The stern aspect of the teacher yielded and the old woman smiled. "Forgive me for sounding so stern, child, but you were endangering yourself. You have much to learn but you must rest first. Come with me." As Kewero spoke she moved next to Deru and took hold of the reins below the bit.
She led them deeper into the valley. The walls of the valley became higher as they continued. Flindra finally had a break from the wind.
"Is it always windy here?" she ventured to ask.
"Most of the time. Around midsummer, things can be pleasant. The growing season is short in this region so everything has to blossom in the few short weeks it is possible. It is beautiful while it lasts."
"How long have you lived here?"
Kewero laughed. "Too long, yet not long enough," she answered enigmatically. "Don't worry, little one," she added in response to Flindra's obvious confusion. "You'll have an answer to all your questions in time. Now is not the best time nor place to get too specific about things."
Flindra nodded her head in understanding. "I will hold my questions."
"Commit them to memory, little one, and ask them later. My sole purpose in this life is to be your teacher."
"I'll remember."
Beyond a turn in the valley, they came to a small, circular, tent-like dwelling. It was made of heavy hides supported by an interior frame. Flindra knew a moment of disappointment. She had hoped that Kewero would reside in a more substantial dwelling - one the wind couldn't blow through.
"This is a yurt," Kewero explained. "It is a typical dwelling of the nomads in these parts."
"I never realized people lived here in the Northern Reaches."
"The Ainaz have existed here since before the time of the Ancient Ones. They are hunters. They subsist on the herds of reindeer and the bounty of the sea. Most of the time they are concentrated along the coast or in sheltered valleys."
Flindra shook her head. "I've never heard of them."
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