by Darrel Bird
Part 5
The man left the cabin, and the loneliness closed in again. It was so thick it nearly choked her as the fear rose up from her gut. What if he never comes back? What if something happens to him?
The questions plagued her mind as she busied herself by remaking the bed; she stared at the large furry skin lying against the wall. She thought about her husband, where was he and what was he doing?
Would she be found by a search party? Who was this man she was with? Is he some kind of killer?
The uncertainty plagued her mind unmercifully, and then she heard it, a long lonely wail, and then an answering wail that was closer to the cabin.
She sat shivering in the chair with the quilt wrapped around her as the interminable hours past. She looked outside the one window, and she saw a figure of an animal dart across the yard.
The wailing drew closer until it surrounded the cabin, then she heard heavy paws hit the porch and run across it. Oh my god, those are wolves!
Soon the wailing receded, then she heard the man knocking the snow off his boots, and she ran and opened the door.
He saw the tracks in the clearing and on the porch. “I see you had visitors.”
“They had me scared so bad.”
“There is a large pack of about 8 or 10 wolves, they are hungry, and they will take a single person down; that's why I told you to stay inside and not go out.”
“You could at least have explained things a little better.”
“Why should I? At the very least you will get us both killed.” His eyes were stone cold as he looked at her.
“What is it you want from me?”
“Nothing, there is nothing you can do. You have been raised with never having earned your keep; your family gave it all to you, and then your husband earned everything for you and handed it to you. You’ve been raised in the city, and you were raised as food for the Wolves out here. I don’t place blame for that, it’s just the way it is, isn’t that correct?”
She looked into his cold eyes, “Yes; I have to admit that, but I want to get back to my family, my husband. Will you help me? I am willing to learn.”
The spirit in which she said this surprised him and softened him a little. He sat for a moment thinking. She waited, which surprised him even more.
“Ok, it doesn’t mean we are partners, but if you are willing to listen, I will try to get us both out of here alive. We can’t walk out of here in an Alaskan winter, which means we’ll have to survive here for at least five months, unless we are found.”
“Five months!”
“Yes, we have to cross this mountain range. There is just no way we could do that in winter, you don’t have foot wear, your feet would freeze before we got five miles and that is just one of the strikes against us, there’s the tundra and snowdrifts, crevasses to fall into just to mention a few.”
“I'm going to try to walk out of here, I can't stay here that long, I have to get back to my husband.”
“Ok, but you won't make it, and I won't die trying to help you.”
“I think we are close to a town...I'm going.”
“What about the wolf pack?”
“I don't hear them.”
“Its true they range long distances, the problem is, you can't tell where they are on any given day, besides, this lake is surrounded by mountain's, this is basically a hole we are in. The mountains shelter the place from high winter winds, and give us a reasonable chance to survive until spring. If you want to go, I won't try to stop you.”
“I'm going as soon as it comes light.”
The next morning she gently closed the door behind her. He was already awake and saw her leave, and he cursed under his breath.
“Damned woman, good riddance.”
I can track her very easy in the snow, but why would I want too? Let her die because you know that's whats going to happen anyway. Foolish woman.
He put another chunk of wood in the stove, kicked his feet up and pretended she didn't matter, but he knew in his heart she did matter and it left him aggravated at her, and himself.
Three hours past, and he was getting restless, hoping she would see her folly and return on her own. Four hours past, and he exclaimed, “Aw hell, I'd better track her down.”
He fed the stove with lots of wood as the light was fading in the short winter days, then he closed the door and began to follow her tracks that led south around the lake.
“Dang woman even went the wrong way. I ought to just let her go.” But he knew he wouldn't.
As soon as he came to the end of the lake, the tracks led off into the thick forest. He stopped and listened for the wolf pack, but all he heard was the wind in the tops of the spruce. The mountain region was about five miles away, and he knew she would end up circling the mountains that made up the valley they were in. As he came out of the spruce trees the wind was much sharper. Her feet would have been a chunk of ice by now, so it won't be long until I find her. She could be dead already.
The way was covered with small underbrush with tundra here, and there. He follow her for another hour, and then saw her lying in the snow. He walked up to her, and felt her cold face. She was breathing, but barely. He got the quilt wrapped around her, and the got her on his shoulder.
“I've got to get her to the cabin, and get her warmed up.” He set off with as fast a pace as he could muster. Twice he stumbled, and almost dumped her, but he managed to raise himself, and hurry on.
Instead of following her meandering trail he cut straight across, aiming for the end if the lake. He staggered up to the lake, and laid her against a tree to get his breath. He gave himself three minutes, got her on his shoulder, and staggered again. He gave a sigh of relief when the cabin was in sight, and shuddering with his last ounce of strength, he carried her to the cabin door.
He pushed on the door with his free shoulder and arm, then staggered into the room. He flopped her onto the bed, and covered her with the quilts, and then collapsed beside the bed. He eventually took her arm to feel her pulse and it was slow, but at least there was a pulse.
He shucked off his parka, and shivered because of the ice his sweat had begun to build up against his skin. He put more wood in the stove and sat by the stove shivering with exhaustion, and cold, until the pain started in his hands.
He checked her feet for frost bite, but didn't see much sign. Her feet were awfully cold, and he warmed his parka and wrapped it around her feet. He then took one of the quilts off her and held it before the stove until the cloth was hot to the touch, and then yanked the other quilt off, and wrapped her in the hot quilt. He immediately began to heat the other quilt.
“Thats enough girl, you have to come out of this on your own, I've done all I can do for you.”
He watched her for another hour until he saw her lips move. He held his ear close to her head, “What?”
“Where am I?”
“You're back at the cabin, I tracked you. Now don't try to talk. You darn near froze to death out there. You have too rest now.”
He sat in his chair by her bed as she slept soundly. It was light in the cabin again before she awoke.
“Let me feel your pulse.”
She stuck out her hand, and he felt her pulse, “Nice and strong, you'll make it.”
“Did you tell me you came after me?”
“Yes, you would have died if I hadn't.”
“I'm sorry I put you through that. I was selfish.”
“Don't matter.”
“Yes it does matter.”
“Will you be trying to do that again? I warn you though, I just won't come after you a second time.”
“No, I won't be trying that again. When you say we can go, we'll go.”
“Good.”
“I’m not going to sleep with you…well technically I am…you know what I mean though.”
“Fair enough, Ok then, let’s get to it.”
He walked over to the bear skin and spread it out on the floor and began scraping
at the bits of meat with his knife.
“What are you doing?”
“Grab the kitchen knife and start at that end, we have to get every tiny bit of the meat off so the hide will cure.”
It wasn’t long before her hands began hurting and by the time the man called it good the pain was excruciating.
“That’s enough for today, let’s eat and go to bed.”
She breathed a sigh of relief as he dipped out the remainder of the bear meat onto the tin plates, this time; she ate the meat, fat and all without comment.
The fire in the stove resided and with that brought a chill to the room. He sat his boots under the stove and crawled into the bed with his clothes on.
She followed his example.
“You’ve had those clothes on for days; you stink.” She said.
“Better than freezing.”
Her guts growled and her stomach began to cramp a little, then she hurriedly got out of bed.
“Eeuuu!”
He looked at her as she stood in the middle of the room shivering, “It was you that farted. I heard it.”
“Does bear meat do that? Oh my God, that stinks to high heaven!”
He chuckled, “Get back into bed before you freeze.”
By the time she crawled back into bed and snuggled up to his back his breathing had become regular and in minutes, he began to snore.
She laid there and wondered about the man who could fall asleep instantly. She was fairly warm, but as the chill penetrated the room, she shivered a little before she could fall asleep.
When she awoke the room was again warm, and he had meat boiling on the stove, he was examining the holes in his socks with a concerned look on his face.
“These won’t last through the winter with me hunting in them.”