Icebound

Chapter 17

Anyu tended to the fire while Kano pitched a shelter for the night. They hadn't ventured far from Tavra's forest- the crest of the dying glacier was still visible from their spot on the tundra floor- but Kano had insisted it was far enough to be safe. Anyu normally would have protested, but the moon was already ascending to the heavens and the bitter cold was beginning to bite with renewed vigor. She didn't like it, but, sighing heavily, she'd relented and agreed to stop to rest.

The fire was miniscule, and Anyu huddled as close to it as was possible without getting burned. She'd picked up a few fallen branches and dried leaves for kindling as they made there way out of the forest, but it wouldn't be able to sustain the hungry flames for much longer. She tried to absorb the heat into her very being, letting it warm her soul as well as her body. The memory of this fire would have to be enough to warm her for the many frigid, lightless nights that lay ahead.

Her head snapped up at the sound of something crashing down accompanied by muttered curses. Kano was lying amongst a crumpled piece of canvas and a wooden frame, a look of agitated frustration on his face. It looked like he'd battled the tent, and the tent had won.

Anyu unwillingly left the heat of the fire to assemble it properly. She quickly set up the light wooden frame, making sure that it was staked securely to the ground. The thin wooden panels criss-crossed each other in a pattern of interweaving swirls and cubes, the geometric design twisting and curling in on itself; you could trace its path with your eyes forever and never find a beginning or end. This was the Knot of Eternity, the symbol of life and constant movement. It was a popular design amongst the Nenet, and it was embroidered on the edges of much of Anyu's clothing.

"Thanks," Kano said, looking somewhat embarrassed.

They both returned to the fire, where the last twisting flames were burning brightly. Anyu dug through the pack on Shesh's saddle for food. She placed a bag of feed in front of the ravenous reindeer, then tossed a piece of dried seal meat to Kano and took one for herself. The food had a tough, rubbery quality to it that made it less than appetizing, but Anyu savored every bite. Denigi had given them enough provisions to last about a week if they were frugal with rationing. After that they would have to begin to hunt for their meals, or else starve to death.

Well, at least we don't have a third mouth to feed, Anyu consoled herself, though it wasn't really much of a consolation. Sure, their food would last longer without Tavra tagging along, but his help would have been much more valuable than a few pieces of old seal meat.

"Is there no chance he'll change his mind?" Anyu asked, voicing her concerns.

Kano chewed and swallowed a piece of seal before answering. "It's possible," He said. "But not likely. Tavra... he's a stubborn one."

Anyu chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "Now that we'll probably never see him again..." She ventured. "Mind revealing how you two know each other? He acted like you fed his favorite toy to a walrus."

He let out a short laugh at that. "Not quite," He replied. Anyu waited eagerly for a response, but he only continued eating without saying another word. She had resigned herself to not knowing the answer when he finally spoke up. "We knew each other growing up." Kano finally said. He glanced at Anyu, as if hoping that that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity. The expression on her face brooked no negotiations; if he was going to tell her, he'd have to tell her everything.

He sighed heavily, but continued to speak despite his reluctance. "For the most part, we're solitary creatures, indwellers." He began. The fire was beginning to flicker out, casting strange shadows against the snow. Kano's shadow stretched out behind him almost twice his size, like a long ever-shifting cloak. "We don't congregate together like humans. There's no need to; we can survive perfectly fine on our own."

"That's not to say that we're lawless savages though," He added upon seeing Anyu about to interject with a question. "We don't want total chaos. We govern ourselves, although, as I understand it, a bit differently than you. You make your elders the leaders of your tribe. We make the most powerful among us the leaders. That has been Siku and Seqineq for longer than anyone can remember."

"Seqineq, one of the summer indwellers, and Siku, one of the winter- it was always a balance. They ruled from Atka, the only true town of any sort in Adlivun. I was Siku's star pupil, her favorite. Tavra... he seemed to be a hopeless case. No strength, no magic. He was still young, still had time to improve, but even for his age he was weak. Then one night he came to me and said he'd discovered a secret, tried to warn me about Siku's plans for Seqineq and the others. I thought it was just his resentment for me. I told him as much, and worse, too." His boots scuffed at the snow, almost unconsciously. "I would only see what I wanted to see. "

He inhaled slowly and then released his breath, apparently to calm himself. "He may still be an immature brat, but he has a right to hate me." Kano shrugged, as if to brush it off as something inconsequential. His posture was casual, leaning back with his legs sprawled out in front of him, but even so it seemed forced, deceptive.

Anyu didn't know how to respond. She was still trying to process the treasure trove of information that Kano had just revealed, about Adlivun and the indwellers who lived there, but she felt that the moment required her to say something. She silently cursed herself and her lack of eloquence with words. It was a flaw, her grandmother always said, that she'd inherited from her father.

"Either way," She said after a brief pause. "Threatening to kill you if he ever sees you again seems like a pretty big overreaction to me." At that moment, the fire finally guttered out, and Shesh huffed irritably in complaint. "See? Even Shesh agrees with me."

Kano arched a brow at the reindeer, a smile on his lips. "Well, if Shesh is on my side then I guess all is well."

Anyu moved to scatter the remains of the fire in case anyone was tracking them, but Kano stood up first. "I've got it," He said, beginning to kick apart the ashes and bury them under the snow. "You basically set up the tent yourself. I have to pull my weight somehow."

Anyu agreed without complaint. Now that the warmth of the fire was gone, the winds felt like they were cutting across her skin like fine knives, and she was beginning to shiver under her layers of fur. The enchanting realm of her dreams would be a welcome escape from the bitter chill. She paused at the tent flap and tipped her chin up to glance at the sky. The moon had waxed to almost nothing- strange, considering it had been over half full just two nights ago- but the stars provided ample light. Their pattern was still completely unfamiliar, like coming home to find that someone had completely rearranged all of your belongings. But this was where she was, and where she would stay for the next weeks, no matter how she felt about it.

Scanning the night sky, Anyu found a sparkling string of four stars, forming a sort of body, and two other stars that made a V off of one end of the other four. Almost like the antlers of a reindeer. Anyu smiled to herself and went to bed with the comfort of knowing that at least one thing in this place was no longer strange to her.