Gifted Pelt

Chapter 13

Kōri leads her around the iglu and as they pass through the group of igluit, Astrila marvels at the intricate designs on each. Even though she's grown up around igluit her entire life, the designs always fascinate her. All of the iglu have some carving of a seal on their icy surface, but each has it carved in a unique way and with different accompanying designs. Her hands tingle for her to take off her gloves and skim the tips of her fingers along the grooves of the carved designs, but she refrains from doing so. It takes them a while to pass the first selkie that isn't out in the bay, and they instantly stop in surprise at the sight of her. The woman's hands instantly shoot down to her waist, presumably to grab a small weapon, but she halts when she sees the signs of Astrila's heritage; her pelt and the fishhook around her neck. Her expression is guarded as she asks Astrila a question.

"Who are you?"

Astrila smiles comfortingly. "My name is Astrila, I just found out that I was a selkie yesterday, that's why I've never been here before."

The woman relaxes slightly, but she is still wary. "How do I know that you are telling the truth?"

Astrila's eyes shutter, but Kōri answers. "I was the one who found her, Chikuk. I was there when her pelt appeared in the water beside her."

The woman, Chikuk, looks stunned by that. "Why would she have been in the water? That makes it even less believable."

Kōri sighs and opens his mouth once more, but Astrila beats him to it. "I fell from the cliffs by my village and was freezing to death as well as drowning when he found me."

Chikuk nods thoughtfully and looks at Kōri. "Why are you so invested in her?"

"She's my Siqiniq, and she's already become my friend."

"Oh!"

Chikuk turns away from them and heads towards the igluit behind the pair, the bottom of her leopard seal pelt flapping behind her. Kōri's expression is halfway between a bemused smile and a grimace. "I'm sorry, she means well."

Astrila places a hand on his arm. "It's alright. You can't control other people's actions. Come on, stop thinking about it. I want to see the parts of the bay that aren't igluit."

Kōri laughs and leads her towards the ice-covered shoreline of the bay. Astrila frowns for a moment, the ice is too solid, in pieces that are far too big, to be in a bay. She looks around the edges of the bay and finally sees the cliffs sheltering all but a small opening to the bay. The ice is so well protected from the winds by those cliffs that it can't break up into smaller ice floes instead of the single, massive ice sheet. Astrila is awed by those looming cliffs, but her eyes shutter at the memory of falling. Kōri sees her reaction and stops walking.

"Astrila? Are you okay?"

She shakes her head to dismiss the memories. "I'm alright, let's keep going."

"Are you sure?"

Astrila hesitates. "I'm fine, Kōri."

Kōri gives her a look that tells her they'll be talking about this later. She gives him a look right back, saying that it isn't necessary. He raises an eyebrow, causing her to sigh and give him a shallow nod. With that, he starts off again, and they reach the edge of the ice in a matter of minutes. Kōri steps onto the ice and walks a few steps forward, but he stops when he feels that Astrila hasn't left the safety of the shoreline. He walks back over to her.

"What's wrong?"

Astrila feels nervous and fidgety, wringing her hands together. "Don't we need an ice stick?"

Kōri frowns. "A what?"

"An ice stick, for testing how safe the ice is before you step onto it, and for pulling someone back out of the water if needed."

Kōri shakes his head. "Astrila, seals."

"I know, but . . . it doesn't feel right to go on the ice without one."

He frowns. "Tomorrow, we can get you an ice stick if you really need one, but can you at least come out with me today? I'll be right beside you."

Astrila swallows nervously and takes a step onto the ice, shuffling forward slightly. Kōri slows his pace to the same as her shuffle, having been walking normally before. Astrila clings to Kōri's arm as they continue on to one of the groups that are ice-fishing, and they reach them just in time to see one of the selkies slide into the water. Astrila inhales sharply, but the selkie's form ripples beneath the water. When the ripples stop, he is a speckled harbor seal. Astrila's eyes are wide with astonishment at the sight, and she tracks his movements until he is out of sight of the hole in the ice. In her amazement, she had let go of Kōri's arm, but she quickly wraps her hand around his arm again when she realizes it. The selkie's companion looks toward Astrila and Kōri, frowning when he sees Astrila's tight grip and her wide eyes.

"Are you alright?"

She nods, speechless. "Yes, I'm fine."

"You look like you've never seen someone transform before."

She breathes, "I haven't."

"Are you new to the island?"

She starts to nod, then looks up, surprised. "You aren't acting like anyone else I've met yet, apart from Kōri. They all didn't trust me or believe me."

The selkie shrugs, his face smooth enough to tell her that he is only a few years older than her. "I was in the same boat you are in now. My mother was a selkie, but my father was human. My pelt appeared for the first time when I joined the village hunters and fell through the ice, not knowing how to use the ice stick very well yet. They pulled me out with their own sticks, and my pelt appeared while I was huddled in a pile of furs, warming up. My mother saw it at once and brought me here, as my father had already passed on to the spirits. Which of your parents was the selkie?"

"My father."

He smiles at Astrila, his brown eyes crinkling warmly. "Atelihai to Nanniq island. I'm Tarkik."

"Astrila."

He looks to her grip on Kōri's arm. "Let me guess, you feel like it's wrong to be out on the ice without an ice stick?" She nods and he gives her another warm smile. "I have an old one inside my iglu. I can drop it off at yours tomorrow if you wish."

She smiles gratefully. "Thank you."

He shakes his head. "You don't need to thank me. Things are shared here, just like they are among the Inuit villages. Based on your closeness to Kōri already, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you are staying in his iglu."

Kōri laughs. "Like you didn't already figure that out yesterday when I left during our hunt and came back with her, Tarkik!"

Tarkik shrugs and gives him a mock scowl. "Kōri, you just ruined my role of all-knowing."
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Tarkik is funny, isn't he? Are you guys glad that there is another human turned selkie on the island? Poor Astrila too, everyone forgets that she's not the first. Tell me what you guys think of everything that happened this chapter! Oh, and I'm going to restate my question: do you guys want me to make a dictionary of all the Inuit words to put in here?

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

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.