Winter Land: The Tiger Brothers

Chapter 5 - Spirit Animal

She twirled gracefully in her long sheer dress, her numerous adornments clinking, composing the music that accompanied her movements.

Her bare arms moved artfully in the breeze, streamlined with the air currents.

She was an ardent dancer, she loved the cold and she loved the artic with every fiber of her being.

Her knees bent quickly into a low swoop and she went up in a spin, balancing perfectly on the tip of her toe. She swayed abruptly to the back, bringing her shapely fingers close to her lips.

The cold breeze was her inspiration, and the spirits taught her to dance. She felt peace, joy, tranquility...sublime.

Everything was perfect at this moment.

Everything was in sync...

Until suddenly, without warning, a strange emotion emerged in her soul- one that didn't originate from her own soul, for she was an epitome of inner peace. She wondered, worrying, about the source of this sudden emotion, and her confusion was mirrored in her dance steps.

It took a second for her to realize where the feeling came from. Her spirit animal. She could sense apprehension, desperation.

Kirima was in danger.

She did not wait to finish the dance, a rare occurrence, as every dance of the spirits had to be completed. Kirima was in danger and she couldn't have rest until she found out why.

She ran swiftly in the cold wind, following her instincts. She was perfectly sure of her direction; her connection with Kirima was so strong that she would always find her.

She came to a halt quickly, balancing easily on light feet. She looked around. She had come closer to where people were, and she knew Kirima was here somewhere. She could feel it.

She took in the environment with sharp eyes.
Her eyes could see everything. There were ice caps floating on the sea beyond with walruses laying leisurely on them, puffins flying about near the shore, a few villagers hammering on whale bones with iron tools and...she sighed in relief...a polar bear trying desperately to catch baby walrus.

She rushed over to where the white-furred animal stood on the bank of the partly frozen lake, on its hind feet, swiping its paw this way and that and sending spurts of chilly water flying about.

"Kirima!" She called out. Her small bare feet dipped rhythmically into the bed of snow as she walked slowly over to the huge bear, anklets tinkling as she bridged the distance between herself and her spirit animal.

She reached out with her gloved hand, feeling the smooth fur under it. She caressed gently and smiled as the animal continued splashing water about, wondering why she felt Kirima's emotions during a natural process of catching prey.

"That's alright now, Kirima. Even if you don't catch it, it's fine. You will get another..."

The huge animal didn't seem to be paying any attention to her as it continued its desperate attempts, only with much more vigor.

She yelped, throwing up her hands in a futile attempt to shield the water from splashing on her. She laughed as she wiped the drops off her face, and the polar bear retracted its paw in victory, raising the baby walrus like some sort of trophy.

The catch was still very much alive, wriggling vigorously in the bear's grip. It wasn't going to be freed anytime soon though, for the bear transferred the small animal to its mouth and held it tightly between its jaws.

She sighed, feeling slightly sorry for the little animal. That was the cycle of life. One died for the other to live. Anyway, Kirima had gotten her meal for the afternoon.

Holding on to the bear's body for steadiness, she propelled herself upward with her right leg and jumped unto its back.

The polar bear started trudging up the gentle slope, with her small body balanced comfortably on its back.

Amka looked around her. She noticed that some villagers who were constructing weapons, utensils and building frames from whale bones had stopped momentarily to watch the whale hunters drag the shiny black body of a baby whale along the snowy ground.

"How is it going?" Amka asked as she swung down from Kirima's back, landing smoothly. She walked towards the group working on the whale bones and nodded to their captain.

"Amka." The man of average height turned to look at her in pleasant surprise. His gaze slid to the polar bear and he smiled. "It appears she has gotten herself a meal."

"Mmm." Amka inhaled the fresh cool air, rubbing her bare arms, not because she was cold, but because she was in high spirits. She always felt joyful when Kirima was close to her.

She inquired about the latest developments and the captain was quick to answer her.

"Er...most of the whale bones have been converted to weapons and building materials. The few left are the ones we are working on now."

"Weapons?" Amka asked calmly.

"The ullurea barrier has been breached. The ruler gave orders to make weapons."

Amka knew the captain was afraid, even though he tried not to show it.

It was a huge catastrophe for the barrier wall to be broken. It was the only thing protecting the Alunga tribe from the outside world. The barrier had not been broken in several centuries and that fact added to the apprehension she saw on the faces of everyone of the villagers crafting with the whalebones.

She had gone on a three-day retreat to connect with the arctic spirits and she hadn't sensed that the barrier was broken. For whatever reason, the spirits did not communicate it to her.

If the barrier had been breached, then there was an invader. An alien. Until the alien was gone out of the tribe's land, there was no hope of repairing the barrier.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the captain cleared his throat.

"That is the only whale the hunters were able to catch."

They both glanced at the group of whale hunters lugging the kill. It was a comparatively small catch and Amka knew it would not cater for many needs.

"I heard the chief speak about a migration." The chief's voice sounded hopeful, "so we'll soon have a fresh supply."

Amka nodded again, thinking. A migration was dangerous at this time, however great the benefits it would bring. But she didn't question it. "That's good. I won't take up anymore of your time now."

She turned away. As she was about to mount the bear, she caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar woman watching.

And she knew right away that it was this woman who had breached the barrier.