Sex: MaleWhile the situation wasn't yet dire, Mako could tell there wasn't as much to go around as there had been at the Bend. He tried to help where he could, scavenging any bits and pieces he found, but it was only a temporary fix for a bigger problem. He didn't like to see his mother pass up meals in favor of himself, and tried to assuage his own guilt by in turn passing off his rations to his sisters.
Though she hadn't meant to, simply trying to pass a long and bitterly cold night with old tales, his mother had planted an idea in his head. It kept coming back to him, and again his thoughts kept returning to the circle of antlers he had passed when exploring once. It gave him chills, it had looked too perfect to simply be an accident. And as he thought about it, he knew it couldn't be. It was there for a reason. Just like the mountain of bones he found in the red forest.
The seed of an idea had sprouted, and early that morning Mako left, trudging through the snow with determination. There wasn't much left of the carcass now, and the only reason Mako had found it in the first place was the few white points of a ribcage protruding from the snow. Most of the meat had been picked away, but evidently there was enough left for someone to have taken the trouble to cover the remains in snow. Muscular shoulders rippled as he pushed the snow aside, uncovering the bison's haunch and gnawing at the joint. There wasn't much left on the bone besides gristle and tendon, but it would have to do.
Mako walked awkwardly, carrying the buffalo leg with his head lifted high and taking small quick steps so he didn't trip over the thing. Despite the boy's tall stature, the hoof dragged on the ground, leaving a deep score in the snow behind him like the trail of a giant serpent.
He slowed as he neared the circle, his head lowered and his heart beating fast as he looked on. He took a deep breath and lurched forward again, closing his eyes as he carefully stepped over and through the barrier of antlers and into its heart. He expected a jolt, a sound, something to happen as he passed the threshold, but as he peeked open his eyes everything looked the same. Quickly he dropped the leg, leaping out of the ring and turning to look on. He held is breath, watching and waiting.