VI. Tale of two sisters

Aleu was always concerning me. In the same degree as I was too selfish, she was too selfless. Well, maybe being noble sound good and nice, but isn’t good and isn’t nice when life is pressing you and making you to do things you despise. Simply - selfless person like my sister would despise herself for that. For years it wasn’t a problem, because Aleu was struggling with all the world of fear and intolerance around her. So she became tough in fight. But in time she would probably find her own haven where she would practise all her virtues. Sadly to say: I’m sure that she and her beloved ones will pay for that.

 

Jack awoke before they made a mile. Ice had to tell him that Cher is fine and she is running in first rank. In fact David was leading and he was doing his best... no, twice his best, to reach any civilised region. He was speeding like hell to get his team in safe place. He just lost brother so with every heartbeat he tried to think about his duties to human and friends. Family he had already failed. They heard two shots in the valley and then no other voice sounded. All of them understood what it meant.

The second rank in harness was damaged by sharp rocks and teethes of Daniel. In third were going Eva and Betty and in forth Marry and Ice. The size difference between mackenzie and greenland was making they efforts desperately, but there we no other way – Ice was completely snowblind and giving him the lead in harness meant suicide. Wounded and barely awake Jack had to ride on sled.

John Ash was giving a quick looks around, searching for incoming danger. Criminals clearly wished to leave no witnesses alive. Without winchester they were helpless and their only weapon was a speed. Sled was going slowly, but trapper put his trust in fact that they were probably anyway  faster than three men on foot. But if they had skis...

And then another gunshot sounded. And one more and... a burst of automatic fire. Ash froze imagining criminals shooting to some other wandered. But he had nothing to do about that.

“Easy. Don’t be afraid.” Said David with so grave voice that he soothed no one. “This is not a burst from that submachine gun.” Team sighed with amaze and husky continued with his unnatural tone. “I recognise sound of O point three Springfield rounds. This is definitely not of them.” Silence felt for several seconds.

“So whom?” asked Ice. The answer was just before them.

Sled entered a moderate clearing were they saw a strange scene. Another sled was in the centre of glade and two people were standing next to it, holding big weapons in theirs hands. Two other persons were lying in the snow – one in pool of blood.

“Talk, scum, or I’ll blast your head off!” shouted Gunnar Kaasen, aiming with heavy gun of Browning Automatic Rifle on survived gangster. Arashi Tazaku was a bit too old for carrying so weighty weapon, so he was just pointing with his scoped rifle.

“Whom you were shooting at? Have you killed somebody? Tell us, or we bury you here and now.”

In far North the State is just a distant abstraction. There is no real police in forest of Alaska because there is jurisdiction of Nature herself. Sometime Nature is using help of brave and fair people and that case took place then. Doctor from Buckland and trapper from Nome incidentally met in Nenana and there heard about dangerous gangsters threat. So Kaasen got his sled and dogs and Arashi fixed (however – he never said how) some real portable artillery like B.A.R. was. Prepared and well-armed they set off in eventually direction of criminal’s hiding.

“Look!” called Gunnar. “A sled...”

“John?” sighed Japanese. “Thank God you alive! What happened?”

Without long deliberation, living gangster was tied, put on Kaasen sled and trapper <lent> one dog to team of Ash. They formed a convoy and started in Nenana’s direction.

“Thanks, man!” whispered  Ice to his new harness neighbour. This time greenland was in first pair with Kaasen’s dog, because they were riding after Norwegian sled. Also, a black-white husky was leading. “We would be all up without you. What is your name?”

“I’m Kodi of Nome.” Introduced dog. Of course, no one discover that he was Cher’s brother, because only creature that knew it – Jack, was unconscious. “What happened?”

“Those thugs wanted to stop us. We had an accident during escape. We lost two dogs...” he lowered his voice and added. “Please, be gentle with that husky on tail. He lost his brother today.”

“I’m so sorry...” replied Kodi. “But for now on those criminals won’t hurt anyone...”

They reached Nenana in two days. Jack haven’t regained his consciousness enough to recognize Kodi.

*

Daniel emerged from deep sea of slumber. He wanted to stay in depths of unconsciousness, because being awake meant terrible pain. Whole muzzle was a lake of fire and he knew why. Dog understood that he lost his sight permanently, what was a death-sentence in the wild. He called for Cher only twice but quickly came to conclusion that she had left him. Both love and cold reason didn’t let him be angry on her. “She did what she did... only to increase her chances. I hope my death wasn’t useless.” He thought. But if he had eyes, he would burst with cry. He hold no grudge against her, that she recognized him as dead, but he wished he didn’t left him. He would be happy to die in her paws or from her paws. “It would be sweet end. But she just left me...”

He tired to wake up but exhausted and hypothermed body disobeyed. “So...” he thought. “I wonder how long it will take before some creature finish me. God, I hope that would be some real predator not just a scavenger.” He imagined his still living body being tearing apart by crows and he shivered. Of course – shivered in mind. His muscles were too tired to make any move.

He sensed the coming night and understood that he was losing his consciousness due to coldness. “It would be worse. I will froze to death – no so bad end. Painless. But so lonely... Cher...” he whispered and fell into dark crack of silence.

*

For his great amaze, he awoke. It was another day, however his mutilated eyes show him just endless night. But he was still living. Dog smelt a strange scent surrounding him. A meat! A portion of fresh meat was lying before him. He made a few steps, or better to say: crawls, ahead and reached precious meal. It was a fragment of deer’s body, carefully cut from animal’s side.

“Who is here?” called Daniel with weary voice. Than he sniffed another scent – a scent of canine. Some how it seemed well-known to him. “Hallo?” But no one replied. “I know there is someone!” he added. “Hey, you... this is your prey... and you probably warmed me during last night. I would be dead right now without you...” But no one answered.

And the same pattern repeated. On afternoon husky heard steps and smelled a scent of another meal. He found a piece of meat nearby and when he started to eat, the strange saviour went away. On evening, when frost was freezing the forest, Daniel felt he was freezing too. But just before he lost consciousness, he sensed that warm body cuddled to him and make him a little warmer. But of course, when woke up, the stranger was gone.

In midday of next day, silent guest unexpectedly came to Daniel and pinned him to the ground. Then he put a branch in husky’s mouth and dog understood that pain was coming. And he was right. Stranger immobilised his patient and then licked his wound on muzzle. If Daniel hadn’t a stick in jaws he would filled whole Alaska with piercing scream. But he knew that was required.

Saviour cleaned his wound and even removed all, or almost all, shot from cuts. Husky lost consciousness in progress but when he woke up again he felt stronger. Also a next meat was waiting for him.

“Thanks, Steele.” Said Daniel. Quiet wheezing nearby stopped. “Come on, I know that is you.” Added husky. “I recognised your scent and additionally: I recognised your grip. Do you remember? That fight near to the post in Buckland?” Wheezing started again, but stranger said nothing. “It’s great that you are alive, Steele. We were sure you died that night. But why don’t you say a word? I’m dying anyway, so I won’t tell anyone.”

Stranger didn’t replied but made some mark on the snow. Husky recognised a sign from Sled Code: NO!

“Don’t fight it, my friend. I’m finished anyway.” Said Daniel honestly. “I’m a cripple and I don’t want to live that way... Don’t you have own problems to carrying about me?” Stranger disappeared but in few hours returned with fresh hare.

*

On next morning Daniel found that his saviour had drawn a line in the snow. Uncertain what to do, he carefully stood up and followed it. Then he understood that he was watched – an approving murmur sounded. So husky started to go in that strange path. From time to time his carer ordered a break, but nudging dog’s side. Then Daniel was resting and stranger was hunting. Probably. Anyway, after almost every that pause, unknown brought a something to it with him.

They were moving that for two days. Daniel had no idea where they were going (because of his blindness he even wasn’t sure in what direction they went) nor how long way they made. But on evening on fourth day after accident in the valley, he smelled something that froze his heart.

“Cher!” he yelled. “She is still here, I sense her. She didn’t find the way home... Steele... there is a bitch that needs help and...” He was nudged and fell silent. In fact after a second thought he came to conclusion that wasn’t scent of Cher. It was very similar but not the same. It has something... wolfish.

When aroma got stronger, Daniel understood that he was taken to wolf’s hiding. It was a dense grove, where scents of saviour and that Cher-like female

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