at his side.
Twig removed the egg-filled bag from her shoulder and looked around. Thirty-two people lived in the village. One family, often including grandparents, lived in each of the fourteen lodges that were arranged in a rough oval around the big central fire pit. Few people were out at this time of night. Most were inside eating supper, though she saw four old people sitting by the central fire, chewing
the last scraps of meat from the bones of a roasted caribou. The remainder of the carcass, still suspended from a pole over the fire, was sizzling, filling the village with the wonderful fragrance of roasted meat.
Twig walked past two lodges before she reached her own. She and Mother lived alone. Mother was the village Spirit dreamer and needed privacy to perform the rituals that kept their village safe.
Firelight streamed around the edges of the door curtain as Twig called, “Mother, I’m home,” and ducked inside.
Mother knelt before the fire, adding branches to the blaze. She had a narrow face, and a slightly hooked nose. Her hair was black and waist-length. The deer-hide cape she wore was painted with the images of running black bears. “Twig, I was getting worried. What took you so long?”
Twig’s eyes drifted over the interior of the rounded lodge. Built upon a woven willow-pole frame and covered with thick buffalo hides, the lodge was three body-lengths across and just tall enough for an adult to stand up in. Through the smoke hole in the roof—a gap in the hides that allowed the smoke to escape—she saw the Star People glittering. In the rear, thick piles of rolled hides marked their beds.
The buffalo hides on the floor cushioned her steps as Twig walked over and handed her bag to Mother. “We had to walk much farther this time. I swear Ice Giant Lake has risen more than my height since last spring.”
“Yes, the Ice Giants are melting very fast these days. That’s why the gullies and creeks are all wider and deeper. They’re being washed out by the runoff.” Mother gestured to the fire. “Your supper is in the bowls on the hearthstone. I’ve been keeping it warm for you. If you don’t eat quickly, Bandtail will punish you before you even have a chance to sit down at the Storytelling.”
“I know. Elder Snapper made us run almost all the way because she was afraid we’d be late.”
Twig knelt and reached for the two wooden bowls, one turned upside down on top of the other. When she removed the top bowl, the scent of fried rabbit rose. She grabbed a piece of the rich meat and bit into it hungrily.
Mother walked to the tea bag hanging from the tripod at the edge of the fire. “Do you want some hot tea?”
“Yes, Mother, thank you.”
Mother pulled two sticks out the woodpile and very carefully used them to lift a hot rock from the fire pit, which she dropped into the hide bag. Steam exploded as the tea came to a boil. Mother waited for a few heartbeats, until the boil slowed down; then she dipped a wooden cup into the bag to fill it, and handed it to Twig. “Here, this should warm you up.”
Twig took the cup and sipped it. The tea was almost too hot to drink. Made from spruce needles and bumblebee honey, it had a sweet, tangy flavor. “It’s delicious, Mother.”
Mother dipped a cup of tea for herself and sat down beside Twig. “Did you see any sign of Thornback raiders?”
Around a mouthful of food, Twig said, “No. Not even a single track.”
“That’s a relief.” Mother sipped her tea and seemed to be thinking about something. Her eyes were focused on something far away.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, no,” Mother said quickly. “It’s just that a runner came in today. He was from Sunhawk Village, and he said his hunting party had stumbled over the bodies of Deputy Walleye and his search party.”
“The warriors we sent to find Cobia?”
“Yes. Our chief wanted Cobia to dream the future for us, but our search party was ambushed near Cobia’s cave. The