The Patterned Bone and the Silent Comb

The star moon shines, and the cold night air wraps around the camp.

Uta placed the old bone fragment found last season into Pino’s hands, which are still unsteady after recovering from the fever. This bone will absorb the remaining heat and dry the body from within. ...So the voice says.

And today, Ren brought back a new bone from the boundary of the Clanging Valley. It is an old beast bone carved with fine geometric patterns. Though shaped by hands, the scent of the cold wind still remains upon it. Ren handed it to Uta quietly, thinking it might be of use.

Uta presses her ear to Nono’s bone comb again and again. Since it whispered "I am sorry" on the night of the Star Festival, the comb has returned to being nothing but a silent lump of bone.

At night, Uta chants alone in the quiet.
The voice did not say it. Uta simply gave Pino the bone, wishing for him to stay well.
The voice did not say it. Ren simply gathered the bone because he was worried about Uta's silence.
Nono's comb says nothing. Only Uta's own ears are listening to her own trembling.

Thirty nights remain until the Winter Festival.