Ravenmind by Chris Paton

Author:Chris Paton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aarluuk Press
Published: 2023-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Two Hearts are Better

_______________________

VIII

Two Hearts are Better

Ajâna crawled around the sheer mountain wall, between the boulders and past the canine carnage within which lay her dead master. Raven had helped Ajâna free her hobbled leg with a silent persistence. Their two hearts beat regularly and, although injured and weakened, they were not finished, not yet. The sea ice was but a short distance away now. Ajâna and her ravenmind crawled slowly but confidently down the mountainside.

The twilight of the polar day was upon them as they reached the ice. Ajâna panted with short breaths as Raven soothed her anxiety with light, feathery caresses within the dog’s mind. It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling for Ajâna, but she was alive. As they panted together, as their hearts beat a double tap, they crawled onto the ice in the direction of the massive shape that had so captured Eko’s interest back up on the mountain. Raven promised Ajâna that it was the right direction in which to crawl. Each time the dog grew too tired or unwilling, the light brush of feathers across her mental brow urged her on. For Ajâna, it was not dissimilar to pulling a sledge. She was the muscle while the raven, her new master, chose the direction and drove them forward.

Ajâna recognised the shape as they drew near and it took all of Raven’s persuasion to encourage her onwards, to drive away her natural fear of the beast. It was known to them both, the great polar bear, and Ajâna took even more convincing before she crawled so close that she could see it was no longer breathing. Still, dead, harmless. Raven, seeing through Ajâna’s eyes, noticed the tear in the bear’s flank. If the dog could reach that, then they could eat. They might even recover some of the strength lost back on the mountain. The dog was no longer hobbled, but she was still broken. Her rear legs had been of little use in the long crawl to the ice. Raven soothed the dog and the dog, not without some difficulty, finally began to eat.

As the dog ate, the raven rested. When the dog had eaten all she could, they both rested. Neither was aware of the approaching team of dogs. Neither was prepared for the arrival of a great hunter and his team. As the sledge grated to a stop, the hunter leaped onto the ice and took hold of the lines, pulling here and dragging there. Had Raven noticed, she would have seen a team in great disarray. It took some time for the hunter to settle his team. An ice anchor was dug, and the team was, for the moment, placated. The hunter threw each dog a large piece of fish from a sealskin sack on the sledge. The dogs occupied, the hunter was free to inspect the dead beast. He circled the hole in the ice and, more than once, Nissimaaq bent to pluck a strange hair from the new ice frozen around the edge of the hole.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.