East Bound - Russia x Germany

Reindeer across Taimyuir

The sun reflected off the snow, creeping into the small cabin, lighting it considerably. We stayed at the cabin till the noon, still a bit shell shocked from our experience the day before, and Russia was singing a slow song about the army on his guitar, singing in his low baritone voice. Funnily enough, Russia's attitude warmed up farther we trekked from the southwest. After a period of silence in which I was thinking of our transportation issue, I looked up at my companion for ideas. Russia didn't feel like doing that, but I did like his song, even though some of the words I didn't understand. When he finished his 'singing hour', he looked up at me with a sparkle in his gaze.

"I think I know how to get to Hatanga," he set his instrument down and stretched.

"Really? I've been thinking for the past hour and I'm still wishing that this was a metro station." I picked at the floor. The fire was warming up the cabin considerably, so I didn't even need to put on my coat. Many of our things were scattered out to dry out from the last evening.

"Have you ever ridden a horse?"

I was perplexed by his unexpected question. "Yes. Not often, but I'm not a novice."

He was happy with my response, so he decided to give another. "Have you ever ridden one without a saddle or reins?"

"Um...unfortunately, I haven't had the honours to partake in such a thrilling affair," I shook my head.

"Too bad. I have. It's not as difficult as you think,"

I didn't like the direction of the conversation. "Why do you ask?"

"Well you see, at this time, there is a herd of...reindeer. They migrate from the northern area of Taimyuir and down to near Hatanga." He explained. I already knew what was in store. Another great 'Russia adventure' complete with total catastrophic nerve wracking headaches and worry.  

I was sceptical. "How do you think we'll catch a deer, bringing it down enough to ride it, and then lead it to our destination?"

"That's easy," he flicked his hand. "The hard part is to get you to agree."

"If you can do all that without my help, I'm all for it," I stood up to collect my dry things. "Can you do that?"

"Sure. We go by snowshoe towards Hatanga and find the herd."

"That easy, huh?"

"Mhmm," he nodded. "Just follow what I say. Oh, and take those things." He pointed to the opposite wall, where a pile of unassuming thin belts lay. "Those are reins, actually." Shoving one more thing into my minuscule bag, we set out, extinguishing the fire and all our traces from the area. Only our footprints leading away from the cabin gave telltale signs of life. Even though it felt like it was snowing yesterday, I had to admit that it was just the howling wind that kicked up dunes of whiteness across the empty area. The light would only last a few hours, so we had to track down the herd fast. It seemed the tundra went on forever, flat and uniform all the way and we were the only living souls in this permafrost land. Once or twice I saw a glimpse of a seabird, crying out to its flock. The walking was now rhythmic, and my mind went blank as we kept going on and on, never stopping, never going anywhere but forward. I asked to stop when I saw a rock jutting out of the snow where we could sit. I wasn't used to such intense exercise, and I was afraid to sweat through the layers of clothing. Pneumonia, no thanks.

"How long till we find this herd?" I looked up at him. He preferred to stand rather than to sit down on the stone. It was cold, but not bad.

"However long it takes," he sighed, surveying the surrounding area, shielding his eyes with a hand. "Maybe we'll get to Hatanga without the help of reindeer."