back to Aglakti

You needn't fear me shaman or my brothers now at sea. We are for Sedna and will risk everything for her.

Pandavol swipes snow onto Aglakti's feet and growls a high pitched purring noise that could only be seen as threateningly hilarious.

Awwww Momma?

[Laraqua]

"How might I help in the destruction of the passengers?" asks Aglakti, curiously unafraid. Her long journey from her village had left her bereft of much emotion.

[DSIGFUSS]

You may help by staying out of our way Shaman. I do not wish to offend you, but my brothers will deal with the Norse blasphemers. They will all feel Sedna's rage and wrath.

Furyok turns back to watch the storm and a toothy grin washes over his face. The giant wind towers moving at a haunting pace across the sea are collecting water as they move towards the Dragon. A giant wave is beginning to form. The Narwhales pass through the storm and then neither the Dragon nor the Narwhales can be seen beyond it's powerful intensity. Soon the storm will be on top of the Dragon. Aglakti swears she hears a cackling voice echoe in the distance from the sea. A devilishly hollow, femanine voice calling to some power she was not aware even existed.

Furyok snarls at the air and then turns to Aglakti.

Would you walk with me and my children for a while?

Mya hides behind her mother's legs and whispers.



Noooo Mama!

[Laraqua]

"Yes, Furyok," says Aglakti, bowing her head respectfully.

[DSIGFUSS]

Aglakti follows the three bears. She turns her head to catch a last glimpse of her beautiful storm. Mya and Pandoval stop with her to watch the storm. It has now overtaken the Dragon and its passengers. A wave like none Aglakti had ever seen was rising out of the sea, forced ever upwards by the giant tornados of wind. Aglakti could still hear the chanting through the storm. A terrible cackling and a shrill voice permeated the very air around her. Aglakti knew there were great magics at work here. Worse, the magic was more powerful than her own. She could not help but fear it for the evil it was. Furyok's cubs knew it too. They shivered as they watched and listened.

Furyok motions for her cubs to catch up and they quickly bounce and prance after their mother. SHe grins her sharp toothy smile.

That was some storm Shaman.

[Laraqua]

"I wish only to aid Sedna," says Aglakti fiercely, feeling her heart thump with the thought of further demonstrations of her own power. "I would do anything to see that the dragons shall not reach our shores."

[DSIGFUSS]

Good! There is someone I would like you to meet Shaman! I think that you could be of great service to the Ijiraat and to the island.

Furyok picks up her pace and the cubs struggle to keep up, both with very excited looks on their faces. Mya pants with child like enthusiasm as Pandoval skips beside her.



Huff Huff! Are we going to see the Big man momma?



Can I be a bird momma? I could fly up and tell him we're commin momma?

Furyok shakes her head at her cubs and turns back to Aglakti.

No dears, that would be rude to our guest. I'm sure she would much rather have your company, wouldn't you Aunty Aglakti?

Both cubs cry out their objection.

Ahhh momma!

[Laraqua]

"I do enjoy your company but I would not stand in Sedna's way would she wish you all to abandon me. This is the nature of the path I tread. I am willing to walk alone or with you, whichever it is, that she wishes."

OOC: Fanatic, much?

[DSIGFUSS]

So say we all Shaman..... So say we all.

Furyok continues to walk East along the shorleine with her two children and Aglakti. Mya takes a liking to Aglakti almost immediately. (once she overcomes her incredible shyness) She almost never leaves her side. Pandoval is harder to break. His rebellious age and naughty by nature attitude becomes tiring to Aglakti. Her patience is tried on several occasions as the young red eyed cub dives into the water to swim alongside them. Every so often Pandoval would emerge from the water as a red-eyed baby seal or a baby Beluga and splash Aglakti. Furyok, obviously used to Pandoval's ways, just smiles and continued on. Eventually, Pandoval changes back into a cub and continues alongside his mother, throwing mistrusting glances back at Aglakti as they journeyed East.

oc - you can ask questions now. It is a long walk. Or just talk casually with the Ijiraat

[Laraqua]

Example questions:

"So what was that dragon and why was it coming here?"

"Why does the dragon so anger Sedna?"

"What role is it that you have planned for me?"

[DSIGFUSS]

That Dragon was a vessel. It carries many men with white skin who come to our island to wreak havok like none these lands have ever seen.

Pandovol, haven given up tormenting Aglakti, interrupts Furyok.



We'll stop em won't we momma. I'll bite em and then shake em real good!

Furyok rolls her eyes and smiles at Aglakti She continues.

Those men on the dragons seek something hidden here. We haven't yet discovered what, but we believe it is important to Sedna that we protect it. The Big man will not discuss it with the ijiirat, but I believe he knows more than he lets on. He will only speak with a Shaman of your race. Many of my brothers and sisters have betrayed Sedna and now follow a shadow. It too takes on many forms. I have seen a Black bear wandering the plains. It moved like nothing I have ever seen. A fear like none I had ever known took me and I fled. I am so ashamed. Many of my kind followed it into the mountains.

[Laraqua]

"This bear you speak of has haunted my dreams and lured me into a self-imposed exile in order to seek the meaning of it," says Aglakti. "I shall do my best to aid you and your kind, dispose of these white-skinned beast-men and whatever else is necessary to our cause. There is another shaman, too, I could rally to our cause, Sedna-willing."

[DSIGFUSS]

I like you Shaman! I would welcome you with open paws into our fold. If this other Shaman you speak of has half the heart and courage as you do, perhaps together we could defeat this shadow bear. The Big man will tell us. He will know what must be done for he has been here longer than any on Qikiqtaaluk .

oc - Qikiqtaaluk is the name the Inuit call Baffin Island. (Qikiqtaaluk = Helluland = Baffin Island)

Aglakti and Furyok head north across the flat and barren plains of Qikiqtaaluk. The ominous range of mountains lie miles ahead and Aglakti knew that's where they were headed. Mya and Pandoval would ahead and lead the way and then fall behind as children tend to do. Every so often, Mya would walk near Aglakti and asks her odd questions like "Was your mother a lemming?" and "If you had to live in the sea, which of Sedna's creatures would you chose to live with?" Pandoval raced Aglakti whenever he noticed she was speeding up her pace. He felt in direct competition for his mother's affection and used uver chance he got to prove he was better than the shaman. Furyok smiled and encouraged her son and apologized to Aglakti when Pandoval was out of ear shot, which Aglakti soon learned was a fair distance. Darkness quickly fell on the travellers as mid day arrived on Qikiqtaaluk. Furyok's mannerisms tightened somewhat as she kept a relaxed, yet watchful eye on her cubs through the night.

Anningan's wicked smile shone down on Aglakti willing her to fail in everything she will ever do. It began to snow as winter gained an even greater foothold on the Artic plains and time seemed to pass more slowly as Aglakti blindly followed Furyok through the snowy wasteland.

They would have to stop and make a fire soon and Furyok knew it. She began to dig a hole in the snow. Within no time she had carved a large space out of the snow for Aglakti to rest and start a fire. Pandoval and Mya joined Aglakti in the makeshift igloo and warmed themselves next to the fire. Mya changed herself into a lemming so Aglakti had more room. She crawled inside Aglakti's seal skin jacket and nuzzeled up under her chin, warming the Shaman like a fur scarf. Pandoval was far less accomodating and sprawled his furry polar cub body as far as it would stretch and seemed to claim space on the igloo floor that he was not even using at the time. Furyok stood silent vigil outside the igloo and soon sleep took Aglakti into the dream world. A world she was not as confident in as she once remembered. In the dreamworld, Aglakti would often see the shadow bear and although Aglakti knew she could not be harmed in her dreams like she could in the spirit world, the bear was getting stronger. Who knew when the dark bear would gain the power to harm the shaman even in her dreams.

[DSIGFUSS]

Proceed to Chapter 2