Women in the northwest region place tattoos on their ears, foreheads, or fingers, and usually, tattoos are only allowed in one specific area of those mentioned before. Girls start getting tattoos when they reach the age of fourteen, and the rituals are held once every three years, as winter approaches its end each time.
This year, unlike any other year before, the heiress who will lead the Almo tribe will step forward to have her tattoo, which often symbolizes the personality of each individual and the ideas they embrace. Similarly, the youngest daughter of the Ashal tribe, who has also turned fourteen, will step forward to get a tattoo as well.
Each female must be escorted by her closest family member, regardless of whether it's a father or another relative.
The rituals are conducted by an elderly woman who lives between the two tribes, her home nestled in the forest alongside the willow trees that adorn the border between the Almo and Ashal tribes.
The woman, known as Abish, applies the ancestral tattoos, the last remaining practitioner from her family. Because this year, Nominsa will also attend the rituals, it is considered a different year. Firstly, because it has been a while since any of the rulers have attended the rituals, and secondly, because no one knows or is aware of what the heiress of the Almo tribe looks like, unlike the well-known heir of the Ashal tribe, Arman.
The day passed well for both tribes and as usual, every night, Nominsa goes out to inspect the atmosphere on the border with Ashal, just as Arman goes out to inspect matters on the border with Almo.
For the second time, Arman's and Nominsa's eyes meet on the shores of the lake that separates them, without either of them knowing how the other looks. Arman stands in the darkness, his features barely visible, while Nominsa always wears a shawl and a scarf on her head, concealing her features, not for any particular reason, but to shield herself from the harsh cold prevailing in the area.
Every time their eyes meet, silence dominates the atmosphere.
The only place where there is noise is where Maram and Jad reside. Both seem to be behind an invisible barrier. No one notices their presence, as if they were in a dream.
No sound is heard, and no one sees them.
Until the place was shaken by the sound of horses as if they were shivering from the cold.
The hooves of the horses pounded on the ground on both sides, each heading towards its destination.
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