Gifted Pelt

Chapter 8

Astrila blinks her eyes open, staring up at the icy ceiling of the iglu. The tiniest, dimmest beams of light are peaking through the iglu doorway, indicating that dawn has arrived. Slowly, without a sound as she slides along the furs, Astrila slips out of her bed and goes to the doorway, taking her pelt with her. The sky is the cool and calm pinkish gray of early dawn, with hints of yellow starting to appear as the sun continues its upward path. She can't see the sun itself just yet, but she can see the red spot along the horizon where the sun is just about to touch the edge of the horizon. Astrila takes a couple more steps away from the iglu, to listen to her surroundings without interference or blockage. From the igluit around her are the sounds of people preparing for the day. Just barely louder than that of the others is a sound from her own iglu.

She hears groans, and finally, "Astrila!"

She whirls and ducks back inside the iglu, worried. What is wrong with Kōri to make him hurt this way? He sounds to be in agonizing pain. Once she is several steps inside the iglu, Kōri sags, as if his pain had disappeared. She rushes over to him anyways and kneels at his side, overcome with worry.

"Kōri? What's wrong?"

He opens his mouth to say one thing and halts, before saying something else. "You didn't feel anything?"

Astrila's brow crinkles in confusion and her mouth slips into a frown. "No, should I have?"

He shrugs as best he can in his awkward half-sitting half-lying position. "Not necessarily, we don't have much information about what is going on here to determine that. But I'm going to guess that since I was drawn by the call and not you, that I am the only one who will feel the pain."

Astrila's expression of confusion deepens and she holds up her hand. "Okay, I have no idea what you are talking about."

Kōri sighs and runs his hand along his face. "Do you remember what I was talking to Kayi about?"

She shakes her head. "Not really, It was a personal conversation between you two and didn't concern me, so I tried not to listen."

An amused smile tugs at the corners of his lips."In truth, that did concern you. You are my Siqiniq, and I was also drawn to you by the call of seven tears. When your pelt appeared, the two bonds were tangled up, and I physically cannot be far from you until the call of seven tears is completed."

"Okay . . . are you saying I'm your sun?"

Kōri laughs. "Well, siqiniq does mean sun in the Inuit language, so, yes, in a way. But in selkie culture, it is more akin to the human phrase, soulmate."

Astrila's eyes widen. "Okay, what does that mean? Besides the obvious bits?"

Astrila's stomach grumbles loudly, loud enough for Kōri to hear and smirk at. Astrila's cheeks turn red and she rushes over to grab the food basket, setting it between them. She grabs a strip of dried caribou meat and looks expectantly at Kōri, waiting for answers.

"Okay. Being my Siqiniq doesn't truly mean much unless you act upon it. You still have the freedom to choose your own path. But what it does mean is that we are perfect complements to each other."

She nods. "What is the call of seven tears?"

Kōri's cheeks show a hint of redness beneath his dark skin, more than Astrila's darker skin can display. "When a female human cries seven tears into the sea, due to loneliness, sadness, fear, what have you, any nearby selkie male is pulled towards them to provide physical comfort." His cheeks appear to be even redder than before, and he stumbles over his next words. "They sometimes leave a gift, in a sense. A baby. Then they are forced to stay away from land, with the exception of this island, for seven years."

Astrila's brows furrow in confusion once more. "I have two responses to that. One, I don't remember crying into the sea, my tears fell onto the cliff. Two, what does that mean for the Siqiniq bond and whatever is going on?"

He shrugs at the first question. "Is it possible that your tears pooled on the cliff and some went over the side?"

"Maybe." She scowls. "My tears are causing all sorts of problems. They are the reason I fell over the cliff too, they made the ice slippery."

He looks sad at that new bit of information and admits, "I don't know how to respond to that. But I can answer the other question. The call is only for humans, so when your pelt appeared, it confused the magic. Because I was drawn to you through the call, and your pelt appeared, and you were my Siqiniq. The bonds were fused together a bit. I am bound to you until the call is completed."

Astrila scowls. "As much as I would like to free you from that, I'm not just going to have sex with you."

He holds up his hands placatingly and leans away from her anger. "I'm not expecting you to! If I have to be stuck by your side for eternity, then so be it. I will not force anything upon you."

Her expression softens. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes, I do."

Her face falls. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"Don't be, I don't blame you for being upset. In fact, if our roles were reversed, I would probably still be yelling."

Astrila smiles and gets to her feet, putting the basket of food back to be stored for later.
________________________________________________________________________________
What did you guys think of this chapter? Do you want me to put the call of seven tears in my stories and legends book so that you can read it more in depth? Do you think Astrila's reaction was too much, too mellow, or the right amount? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading, and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.