It was another day in the Tribe of Snow and Ice as Sita began her morning routine. All of the injured tribesmen had recovered. Unfortunately, none of them could remember anything of the events that occurred over two weeks ago.

"Sita, come quick," Shasa huffed, clearly out of breath and urgently concerned. Sita's steel-blue eyes widened with concern as she hurried to her tribe sister's side.

"What's wrong?"

Shasa's eyes watered, "Sita, it's horrible! Elder Akay has passed. You're needed in the Elder tent."

Sita stilled. Her heart felt weak. Elder Akay was an esteemed pillar of the community. Having never had children, she lived a long life and was a mother figure to two generations of tribe children. She turned to her lair and prepared the burial mixture as she had done recently for their fallen chief.

Afterward, she carefully headed to Chelan's tent. She silently prayed that no one would catch her. It was utterly inappropriate for a single woman, such as herself, to be seen heading to the tent of a single man who was not engaged to her. Her mind was plagued with these thoughts as she neared Chelan's tent.

"Sita!"

She nearly passed out from surprise, "Nahal, good morning. How are you doing?"

"Sita, you look shocked to see me. Haven't you heard the news about Elder Akay?"

"I have. It's devastating. She was a mother to all of us."

"Shouldn't you be preparing her for burial?"

Sita sighed, "I know, and I am, but Chelan offered to help me manage my workload until he had redeemed his warrior status. So I was just coming to get him."

Nahal raised his eyebrows, "I'm glad to see that he's working on getting back in good stead. Anyway, I know this is a trying time for the tribe. If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to dinner with my family to thank you for everything you've done. You've worked tirelessly; I don't want that to be overlooked."

"You don't have to do that! I mean, I'm just doing my duty. And I'm honored to contribute my skills," Sita replied.

"Hey, Sita -" Chelan started, abruptly stopping when he saw Nahal.

"Good morning. I was just coming to get you. There are a lot of herbal mixtures to restock, and I have something urgent to tend to. I have the instructions posted for you," Sita immediately turned to Chelan. Trying to catch his eyes as often as possible.

"Okay, yeah, let me wash up, and I'll meet you," Chelan walked away, genuinely confused.

Nahal's eyes became orbs of fury before he sighed, "Well, Sita, I'll be enjoying your company at dinner this evening. And be careful. I don't like that Chelan lets his guard down too easily."

Sita noticed the change in his demeanor, "What do you mean? When do you see him let his guard down? Should I be worried about something?"

Nahal stopped in his tracks, "No, well, I don't want you worried about anything, okay. Please excuse me. I need to prepare the service for our Elder." Sita watched Nahal leave. She felt like she could finally breathe. He was so stealthy and quiet. She indeed had to be careful. He could have been eavesdropping on her without her knowledge. Nahal was definitely dangerous. She hurried back to the lair. She wrote down some notes in case Nahal stopped the lair and interrogated Chelan while she was away.

Sita watched Nahal return to his tent, probably to prepare the burial service. Soon afterward, Chelan came jogging towards her.

"You wanna tell me what all of that was about!"

"Be quiet!"

"Sita, what's going on?"

"Elder Akay passed away last night, I have to go and prepare the body, so I need you to stay here for a while. Nahal was sneaking around your tent this morning, and I can't shake the feeling that he has something up his sleeve for which he wants to frame you. You need to watch your back."

"Yeah, since I've made my account, he's been hot and cold with me. But, don't worry, I don't trust him one lick. Truthfully, when I was at your tent, he interrogated and knocked me out. I wanted to tell everyone, but Nahal has gained most of the tribe's trust. However, I knew better than to press my luck."

"Just be careful," Sita left her lair and hurried to the Elder's tent. As she approached closer, Shasa was leaving, breathing heavily, and she was looking unwell.

"Shasa, what are you doing?"

"The tribe sisters helped me take the rest of the elders out for fresh air. I thought it would help take their minds off things," she whispered, her dark blue eyes reflecting only a deep sadness.

Sita gently touched her shoulder, "And yours? I know so much has been going on, and this is a really trying time for you. But it will get better. I know it will. No matter what happens, you can't just stop caring for yourself. Why don't you try and get some rest."

"I really need to make the preparations for tonight's dinner."

"I can come over early to help out," Sita offered.

"That would be wonderful. I haven't had any bonding time with the sisters since Tiber."

"I know, and I hardly ever have time to socialize with my schedule. So, I am looking forward to our time together. Now, go and rest before I tell Muraco that you are not complying with the doctor's orders."

Shasa laughed, "Okay, I'm going! Please don't get him started!"

Sita hurried into the tent. Elder Akay was lying peacefully on her bed. Sita had prepared many bodies for burial. Many mothers gave their lives for newborns. Many husbands, fathers, and brothers died on a fatal hunting expedition. And most recently, Chief Dalit. None of their deaths hurt like this. Sita never knew her mother, but Elder Akay raised her like a daughter. Akay had been the tribe medic and taught Sita the ropes since she was young. She was so full of love, intuition, and wise lessons. Akay would truly be missed.

Sita wiped her eyes dry and took a deep breath. She started examining the body, and she noticed that her tongue and inside of her mouth were blue.

"What is that?" Sita had never seen anything like this before, but she knew that this was not normal. She knew what she had to do, but the thought of it made her stomach sick. But, she had to discover the truth. Sita snipped some of Akay's hair and wrapped it. She held her breath as she did the unthinkable.

Chelan organized the herb blends per Sita's instructions when he noticed Nahal exit his tent. He was stopped by Yas. They were looking at something near the edge of the mountain chain. Muraco appeared from a distance, hauling his hunt behind him. Yas tapped Nahal's shoulder and looked Muraco's way. The pair ceased talking, and Yas went to the guard's tent. The younger tribe brothers shared the guard's tent for two reasons: they had not completed training or were waiting for their own tent to be constructed so they could move. Chelan made himself busy as Nahal approached Muraco. He saw Sita leave the Elder's tent. She was heading back to the lair. Nahal's eyes followed her closely.

"You didn't take long," Chelan tried to start a conversation.

"How are the herbs coming along?"

"Well, I finished cleaning the glass jars for the tinctures you told me about, and I'm finishing the tea blends."

"Sita, Chelan, it's nice to see you working together. Sita, I hope he's not bothering you too much," Nahal leaned against the icy lair entrance.

Sita smiled, "Oh Nahal, Chelan has been a huge help. I think he missed his calling as a tribe medic."

Chelan's midnight blue eyes widen at the compliment, "Thanks, Sita."

"Sita, is Elder Akay's body ready for burial? I've planned the service for tomorrow evening?"

"Nahal, that's too soon. I just examined the body today. The sisters must pick her burial garment and dress her for the service. I also have to plan the ice ceremony. The body will be ready next week," Sita explained.

"I don't see why all of that is necessary. We buried the chief the same evening," Nahal looked slightly annoyed.

"Yes, the chief burial ritual is completely different. It is a tradition that the chief is buried as soon as possible. The moon mother's burial is different, but I'm telling you, Nahal, that I must complete the process per our customs."

"Sita, that is going to take a lot of work. I'm just trying to consider you too."

"I appreciate the concern, but I must do my job properly and per our tribe's customs," Sita pressed firmly.

Nahal shrugged his shoulders, "If that's what's necessary. I'll let you get back to it," he smiled and walked away.

Once he was a ways away, Chelan groaned, "I have never seen anyone vying for the chief's spot like him."

"Well, Chief Dalit was the chief our whole lives. The tribe is getting antsy without clear leadership. I understand, but I have more pressing concerns."

"Like?"

"Solving Elder Akay's murder," Sita whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

"I think she was poisoned."

"Whoa, you can come with what you think. What do you know?"

"I know it was not a natural cause. It was not a natural death. Akay was in decent health for her age. She was nearing one hundred years old, but she didn't die of natural causes."

"Okay, well, what are you going to tell everybody? What are you going to tell Nahal? Do you think he did it?"

"I don't know, but I don't think he did. I told him I had examined the body, but he didn't react. His expression never changed. I'm having dinner with Shasa's family tonight, including Nahal and Mahak, so I'll cast a few hooks and see who bites."

"Sita, be careful. If you're right, we are dealing with two murders. You're the only tribe medic we need you."

"And I need you. It's your job to ensure nothing happens to me, mighty warrior."

"Alright, but this is what you need to do. You need to make sure that the word travels about you having to examine the body. Make sure the tribe knows that anyone who starts questioning you is an immediate suspect. Let me know who's on your list, and I'll have your back from there."

"Okay, hold things down here, and I'll get to it."

Chelan wasn't sure what exactly was happening, but Nahal and Yas had an arrangement of some sort. He didn't want Sita to get hurt, but Yas was the lead guard. If he's tied up with Nahal, every guard in the tribe could be tied to him. He silently prayed that he was wrong, but if he was right, he only trusted himself to protect Sita. The hunters were under Muraco's leadership, the guards under Yas, and the warriors were under him. Now that he's doing his time, his best warrior Ojai is in charge. He needed to talk to him. Most of Yas' team were injured when Nahal and Tiber were attacked, so he allowed Yas to borrow a few of his warriors.

"How are things coming here, Chelan," Shasa's soft voice called to him.

"Everything's going well, thank you. I thought you'd be trying to get some rest."

"Well, I wanted to walk around for a bit. No one's home since Muraco's hard at work. I was actually looking for Sita."

"She's working on things for the burial, so I'm following her notes here. I actually need to pass a message to Ojai, but... I told Sita I'd wait for her."

"I can pass the message," Shasa offered.

"That would be a great help. Let me just write a few things down," Chelan wrote a few sentences on the back of one of Sita's notes and handed it to Shasa. "I really appreciate it."

"Anything to keep things running smoothly," she smiled before heading off.