by Tia Wilson
The group took the decision to cross. They fed the dogs as much meat as they could take and then they were off. Three sleds moving at a blur across the ice sheet, a layer of ice that already had a thin film of water that sprayed up behind them as they rocketed forward. The first day they stopped for little more than an hour each break. The dogs seemed strong and eager to get back to the frantic pace. The men loaded the dogs up again with meat and rubbed their distended bellies. The men stood around while the dogs ate, their faces tightening any time the ice below them creaked or cracked, a living moving entity that could split and break at any time sending the men and dogs falling into the freezing waters. The morning of the second day the dogs began to tire. Excess weight was cut from the sleds, every bit of loose hide rigging cut back to shave off precious bulk. If they could keep the pace up for another half day they would make the trip in what would be half the time of a normal voyage.
The men stopped once more to feed the dogs. Some of them slumped to the ground in the layer of ever deepening thaw water. Don't let them lie down one of the men said and the others started to pull at the dogs riggings, yanking them to their feet. The dogs were glassy eyed and stood on wobbly legs. Their fur was covered in a white foam of sweat at the haunches and around the muzzle. The ice emitted a long screech like a voice calling from beneath the earth. The men looked at each with panicked eyes. We have to go the leader said.
They mounted the sleds and the dogs barely moved forward under shouted commands. The men pulled cruelly on the leash and cracked the whip against the dogs hinds legs. The exhausted animals picked up speed. Men ran alongside the sleds shouting and coaxing the dogs, anything to keep them moving forward. A sound like an explosion went off behind the men. They looked back in fear to see huge sections of ice buckling and cracking. Sheets of ice sticking vertically into the air. A crack as black as soot spread across the ice and splintered outwards like the branches of a tree. Pressure had been released and now the ice was beginning to break off in great wrenching chunks. The mens eyes where wide with horror. The dogs found a burst of energy because of the cracking and exploding behind them, spooking the animals as they pushed on in fear.
The first handful of men made it to the shore and collapsed on to the ground coughing and hacking and some of them vomiting. The three sleds began to slow again as the dogs ran out of energy. They were barely pulling the sleds quicker than walking pace. Water bubbled up in cracks from the ice all around them. The men could feel the shifting sheets of ice through the runners of the sled. The men already safely ashore began to scream and shout as a massive black crack began to spread wide open like the mouth of a demon ready to swallow everything in its path. If the sleds did not make one final burst of sped all would be lost. The drivers screamed and shouted at the dogs, cracking the whips painfully at the dogs hides. The relationship between man and dog that had made it possible for countless generations to survive in the cold arctic winters came to a head. The dogs being true of heart gave it one final push and broke into a jog and the other dog packs followed suit. The sleds made it to the safe ground as the rushing sound of water was heard as the last of the ice broke up behind them.
The dogs collapsed on the ground, legs twitching and backs arching painfully. One by one the men watched as each dog died a slow painful death from exhaustion. The dogs hearts gave out after giving it all and saving not only the hunting party but the whole village for the season to come.
Tannis had never forgotten the sacrifice of those dogs and he could see his own pack was being pushed dangerously close to the limits. He knew he had only two choices left, continue to try and outrun the bear or stand his ground and try to kill it. He looked at his dog lying motionless on the ground and knew they only had one or two hours of hard running in them before they collapsed. He dug his spear into the soft snow and ran his finger across the tip. He looked grimly at his son. Words did not need to be said to him yet. His son knew what to do and grabbed his spear and stood shoulder to shoulder with his father as they watched the approaching bear. It walked on all four with a bouncing gait as it moved easily across the crystal crust of snow.
The tree line was an hour away and across open and exposed tundra. If they ran for it the bear would easily cross the distance and catch them before they made it. Tannis turned to his son and said, “You have to make a run for the trees. I will stay back and hold the bear off.”
His son stood tall and stiff beside him. He had been taught to obey his elders and he knew how dire the situation was and yet he still didn't want to go alone. “Cant we go together? Maybe the bear is after the dogs and once he gets them he won’t come after us.”
Tannis stared off at the bear, not wanting to meet his sons eyes. “This bear is a man eater. I saw it in his eyes, he wont stop until he gets one of us. You can’t waste any more time. Go,” he said shouting in his sons face.
His son turned and began to run towards the trees. The bear saw this and increased his speed. The crunch of his paws in the snow crust spooked the dogs and they started to rouse and bark in the bears direction. The bear did not slow down. Tannis untied the two lead dogs, the strongest and most fearless hounds he had ever owned. As soon as they were freed they turned and ran at the bear barking and snarling as they ran. This left Tannis four dogs still tied to the sled.
The first dog reached the bear who reared up tall on his hind legs. The dog jumped for the bears throat and the bear swatted the dog out of the air, ripping its jaw off in a stringy mess of blood and bone. The dog fell to the snow as blood spurted from its fatal wound. The second dog didn't hesitate and leapt into the air, jaws open wide as it lunged towards the bears neck. The bear caught the dog by the back of the neck, its long snout snapping shut and breaking the dogs neck. The bear stood tall on hind legs and held the twitching corpse of the dog in its mouth and shook it before dropping it in the snow before it.
The fur around the bears snout was covered in blood. The bear looked to the sky and growled deeply and then dropped to all four and began to cover the distance to Tannis. He tried to move his leaden fingers and his hands shook as he fumbled to untie the last four dogs. He released the bind holding them altogether and the four dogs peeled out towards the bear. This would be his only chance Tannis thought, if the dogs could distract the bear enough he might be able to fatally wound it with his spear.
The bear stood its ground as the dogs got near and it reared up tall on its hind legs The bear looked over towards Tannis and growled. The first dog leapt at the bear and the dogs jaws snapped shut around the bears wrist. The other dogs saw a chance and rushed forward to attack. This was Tannis’s opportunity, he ran forward as the dogs charged at the bear.
The bear roared in pain and surprise as a second dog bit into its leg. The bear shook off the dog on its wrist and dropped onto all fours. Blood sprayed from the bears wounds, covering the pristine white snow. The bear swiped at a dog running in from its left side and the bears front paw disemboweled the dog as it tried to jump on to the bears back. The dog fell to the ground dead and quivering.
The bear swung around wildly as the three remaining dogs circled it. Blood poured from the bears front and back legs. The bear turned to snap at a dog and Tannis saw an opening. He plunged the spear into the bears side. The bear immediately reared up yanking the spear up and out of Tannis’s hands and causing him to fall back into the snow. The bear wheeled around with the spear buried up to the handle and hanging from his side. Tannis back peddled through red and bloody snow and tried to free the small skinning knife from his belt. His fingers fumbled at his belt and wouldn't obey his commands. A dog charged the bear from its left and the bear pivoted and caught the snarling dog in mid air and then fell forward crushing the dog under its weight, The dry snap of bones could be heard over the thump of Tannis’s heart in his ears.
The final two dogs circled the bear. Blood poured from the bears side and the spear still hung there. In quick succession each dog charged and jumped for the bears throat. Th
e bear ripped out the throat of the first dog and dropped it steaming into the snow. The second dog managed to land on the bears shoulder and tried to close its snapping jaws around the bears thick neck. The bear shook the dog off its back and ripped its belly open with its razor sharp teeth. The dogs lifeless body dropped to the snow with steam rising off it. The whole area around the bear was drenched in bright red blood.
Tannis freed his knife from his belt and his legs skidded under him as he tried to stand up. All power was gone from his lower half as the bear walked towards him on its hind legs and looked at him with its green eyes. Tannis waved the knife at the bear and shouted a curse at the evil creature. The bear tilted its head and looked at Tannis scrabbling attempts to stand up. It slammed down on him and pinned the hand with the knife under its huge paw. Tannis heard the bones in his arm snap like twigs before the pain shot through his body. The bear looked down at him, his face inches from Tannis’s. The smell of torn and destroyed flesh came out of the bears mouth as it breathed directly onto Tannis’s face.
Tannis tried to twist away from the bear and the broken bones in his arm ground against each other in an explosion of pain. Tannis knew it was over for him, he said one final prayer to the spirits of the land to save his son. The bear opened its jaws wide and snapped them closed over Tannis face as he screamed in terror and pain. The bear wrenched the head back and to the side and Tannis screams stopped as his life faded away. The bear feasted on what was before him.
Tulimak stopped as he drew close to the tree line. A scream like no other echoed out through the crisp night air. It was a scream of ultimate pain and anguish as a man faced death square in the eye. He turned and looked in the direction of his father. He knew he was dead, he could feel it without having to witness the carnage. Tulimak stood still and tried to make out any movement from where the sleds were. Nothing stirred, no dogs howling, no roar of man or bear. Tulimak stuck his spear in the snow and waited for the bear to start tracking him. Time passed and yet still no movement and soon the warming spark of hope began to flicker to life within him. What if his father had bested the great bear he began to think. My father could be injured and needs my help. Tulimak grabbed his spear and hesitated for a minute. He could be walking towards death if he went back instead of escaping from it and warning his village. The draw of his father being alive was too much and he headed back towards the sleds. He was a few minutes away and he could already see the carnage. The snow was trampled and churned in a large swath up ahead. The snow was dark with blood as he passed the carcasses of the first two dogs. He could make out a mass of crumpled figures in the snow up ahead and when a bank of clouds parted overhead he got his first proper look.
Dogs lay ripped apart and dead in the snow, the snow beneath them a deep crimson. Tufts of matted fur blew across the snow in drifts carried by the light breeze. He counted the carcasses and every pack dog had been killed. In the centre of the carnage in snow that was completely drenched in blood was a tangle of bone, fur and guts. The bears body was spread out in a circle as if it had exploded from the inside. Laying in the centre of the steaming mess was his father, naked and covered in a thick slime of drying blood.
Tulimak ran to his fathers side and knelt in the snow beside him and grabbed his hand. He expected his fathers body to be already stiffening from the cold. His fathers hand twitched in his when he held it. Tulimak looked at his body and could see no injuries or bite marks. How had his father destroyed the bear so utterly Tulimak wondered? He pulled his father close to him and hugged him. His father started to respond and hugged him back. Tulimak took off a layer of his animal skins and wrapped his father in them. “Come father we must get to the sleds and get you wrapped up and warm again.”
Tannis shrugged off the animal skin and shook off his sons embrace and stood up straight. “I don’t need it,” he said flexing his fingers. Tannis stood and sniffed the air. He could feel his senses pulse and throb as everything opened up around him. His limitations seemed to fall away from him as slowly he began to smell scents he would never have picked up before, his limbs felt more powerful than ever and he could feel a tug at his heart telling him to hunt, to find prey and chase it down and then tear it limb from limb.
Tulimak’s hand went to the knife on his belt as he looked at his father standing naked in the snow and staring up at the skies. This is not my father he thought to himself. During the endless winter nights when his tribe was huddled around a fire some of the elders would tell tales of men who were half human and animal, with their spirits somehow entwined. The creatures of these stories would creep around in the shadows killing family members and old friends. The possessed men would have impossible strength and speed and a seemingly endless bloodlust. When Tulimak was very small he had believed these stories to be true and had always feared that he would be attacked by one of these creatures while out feeding the dogs at night. As he got older he took them for what there were, simple tales to scare the kids and to teach a lesson about the unknowability of animals. We could respect the great white bears, but we should always fear them because we can never fully understand their ways the stories told them. Now he was not so sure. If his father had been taken over by the evil bears spirit, Tulimak thought it fell to him to free him from the hell he was trapped in.
Tulimak drew his blade and took a step forward.
Tannis’s shoulders twitched and he sniffed the air. He turned to Tulimak and said, “Son there is no need for that. I want you to join me,” and he charged at the boy.
6
Father & Son
Tulimak sat behind the imposing oak desk with his feet up on it. If his father had of still been around he would never have allowed his son to do that. Tulimak didn't care what his father would say, he hadn't seen him in six months since he seemed to blink out of existence and disappear. My father is a coward Tulimak thought, he has no stomach for the coming war and like any true coward slunk off to wait the conflict out. The relationship between both of them had been strained for over a hundred years now and Tulimak was glad he was gone, leaving him in charge of the family business.
The office that Tulimak sat in was backed by a ceiling to floor glass window and Tulimak looked out at the view across the city. His family owned the streets below. Nothing happened without his family getting a cut or a taste of the action. Drugs, girls, blackmail, and murder all flowed through his families network with the proceeds going in one direction. His inner circle was protected by multiple layers of a protective buffer and no criminal in the food chain ever knew who they really worked for. Security through obfuscation was how they operated. Tulimak and his clan had no goal to be as well known or mythologised as the mafia. His people needed to operate in the shadows, never drawing attention to themselves. Some knew them as nothing more than slum lords and his father had always been happy to be tarred with that brush. It makes the family seem petty and small time he had told his son many times, we stay as an unknown quantity and no one can ever come after us. Tulimak no longer wanted to hide in the shadows. The way his father had set things up was that any crimes that were committed on their behalf could never be traced back to the clan. The drug baron who controlled huge stretches of the West coast meth trade believed he was working for the columbians, he was never aware that it was Tannis’s clan who pulled the strings. They were the silent cabal that never stepped out from the shadows. A group so secretive that no police department or FBI agent had ever uncovered any links to them. Some thugs loved others to know the story and myth behind their rise to power, seeing it as some sort of street cred to boost image and make them into some sort of mythic character. Nobody in Tannis’s clan wanted to be the next Al Capone. Utter anonymity and secrecy was how they accrued their power and it was how they kept it. Tulimak wanted to change all that, he hungered for power and recognition.
“Come in,” Tulimak bellowed to the person knocking on his office door.
A man walked in and closed the door behind him. He was short and powerfully
built with a shiny bald head, red rimmed eyes and dressed in a dark suit. He had been his fathers right hand man, but since he had gone missing the task now fell to him to assist Tulimak. His name was Flint Mela and he was one of the very few people who was not a clan member and yet was trusted.
“Did you catch them?” Tulimak asked.
Flint shook his head. “We have a group of men closing in on them now. He should be ours before the day is out.”
“And the girl?” Tulimak said not hiding his anger.
“She is with him. It looks like she is the one that the prophesy foretold,” Flint said.
“Do you believe this prophesy bullshit?” Tulimak asked.
Flint looked out the window as he choose his words wisely. “Your father believed it.”
“Fuck him. He lost any say in this endeavour when he choose to slink off back to the woods. If he truly thought this woman was going to bring peace to the two clans do you think he would have ran away like that. I’ve been saying it for years. This woman’s appearance isn't the beginning of good times with both clans getting together and sitting around holding hands. She is the beginning of the end. Her appearance means nothing more than the starting bell for the final war between the bears. My father knew this, thats why he ran like a coward. He never had the constitution for this kind of thing. You didn't answer me. Do you hold the same beliefs as my father?”, Tulimak asked.