Gifted Pelt

Chapter 50

Their heads pop up through the water in the channels between the broken ice sheets, peering towards the city. It's huge, several times the size of Astrila's village. Several times the size of the Selkie settlement, too. Her eyes are wide as she stares towards the city and the colorful buildings it possesses. Tarkik looks over at her and bursts into laughter. It sounds strange, coming from a seal. It isn't what you would expect laughter to sound like but that is what she knows it is. Astrila barks at Tarkik in irritation.

"What are you laughing at?!"

He has to take several deep breaths before he can speak. "You look so amazed by the size of the city."

"Of course I am, it's huge!"

He almost starts laughing again. "It's really not. Clyde River is one of the bigger Inuit settlements, but there are many cities that are far bigger than this one."

"How many?"

"Hundreds at least, I think."

Astrila gapes at him. "You can't be serious."

"I am. Let's get somewhere where we can shift now."

He doesn't wait for her to answer. Instead, he starts making his way through the channels in the ice towards the shore. Several of the channels are thin enough that they have to swim between them, but they try to stay at the surface as much as possible. They need to be able to see if Nanuq is near. Mercifully, they see no sign of the white bear as they approach the shore. They stop in a small, secluded stretch of shore to shift, out of sight of any human. Astrila swings her pelt over her shoulders and wraps it tightly around herself, stroking the soft fur.

"How can there be hundreds of cities larger than this one?"

Tarkik glances over at her, a smirk on his face. "I'll show you a map in a bit. What do you want to do first?"

Astrila just shrugs, an incredulous look on her face. "I don't know, I've never been here or anywhere like here before. You lead the way."

Tarkik chuckles and starts up the snowy bank towards the road lining the top of it. Before he steps onto the strange, snowy dirt path, wider than any Astrila has ever seen, he stops.

"Try not to let anything slip about Nattiq Island, will you?"

Astrila gives him a warm smile. "Of course. Where are we going to go first?"

His head tilts slightly to the side as he thinks. "We could check out the library, one of the stores here, see the artists, or even just explore. Do any of those sound good to you?"

"All of them, really."

He sighs. "Where do you want to go first?"

Astrila flushes. "I don't know, you choose."

"Astrila . . ."

She sighs. "Fine. Let's go backward from your list. Artists, store, and then the library." She frowns. "I still don't know what a store or a library is."

He grins. "You'll find out. But I think we should go to the store after the library, not before."

"Okay . . . will you tell me why?"

Tarkik shakes his head, his grin becoming a mischievous smirk. "Nope."

"Fine. lead the way."

Tarkik starts walking up the road towards the mass of strange buildings. They aren't igluit like Astrila is used to, and they aren't huts like many Inuit tribes use. They seem to be made of some strange materials, one is shiny like ice, and the other is coarse and rough, with a curious wavy pattern laid out on its grainy surface.

"Tarkik?"

"Hmm?"

"What are these buildings made out of?"

He takes a quick glance around them. "Metal and wood."

Astrila sighs. "I think I know what those are, but I thought wood only made paper."

He pauses and then bursts into laughter, his hair shifting from side to side as his body shakes with it. "Oh no, wood makes a lot of things. It comes from trees."

"What are trees?"

"They are a plant, but they don't grow this far north. We're past the tree line."

"Okay . . ." Astrila frowns for a moment. "You said this is an Inuit settlement, correct?"

Tarkik nods. "Yes."

"What is its Inuit name then?"

Tarkik looks up at the sky for a moment, thinking hard. "Kangiqtugaapik."

"Nice little inlet? Good name."

Tarkik points further up the road, where a group of people is sitting at the point where the road splits. Some of them are wearing traditional furs, and some of them are wearing bright colors.

"Those are the artists."
________________________________________________________________________________
What do you think is going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.