Aednat and the Wolf

Chapter 2 Discovery

 Thule AFB (U.S. territory) Greenland June 17, 1957 AD

David walked from his barracks whistling. Just two days left then he would return stateside. He looked forward to returning to his home in Detroit. He had spent the last four years shivering away in the land of Thule. He had been busy enough dealing with frost bite and frozen appendages as the camp medic. He had 'earned' this plumb of an assignment because he could speak Danish, Norwegian and Faroese thanks to his grandparents and mother who had immigrated from Denmark and the Faeroe Islands long before he was born. The base was under the shared command of the U.S.A., Canada and Denmark and if David could not find enough to do in the infirmary he was kept busy acting as an interpreter. He had been told by his German instructor while in college at the University of Detroit that Faroese was very similar to Old Norse, but little became of that knowledge as he had joined the air force hoping to be stationed in Hawaii. He walked into the cafeteria and the room was buzzing with word that a Canadian and Norwegian team had found an ice cave in Baffin Bay on Kaitak Island and broke it open. Apparently they had found several frozen bodies dating back to the Norse settlement of Greenland. David ignored the talk and took a tray and was served his lunch and then found a seat. He had just taken his first bite when he was approached. "The Major was looking for you Sargent Hendersen."

"He wants to kiss me good bye?" David teased.

"No, he wants you to accompany a team of Norwegian and Canadian scientist up to some frozen uninhabited island."

"Why me?"

"You're a medic, you speak Canadian."

"Canadians speak English, moron."

"I meant Norwegian," his friend said then laughed.

"Can I eat first?"

"Yes, enjoy your flight."

Two helicopters landed near the ice cave and David was immediately put to work acting as translator. Several bodies lay huddled on the ground all of them frozen. They walked deeper into the cave when one of the Canadians shouted, "Take a look here we got a girl and a huge wolf!"

"Looks like a dire wolf," one of the scientists said, "they have been extinct for a millennium." He examined the wolf carefully noting it teeth, "It definitely is a dire wolf. This is unbelievable. The wolf is not frozen either, hibernating I would guess. Take some pictures." David walked to the girl lying with the wolf. Without thinking he held her wrist, a pulse, she had a pulse.

"She has a pulse!" he shouted. Others knelt close by and touched her.

"She's not frozen," one of them said, "I can flex her joints...look."

"Let's get her back to the base, call this in. Bring the dire wolf too." It took six men to move the wolf but David simply took Aednat in his arms and carried her to the helicopter. Two of the frozen men and some their equipment was also taken on board. At the base the frozen men and their kit were taken to a vacant frozen locker. Aednat was carried to a surgical suit by David and the wolf by a group of eager scientists. The wolf lay strapped securely to two gurneys. Aednat lay on another gurney when a physician walked in briskly.

"She has a pulse Major Shelton," David said.

"Impossible?"

"I counted it at least a dozen times, it's six beats a minute."

"Well take her clothes off, I'll be right back to examine her. This is a total waste of my time. Orderly bring me my coffee you know how I like it!"

"Her clothing could be very valuable," one of the Norwegian scientists said, "So don't just hack it to bits." David started with her leather boots. Her feet were wrapped in strips of wool and linen rags. David removed them as others in the party assisted. Then he removed the boots and a pair of heavy wool socks. She wore a heavy seal skin (fleece) coat with a hood, and under that a thick blue pinafore. Her under dress was plain undyed home spun wool, under that two linen petticoats and a short chemise. She wore a thick collar which David removed. "That's a slave collar," the scientist said leaving the room with all the clothing. David took a soft blanket to cover her. She looked so very young and completely vulnerable lying naked on the gurney. He thought he saw some eye movement and her eye follow him, otherwise she was unresponsive. She was beautiful he thought, her glorious hair wavy and red like fire. Her hair was braided and pinned to remain above her collar. David gently undid her hair leaving it down. It was thick and at least waist length. Her skin was so very pale and she had several freckles across her perfect nose. He counted at least five. He covered her gently and whispered in his childhood language (Faroese) "Sorry to put you through this, I so wish I could help."

The surgeon walked back into the room and threw off the blanket. He pulled her eyes open and used a flash light to check her pupils. He flexed her arms and legs and taking his stethoscope listened for her heart, lungs and bowel sounds. "Move her legs apart," he commanded David, "Well she still a virgin." Then speaking to someone outside the surgical sweet, "Well just leave her here for now and perform an autopsy tomorrow. Just open a window and the body will keep."

"But, Major Shelton she has a pulse!"

"Nonsense, do you have a medical degree? I didn't feel any pulse'"

"No sir. But you spent only about ten seconds listening for a pulse. It's very slow."

"I'm the doctor here, not you...Well that settles it then. Doesn't it?"

"Yes sir."

David had never felt so angry and frustrated in his life. But the doctor was probably right. She had been locked in an ice cave for hundreds of years he thought. He could not rid her vision from his thoughts. He had a quiet diner and then returned to his room for sleep. One more day and he would be gone, and the beautiful red haired girl just a memory.