Three brothers and one sister

Thalia explores her new village

I had a good sleep that night with new friends I'm living with and their parents who're a lot nicer than my own parents since their fight. I woke up to see everybody else are still asleep, because I'm always an early bird. I quietly step out of the tent and sit down outside to watch the sunrise. 'Good morning, Thalia. Rise and shi...' Sitka's eye caught that I was already up and out of the tent, and he went out as well and then he found me watching the sunrise. 'Morning, Sitka. You're looking for me?' I must've surprised him. 'I always wake up early for watching a sunrise, you'll get used to it.' Sitka's father also came out of the tent and stretched. 'Good morning, Amaguq,' I greeted. 'Huh...Oh! Good morning, Thalia and Sitka. You're up already?' Amaguq spotted us outside. 'Second early bird from now on,' Sitka answered. 'Well, I supposed you two will always wake up early to help me catch fish?' Amaguq added. 'You do know fishing, do you not, Thalia?' Sitka asked. 'Never in your methods of fishing,' I answered. 'No big deal, we'll teach you our fishing methods,' Amaguq explained.

Amaguq took the two of us to a riverbed where some canoes are lied on the grass. 'You also canoe, do you not?' Sitka asked. 'I have been self taught on boats and how to steer,' I was very confident on the canoe. 'How to get on is this: Carry your canoe to water, place your canoe on the water, feed your legs through the hole and push yourself forward with your oar.' Amaguq gave the instructions. I followed what I heard and became really excited when I was on the water, paddling! 'I know a spot where there's lots of fish and we can catch easy!' Sitka seemed to know places around his village.

As we kept paddling to the fishing place, Sitka and his father talked about the Great Spirits, totems and their village wise woman who talks to the Great Spirits. 'Our wise woman is named Tanana.' 'The totems are spirit animals with a personality trait each one of us follow and live by, and when one dies, it will come back as the animal of its totem. Mine is the Mammoth of Strength, so when I die, I'll come back as the mammoth,' Amaguq pulled his necklace of a little mammoth and I looked at it impressively. 'We are all to be taught that the world is full of magic, that is the ever changing lights that dance across the sky on the mountain and at night, and those lights are the spirits of our ancestors and they can the world,' Sitka spoke his learnings, 'Small things become big. Winter turns to Spring. One thing always changes into another,'.

We kept paddling until Sitka called and pointed the direction to stop. We stopped on dry land, pulled our canoes up and Amaguq took out some fishing nets. 'The fish are around there,' he point to the corner of the river while telling me to keep quiet. I'd always watch how something is done, Amaguq and Sitka carefully walked into the water, stood very still and quiet, lowered the net into the water. After ten minutes, they quickly lifted up the net full of fish. 'One pack of fish caught and one to go,' Amaguq counted. He handed his side of the net to me, I went into the water and listened for the silence, while waiting for the fish. Sitka called to lift up the net and I opened eyes wide that I done it! 'I did it!' I beamed.
I carried my pack of fish on my back, Sitka carried his pack, the three of us hopped in our canoes and rowed back to the village.

When we arrived back at the village, we were heading back to our tent when we were called by a group of little children playing, calling Sitka's name. 'Sitka has a new friend!' 'Sitka, who is this with you?' Sitka answered, 'Kids, this is Thalia. She was, I think abandoned from her parents that she ran away and I found her, injured in the forest nearby last night. She is now living with us, she could have a totem here and that's it.' I said hi to them, shyly and I saw Amaguq waiting for us, 'I love to talk, but we need to get moving. Could you just excuse the two of us for a few minutes?' We caught up with Amaguq to some handwoven baskets, Denahi was, of course behind the baskets. 'Good morning, you have made the baskets yourself,' I looked obvious at him. 'Yes?' He answered. We tossed the fish in the baskets. 'Sitka, may I ask something?' I called him, 'When do I get a totem?' 'When you have come of age, you'll get a totem,' Sitka answered, 'but since I'm the oldest, you'll see me get my totem, then you'll understand.'

Things were very happy at my new home and I have a new family of three brothers, I was given a role in the village and that making clothes and jewellery. I made two stuff of my own: A new winter dress coat with winter/water/snow designs on the chest and back, a longer skirt for my legs and I managed to sew real wolf ears on my hood. Sparkling silver small, loop earrings and my ears were pierced already to them. I never wore my coat, because we are in Spring. So it's stored safely in a basket in the tent.