Cave Bear Mountain

by Jo Sandhu

  But they were incomplete without Nilkka. Tarin looked out over the rolling grasslands, shading his eyes against the dawn, and searched for movement. He saw roe deer and larger elk, picking their way to water, and far in the distance, a herd of onagers kicked up a hazy cloud of dust. But he could see no people traipsing across the plains.

  If Rohk has lost Nilkka’s scent, we could be travelling in the wrong direction, he thought. If they retraced their steps to the Ungirski, at least they could ask if the traders had been seen, or gather some inkling of their whereabouts. They were traders that were well known to the clans in the area. Surely they could track them down sooner or later. Tarin knew none of them would stop until they had found Nilkka.

  But Autumn was deepening. The forests were a blaze of colour. The grasslands teemed with migrating herds of saiga antelope, aurochs and bison. Soon the mammoths would be on the move. The thought of the mammoths made Tarin’s heart lurch. They reminded him so much of home. Would they still make it by First Snow? Tarin thought it doubtful. All indications were for an early Winter this year. They needed shelter before then, whether they had found Nilkka or not.

  Tarin whistled for Utu and scanned the sky. Usually the owl would be circling above the camp by now, but the sky was clear. A few clouds scudded high. Too high for rain, he hoped. He whistled again, and this time, received an answering cry. Utu circled downwards, but instead of landing on Tarin’s shoulder, he banked away to the left.

  ‘What’s Utu doing?’ Kaija came up behind him and shaded her eyes to look upwards. The sun was just rising, tinging the sky pink and grey. She took a deep breath. ‘The air is so cold.’

  ‘That’s the glacier,’ Tarin said. ‘You can feel the ice in the air.’

  Utu swooped low over their heads, with soft, slow wing- beats and called in a low-pitched whoooo . . .

  ‘Maybe he wants us to follow him,’ Kaija said.

  Tarin scratched his head. ‘I’ve never seen an owl do that before.’

  ‘Have you ever seen an owl cuddle up with a wolf to keep warm?’

  Tarin grinned. ‘Never. Let’s wake Luuka and get going.’

  They broke camp quickly, not stopping to eat. Utu’s cries were becoming more persistent. He landed once on Tarin’s shoulder and pecked his ear so hard he drew blood. He rose in the air too quickly for Tarin to react.

  ‘He’s definitely found something,’ Luuka said, his gaze following the flight of the owl.

  ‘Food probably.’ Tarin dabbed at his ear and frowned skywards. More clouds were building. There could be rain by nightfall.

  They left the waterway they had been following and let Utu guide them down a wide gully. At some time in the past, a river had flowed here, but now only stunted tufts of grass and thick lichen grew among the rocks. They scrambled up the other side, a steep climb that had them all sweating by the time they reached the plateau, despite the chill in the air. A broad, grassy plain spread out to the horizon, bordered by woodland and a deep ravine. Utu’s shrill cry came from high above them and he circled low down to the plain.

  Tarin strained his eyes, and then he saw – there was movement down there. He shaded his eyes. Not animals, he thought. And not the traders. He gripped Luuka’s arm and pointed.

  ‘Two people. Down there on the plain. Do you see them?’

  ‘No,’ Luuka said. ‘But your eyes are sharp.’

  ‘You’re sure they’re not the traders?’ Kaija asked.

  Beside her, Rohk leant into the wind, his gaze fixed on the people below. He lifted his head and howled.

  ‘Not the traders,’ Tarin said. ‘But they may have seen them. Let’s go.’

  They were halfway down the slope when the people below saw them. Tarin thought he heard a shout, carried on the wind, but he couldn’t be sure. Utu cried and plummeted downwards. Rohk yelped, and before Luuka could catch him, he sprinted towards the people coming towards them.

  ‘He won’t attack them, will he?’ Kaija asked.

  ‘He didn’t sound angry,’ Luuka said. ‘He sounded . . . happy.’

  ‘And I know why!’ Tarin shouted. He waved his arms. ‘Hei O!’

  ‘Hei O!’ The response carried back to him.

  ‘Noora!’ Kaija exclaimed. She ran towards the Ungirski girl and the two embraced. Rohk joined the excitement, leaping and yelping. Utu looked smug, perched on Noora’s shoulder. She laughed and stroked his feathers.

  ‘I saw the owl circling us and never guessed it was Utu, but as soon as I saw Rohk I knew it was you!’ She hugged them all warmly. ‘Do you remember Lev?’ She introduced her companion.

  ‘You see us here without Nilkka,’ Kaija said. ‘We are tracking the reindeer traders.’

  ‘We know,’ said Lev.

  ‘You know?’ Tarin stared at him in surprise.

  ‘Yes,’ said Noora. Her faced beamed and she could hardly keep still. ‘We have been looking for you. We saw the traders not three days past.’

  Tarin rubbed his head. ‘Maybe we should sit, because I think we all have stories to tell.’

  They shared a hasty meal while both sides told their tales.

  ‘So when I saw the traders and the healer with Nilkka, I knew something was wrong,’ Noora said. ‘I pretended to make friends with Nilkka, and I’m sure she remembered me.’

  ‘She would,’ Kaija said, and pressed the girl’s hand. ‘Look how Utu and Rohk remembered you.’

  ‘We were a party of six,’ Lev said. ‘We have had word from the south that the mammoths are already starting their migration. These are our traditional hunting grounds for the mammoth. When the migration begins, a small party comes first, to see what course the mammoths are following and to make our plans. The river gully we usually use was washed out in the Spring rains.’

  ‘Why do you use a gully?’ Kaija asked.

  ‘Usually the mammoths will be stampeded towards the gully. A blind gully is good, because they can’t get out the other side, but even an open gully can be blocked off with a wall of old bones and trees.’

  Noora nodded. ‘We had used the same gully for many years and had a good, strong wall. But not all is lost. When the rains washed the bones downstream, we found many we could use for building and spears.’

  Luuka took a sip of tea. ‘And the traders?’ he asked. ‘They were heading this way?’

  ‘They are heading to White Fox Clan.’

  ‘I know that clan,’ Tarin said. ‘It is north of Mammoth Clan.’

  ‘I think they were in a hurry,’ said Lev, and smiled. ‘They certainly didn’t expect to see us.’

  ‘They probably knew we would chase them, and didn’t want to be seen,’ said Kaija. ‘But what if they change direction now? They may not continue to White Fox Clan.’

  ‘Two of us have gone back to our camp, to tell Osku what has happened and to leave news for you,’ said Noora. ‘The other two still follow the traders. They will keep far behind, but they are excellent trackers and will keep following them no matter where they go.’

  Tarin, Luuka and Kaija looked at each other and their hearts were full.

  ‘Noora . . . I don’t know how to thank you,’ Luuka said. Tarin nodded. Kaija jumped up and hugged them. Rohk raised his head and howled.

  They were on the right track again. Now, they all had the scent, and they were ready to push onwards.

  Noora and Lev went with them.

  ‘At least until we catch up with Uri and Soron,’ said Noora.

  They moved faster now, away from the river and the deep ravines that slowed them down. Noora and Lev were familiar with the steppes, and knew which direction to take as they chased the traders. By late afternoon, the rain had started and a strong wind blew straight from the Great Ice. They struggled on for some time, but in the end decided to make camp.

  ‘Soron said they’d leave markers along the way,’ said Lev. ‘We don’t want to miss them in the dark and rain.’

  They huddled in the one tent, Rohk and Utu with them, and shared the bear meat and tar
t lingonberries.

  ‘This is very good,’ said Noora. ‘We don’t get much bear meat on the plains unless the traders have some.’

  Kaija gave her two extra travelling cakes. ‘Take one back for Kirsi and one for Osku.’ Kaija hesitated. ‘How is Kirsi?’

  ‘Kirsi waits for her death,’ Noora said. ‘Hopefully, a successful mammoth hunt will give her back an interest in life, once we start a new batch of beads. We are going to try to make a few different shapes this season, and some rounded disks.’

  ‘With our new spear throwers, the hunt should be a success,’ Lev said, and the talk turned to hunting.

  They had only travelled a short distance the next day when Lev shouted. He had found a cairn of rocks. ‘Soron’s mark,’ he said. ‘See these lines? That means they are still travelling straight, and they passed this way two days after we parted.’

  They passed two other cairns that day, each indicating a direction and day. Tarin felt they were slowly gaining on the traders, when once more, the weather closed over and they were forced to make early camp beside a shallow pool.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Noora said. ‘If we have to camp, so do the traders.’

  Outside their tent, the wind howled. Tarin sniffed the air. ‘There’s ice in the wind,’ he said, and Noora nodded.

  ‘Early snow this year,’ she said. ‘That’s what the old folk say. Already the Sky Dance has been seen in the night sky and the river has started to ice.’

  ‘Sky Dance?’ Kaija asked. ‘What’s that?’

  Tarin smiled. ‘You should see it, Kaija. The sky is full of colour – white and green but sometimes blue.’

  ‘It is so beautiful,’ Noora said. ‘It usually starts when the first ice appears in the river and the air is very cold.’

  ‘They say it is the Great Mother dancing in the Spirit World,’ said Lev.

  ‘When I was a little girl,’ Noora said with a shy laugh, ‘I used to think it was the Mother talking just to me. If there was something important I wanted to know, or I wanted to ask her if I was making the right choice, I would sit out on the rocks above the river for half the night. My feet and fingers would turn blue, but still I stayed, until I saw the Lights. It was the sign that everything was going to be all right, and that the Mother was watching over me. Even now, I still love to see the Mother’s Dance.’

  Tarin broke the ice on the pool and drank deeply. ‘How far ahead do you think they are?’ he asked Lev.

  The Ungirski man narrowed his eyes. ‘That last cairn we found yesterday showed us we are gaining on them.’

  Tarin nodded. They were travelling fast, barely stopping to eat and drink. Rohk was on the scent again, too. He often ran ahead, his nose to the ground.

  ‘I would like to have a wolf,’ Lev said. ‘Think how they could help with hunting.’

  ‘They can also have the opposite effect,’ Luuka said, remembering lots of ruined hunts with the wolves.

  ‘Then it would be enough just to have their company around the fire at night.’ Lev scratched Rohk behind the ears and the wolf grinned.

  They stood on the top of a rocky ravine and looked out over a patchwork of red, gold and brown mosses and low-growing, spiky shrubs. The pool Tarin had drunk from cascaded down sheer rock to the valley floor. In Winter, it would freeze completely, a falling tower of ice. They were brushing the edge of the tundra. If they turned southwards from here, they would reach Mammoth Clan by the next new moon. But their path was taking them closer to the Great Ice and the ice-capped mountains just visible on the horizon – closer to White Fox Clan, who lived with ice and snow most of the year.

  ‘Look down there!’ Tarin caught Kaija’s arm and pointed. A herd of hardy steppe horses were galloping across the plains. The ground trembled with the thud of their hooves. They looked strong and wild and free.

  ‘My totem,’ Kaija said. ‘Luuka, look!’ They watched the herd until they disappeared in the distance. ‘I’m glad Horse is my totem,’ she said.

  For the first time in days, the sky was a cloudless blue. They pushed on even as the light was fading, eager to finally catch up with the traders, but darkness overtook them just as they came to Soron’s cairn.

  ‘He made his mark only yesterday,’ Noora said. ‘We are so close.’

  Kaija was too excited to sit in the tent after their evening meal, even though the temperature had dropped considerably. She wanted to see the sky, and feel the wind against her face, and breathe in the scents of the plains. She found a flat rock and sat, cross-legged, staring up at the stars. Tomorrow, if all went well, they could catch up with the traders. She shivered and pulled her beaska tighter. Tomorrow, they would find Nilkka, and also . . . her mother.

  Kaija bit her lip. In the race to find Nilkka, she had forgotten about her mother. What was she going to say to her? She tried to imagine their meeting, but her mind was blank.

  ‘Hot tea?’ Tarin joined her on the rock and placed a cup in her hands.

  ‘Thanks,’ she murmured. ‘It’s so beautiful out here. Have you ever been to the far north, Tarin?’

  ‘Not as far as the Great Ice,’ he said. ‘But I’ve been to the glacier that White Fox Clan camps near. It is about a moon’s cycle from Mammoth Clan.’ He took a sip of his tea. ‘Do you know, they cut holes in the ice and fish even in Winter?’

  ‘Luuka would like that.’ Kaija smiled. ‘What’s the glacier like?’

  Tarin thought for a moment. ‘When you first see the glacier, which is still four days away . . . ’ Tarin’s eyes narrowed as he cast his mind back. ‘It shines white in the morning sun. A wall of ice.’

  ‘It sounds beautiful,’ Kaija said. Steam rose around her as she sipped her own tea.

  ‘It is,’ said Tarin. ‘For a long time, it doesn’t seem to get any closer . . . and then one day . . . you are there. You can tilt your head back as far as it goes, and still you cannot see the top of the ice. When you are up close, you realise the ice is so hard and jagged it can cut through the toughest mammoth hide boots. And Jarkko told me once when he was crossing a glacier, a great chasm opened at his feet with no warning.’

  ‘You speak often of Jarkko.’ Kaija raised an eyebrow at him.

  Tarin nodded. ‘I guess I do. He is my friend, and I miss him.’ His voice trailed away. ‘I miss them all,’ he said simply, and drained his tea. ‘And I miss Nilkka. Tomorrow we may at last catch up to her.’ He stood and reached a hand down to her, when Kaija gasped.

  ‘Tarin! The sky!’

  He turned and looked behind him. Streaks of white lit up the night sky, mixed with swirls of green and blue. Deeper than the green of the forests. Deeper than the blue of the Summer sky. Tarin felt his heart leap. When he had flown with Minna Raven, the Lights had been mere wisps of pale white and green. Perhaps he only saw them then because of Owl’s keen senses. These colours were rich and dark and swirled through the sky.

  Kaija stood, entranced, then shouted for Luuka. The others streamed from the tent to watch the play of lights dance across the sky.

  ‘So . . . beautiful . . . like nothing I’ve ever seen!’ Kaija could hardly speak.

  ‘Truly, the Spirit World must be a place of beauty,’ Noora said with a deep sigh.

  They stood and watched until the last light faded. Kaija closed her eyes, as though to trap the memory deep inside. Even Luuka seemed moved beyond words by the beauty. But as wonderful as Tarin thought the Sky Dance, he was also worried. The lights were how the Mammutti knew the first snows were on the way. Winter was chasing them, perhaps faster than they could travel.

  He cast a glance at the sky, once more deepest black. ‘Great Mother, if you can hear me, I need your help,’ he whispered, bowing his head. ‘We are still far from home. We need you to fight the Ice Mother for a little longer, if you can. Hold back the ice and snow for us, just until we can find shelter.’

  Then he turned and followed the others into the tent.

  They broke camp early, before dawn. A sense of trepidation and excitement made the
m all jumpy, even Utu and Rohk seemed unsettled.

  Today . . . Tarin kept repeating to himself. Today they would catch up with the traders. Today they would find Nilkka. He pulled the straps around his backpack firmly and slung it over his shoulders. Today, maybe, they could finally turn their feet towards Mammoth Clan. He hoped those clouds moving in from the mountains would blow away.

  They set a fast pace. Lev and Rohk led the way, followed by Tarin and Luuka, and the girls brought up the rear. The rivulets that criss-crossed the plains were already turning to ice, and the low mosses crunched beneath their feet. The searing air burnt their lips and noses, and Kaija gave them all bear fat to rub on them.

  Mid-morning they stopped to eat, but they didn’t bother with fire or tea. Rohk was anxious to keep going and he kept looking back at the humans and whimpering. Then he lifted his head and howled, long and mournful.

  An answer came, carried on the wind. It was faint, but unmistakeable.

  ‘That’s Nilkka!’ Luuka said. ‘I’m sure of it.’

  They hastily packed up their meal and continued.

  Another ravine opened at their feet. It was steep, but opened out on the opposite side. Tarin was halfway down when he realised just how much had changed since he first left Mammoth Clan. He had been so weak, and scared. There was no way he would have been able to climb up and down the ravines that were now no problem to him. The thought struck him so powerfully that he stopped where he was, and couldn’t move until Kaija poked him in the back.

  Over the rise of the opposite bank, the land fell away once more, and camped around a small fire in the shadow of the bluff, were two men.

  ‘Uri! Soron!’ Lev called to his kin.

  ‘Look who we found,’ Noora said. She made the introductions and the Ungirski trackers looked with fascination at Rohk and Utu.