The Lifegiver takes the cub in her hands and shows it to the pack, then giving it to me. I feel myself shine with pride as I hold the proof of my virility in my hands. I raise the cub high above my head and proclaim: "This is my daughter, and she shall be called Sandrunner!" The Lifegiver starts the howl, to which the rest quickly join. I do not, for this howl is for me and my daughter.
After a while, all too soon, the moment - my moment - passes, as the pack members one by one stop their howling. Now the time has come for me to name another caretaker for the cub. I haven't got much of a choice in the matter, really; only one of us is giving milk, having given birth for her son a few moons back. Nevertheless, it is a necessary part of the ritual, so I speak again: "I name Clouddancer as caretaker by my side." The crowd falls back to a respectful distance from around her, letting her come to me. Clearly, this did not come as a surprise to her, and she is making the most of the situation, as have I.
As she joins me in the front of the crowd, I present the cub to her. She takes my daughter in her hands. It is now her turn to speak, and that she does: "Sandrunner, daughter of Firewalker, will be my responsibility as well as his, and I will nourish and teach her in our ways by his side." The Lifegiver begins to howl again, and this time I join the howl with the rest - it is her moment now.
After the howling has died down, Clouddancer takes the cub to her hut to give her her first meal. The crowd allows her to pass again; this is an intimate moment between the two, as the cub will receive her True Name from her in the process. I look as they disappear behind the veil of the hut, and then recall my next task. I look back at the small hut with the dead woman and our Seer inside. He behaved unusually, though not unpredictably, when ordering the veil to be closed while still being inside. I sigh quitely, hoping this will not prove unnecessarily difficult.
I enter the hut and find the Seer knelt before the corpse, eyes shut, maybe meditating, but I don't think so. "The pack is getting restless", I say, "we'd better give her to them now." He stands up, leaning on his staff, and faces me defiantly, saying: "No. This one is mine." I sigh again, shaking my head slightly: "Very well, you have served the pack well and deserve it. Just remember, I'm doing you a favor." He nods, not quite managing to keep a straight face, letting his inner turmoil show. I nod in response and leave the hut to disappoint my pack.