Icebound

Chapter 15

They left at the crack of dawn, not wanting to waste a single drop of precious sunlight. Shesh was burdened with several large packs filled with food, water, and equipment for the long trip. He kept trying to sidle closer to Denigi as Anyu finished tying the last of the equipment, and Anyu had to drag him away from the antlered woman several times. Shesh protested with an indignant noise.

"Sorry, bud," Anyu said with a thinly concealed smile. "Somehow I don't think this crush of yours is going to work out."

He gave her a mildly offended look before sauntering off to give Denigi a farewell lick.

At last Anyu managed to pull Shesh away and swung onto his back. With one last wave, they set off, Kano leading the way in front.

A small flurry of snow drifted down, powdering them in a fine layer of white flakes. Hopefully the weather would stay calm. Denigi had explained to Anyu the previous night. Yahal, the prison that held the summer indwellers, was located a week's journey to the north, through a steep mountain pass. However Tavra's location was completely out of the way, a three-day journey southeast. It would lengthen their journey considerably, and although they weren't on a timed schedule, Anyu knew from experience that pleasant weather never lasted for long. Every extra day they spent made it more and more likely that a blizzard could hit.

Neither Kano nor Denigi had told her much of anything about this Tavra person.

"I'm afraid he'd be very cross with me if I told you much about him," Denigi had said apologetically. "He's a bit paranoid that way."

Not the answer Anyu had been hoping for, but she'd at least had the decency to be sorry. Kano had merely brushed aside her question without a second thought. It irked her, but Anyu was beginning to see that it was no use questioning him when he didn't want to reveal any answers.

"Thank you," Kano said suddenly.

Anyu started slightly on Shesh. She'd been too absorbed in her own thoughts. "What?"

"Thank you," He repeated. "For saving my life when Nanuk had me. You didn't have to do that." He smiled back at her. "I didn't really have a chance to tell you earlier, what with you threatening to slit my throat and all."

Anyu looked down guiltily. She'd wrongfully accused and threatened him when he was innocent, when all he'd done was help her. What kind of gratitude was that?

"I am sorry about that," She said, bowing her head respectfully.

He seemed mildly surprised at the apology. "No worries," He said. "I guess we're even."

The trees gradually thinned out until they were completely surrounded by the empty expanse of the tundra. The steady snowfall really was a blessing; anyone tracking them would not be able to follow their footprints in the snow. Anyu doubted that it would help much if some creature like Nanuk were really after them, but it gave her some minimal comfort.

"Are you sure you know where this Tavra lives?" Anyu asked. The monotonous white landscape seemed to roll on infinitely, with nothing and no one in sight. It unnerved her, not knowing where she was or where to go. She would have to ask Kano to draw her a map at some point.

"Yes," He answered, continuing to trudge forward. "This is the Amlei- a small sliver of land splitting the Beylik forest. If we keep up a good pace, we should reach the eastern edge in a couple days." By the tone of his voice, he wasn't looking forward to it. "There, we'll find Tavra."

Anyu sighed but resigned herself to be content with his answer. She spent the rest of the day's trek daydreaming about who Tavra was and what would happen when they finally met him. In her head, Anyu pictured a wizened old hermit, living in a secluded cottage in the woods. He would probably scold Kano for his immaturity and then grace them with a piece of his infinite wisdom to aid them on their quest. Anyu would happily see Kano scolded by one of his elders, but she also couldn't see how an old man would be anything but a burden on their journey. Perhaps he was a powerful sorcerer as well.

When the sun went down on the first day, it was all Anyu could manage to set up their sealskin tent before collapsing in exhaustion. It wasn't much warmer inside the makeshift shelter, but at least they were protected from the elements.

Rising early the next morning, they kept walking at a ceaseless pace. Kano soon started to lag behind, breathing in loud, strained gasps. Spurred by a pang of guilt, Anyu jumped off of Shesh and offered Kano a turn to ride. He accepted the offer without too much protest.

Anyu considered her next words carefully, not wanting to offend him.

"Are you... unwell?" She asked tentatively. It was what one said amongst her people to avoid calling someone weak. Being labeled a weakling was a great blow to a warrior's pride, the worst insult he could suffer. As the strong ones grew older and lost the fire in their veins and the light in their eyes, they were respectfully referred to as ill or unwell. "It's only, you were all chained up in that prison," She added by way of explanation. "I'd assumed..."

"That I was a strong and mighty warrior?" He asked. Rather than the bitter tone Anyu was expecting, he spoke as if it were a particularly funny joke. She was unsure whether to be glad that he was unoffended or indignant at the mockery. "Afraid not, though I'm flattered, truly." He shook his head to flick off the snow clinging to his already snow white hair.

"Then why the excessive amount of restraints?"

"It's true I've never been very strong physically. But no one ever said those chains were meant to restrain physical strength."

Anyu watched as her breath clouded into mist in front of her eyes and floated up to the heavens. "And I suppose that you won't answer any more of my questions on that topic either?"

His lips quirked into a smirk and he winked quickly. "For now." Anyu felt too tired to press the issue any further.

The second night was spent much like the first: cold and aching from sleeping on the hard, frozen ground. She was almost grateful when it was time to rise and resume their trek. Anyu reminded herself each time her boot sunk into the snow that it was the third day, the day they'd finally find Tavra. Afterwards she knew they would go right back to the same routine once again, but at least she would feel like they'd accomplished something for it.

Finally, it appeared in the distance; a disruption in the perfect symmetry of the icy horizon that soon turned into the dark, smudged outline of a forest. The trees raised their wooden claws towards the sky, as if they were trying to climb their way out of this icy wasteland as well. Compared to the infinite space of the tundra, the close press of the woods made Anyu feel claustrophobic.

They hadn't taken a dozen steps into the forest's embrace before they heard the howls. Several of them, all at once, some sounding far off, others closer, but all of them equally chilling. A shiver went up Anyu's spine. Wolves. The clever, ferocious beasts were nearly impossible to kill. They kept away from Nenet territory for the most part, but Anyu had heard all of the stories and she wasn't eager to meet any now.

"Well, he knows we're here now," Kano said. He didn't seem very worried about being eaten by wolves at all, but she could see that his mood had dampened considerably. "Let's give him our greetings."