JOURNEY TO THE MIDNIGHT SUN
James Sheldon
LOVE CONQUERS ALL
Book 1 of 3
Chapter 15
Never before had the family left their winter home unoccupied. Their summer home was different, as it belonged to the greater clan and members were in and out of it at all times of the year. Their winter home, being more private in that it belonged specifically to what had been the strongest surviving branch of the clan, always harbored at least one member regardless of season. But there it stood, alone on its cliff above the snowy river. Laureal looked back one final time. The white roof of the longhouse, now barely visible behind gentle veils of falling snow, passed from sight.
Using the river as a highway, the family traveled north, walking in single file through a world covered in snow and ice. Not only the river, the trees, and the forest floor, but the tall grasses and shrubs that grew along the shores were bent and blanketed. Young evergreens stooped like old men under winter’s white weight. The occasional patch of boulders appeared transformed into abstract groups of moguls. A beautiful world to behold. A deadly world to anyone without the knowledge and skill to survive it. Beneath the family, the ice measured over a foot thick. Strong enough to support a 21st century delivery truck. Still, our travelers never forgot they were on ice. At every river bend they kept to the inside track not only because it was the shortest route but also because a river’s main channel naturally flows to the outside of each bend and thus, by avoiding the main channel, the trekkers walked where the river was shallowest. If they did fall through, the river was unlikely to be over waist deep. Keeping a protective eye on them all, John Summerfield walked twenty paces behind and slightly off to one side. And keeping an eye on John, Laureal glanced back so often that scarcely twenty paces passed between each affirmation.
Excluding John, the family column from back to front started with Laureal. Mia walked seven paces ahead of Laureal. Ahead of Mia, Emma rode on the sled platform same as one would ride on the back of a dog sled. Ellie pulled the sled. The twins rode in Ellie’s packsaddle. Cody guided the beast with lead rope in hand, his main concern, as John had warned, was to make sure the giant did not follow so close as to step on his heel. Jessie walked ten paces out on point. And just ahead of her; Yike, Nemo, and Chewy walked like dogs do when outings begin, tussling happily with one another. The humans were clad head-to-toe in fur, and all were armed with spears and bows.
The need for weaponry did not come from rival clans. Nor did it come from grizzly bears which were in hibernation. It came from wolves. Late winter was that time of year when wolves came together in packs to run down creatures weakened by long months of winter cold. As for wolves attacking humans, while rare in our 21st century, people living outside the insulation of modern technology could not afford to discount the danger. We can know this thanks in part to good record-keeping in pre-industrial Europe, which can also help us understand why wolves were feared and hated.
We have the luxury of admiring the wolves. We can love wolves for what they are. And by looking to the past, we can also know that as recently as Feb 16, 1917, the New York Times reported that wolf attacks on wounded soldiers could not be stopped even with machine guns and hand grenades. In fact the attacks became so bad, the commanders of the opposing sides declared a temporary armistice, whereby the two sides joined forces to drive the wolves from the theater of battle. Not to be too hard on the wolves, as they were almost certainly starving, themselves being victims of war. We can safely assume that the men, having driven the wolves off, were then able to get back to the business of killing each other.
Also thanks to good record keeping, we can also know that in the winter of 1437, after the residents of Paris (population 220,000) over-hunted the local deer and wild boar population, starving wolves began to enter the city through areas of city-wall in disrepair. At first it was one wolf pack, then more packs came in search of food. Soon wolves were roaming the city, killing and eating three people a day! A fight for control of the city ensued. Finally, the citizens drug slaughtered cattle through the streets leaving blood trails to draw the wolves into an ambush at the center of town where the citizens threw up barricades to trap the feasting wolves. Trapped in a makeshift corral, the wolves were stoned and speared to death.
Today, in our 21st century, the largest subspecies of wolf is the Canadian Timber Wolf, and in particular those living in and around a 700,000 square mile area of wilderness known as the Mackenzie River Basin. These wolves average 175 pounds with the largest ever recorded at 235 pounds. Moreover, their brains are 30 percent larger than domestic dogs. And larger where it counts, in the cerebral cortex, that part of the brain associated with thinking and planning.
Besides their impressive size and cunning intelligence, these wolves have a sense of smell 100 times greater than a human’s. Their eyesight is twenty times sharper than ours. They have superior night vision. And uncanny though it be, their hearing is so acute, they can listen to their prey’s heartbeat from ten feet away. They are impossible to hide from. And when they find their prey, each wolf can exert a bite force greater than a tiger or great white shark. With such force, they gang up and rip their prey apart. Each can gulp down more than twenty pounds of meat at once.
Fortunately for those of us living comfortably outside the hard realities of nature, we will never run through the woods with a pack of ravenous wolves on our tail or send our children walking miles to school though a countryside roamed by wolves. On the other hand, our hero and heroine were already on the periphery of the Mackenzie Valley wolf territory and walking deeper in with every step. That said, odds were highly unlikely that wolves would attack an armed group of humans accompanied by a strange giant and three good sized dogs. There was easier prey in the forest, although it should be noted that the long Indian summer had made for a shortened winter, meaning not so many vulnerable animals for wolves to catch and eat. Nevertheless, the humans were armed to the teeth. And they had Ellie, a giant in the prime of her life with huge steel cleat shoes, a terrible force to reckon with. Likewise, the family’s dogs, Yike, Nemo, and Chewy were big healthy dogs with strong bonds of loyalty to the family. All three dogs sported heavy leather collars specifically to protect their necks in the event of attack. The dogs also wore packs, a common practice in non-industrial times when an array of animals were employed to carry needed supplies and gear.
Having exemplified how wolves in certain situations, for example when they are starving, can be extremely dangerous to humans; it does not hurt to remember that somewhere in the not so distant past, wolves allied themselves with humans, which is how man got his best friend, the domestic dog.
Wolves and thin ice duly considered, the real and present danger came from unrelenting cold. The family could not run away from it, nor could they hide from it. And again, they were only going deeper into it. Thankfully the little river, with its banks nestled in dense forest, sheltered the family from the full reach of the north wind. Thus they traveled in relative calm even while old man winter occasionally threatened, blowing snow from boughs high above, sending snowy cascades down through the evergreens. The temperature was ten degrees, not bad for being warm-dressed and on the move. Snow fell steadily, but not heavy.
Two miles into their journey, Laureal purposely dropped back to walk beside her groom, “You look so happy back here…all by yourself.”
“I am happy.”
“Because you’re finally going north?”
“Because of a fine-figured woman walking ahead of me.”
“Oh, you liar!”
“No, truly!”
Playfully, Laureal gestured to her bulky furs, “And what figure could you possibly see with all this.”
“The one that’s underneath,” and he grabbed her bottom.
“John!” Laureal shrieked, jumping away. Then animated, glaring with eyes wide, “You really are feeling good this morning!”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’m feeling good too,” coming back with such enthusiasm as to crash into his side, whereupon they got tangled up and, laughing, nearly fell together in the snow.
Having recovered, John spoke lowly, “Your grandmother is watching.”
“Then be careful what you say and do sir,” whispering back, “For I assure you, she has the eyes and ears of an eagle.”
“Then you had better go back up there.”
“Nah, I’ll stay back here with you.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s my duty to keep watch and you’re distracting me.”
“Just pretend I’m not here.”
“Yeah right, like that’s going to work.”
“John,” pleading musically.
“No.” And nodding forward, “Go on. Get!”
“John Summerfield!” suddenly fire-eyed, ‘don’t you shoo me like a dog!”
“I’m not shooing you like a dog,” his voice going high like that of a boy, “I’m shooing you because I have to.”
“Laureal,” came Emma’s call.
Laureal gave John a pouty look. Then, obeying the Matriarch, she returned to the rear of the family column where looking back, she made a face to show her displeasure with him. It was only a game. As proof, before the passing of another mile, she smiled over her shoulder. And when she exaggeratedly sashayed, they both laughed.
At noon the party stopped long enough to pass out helpings of venison chunks that had been stored in the packsaddle where they would not freeze. Hard on the outside and soft on the inside, the cold chunks were previously seared and smoked in flames, then quickly cooled to keep the meat inside fresh and moist. Each chunk amounted to three or four bites. Also from the packsaddle, the family passed a leather water bag between them. John used an ice chisel to chop a hole in the ice so Ellie and the dogs could drink, and everyone laughed when Ellie lowered her nose and snorted like a dragon to frighten the dogs, letting them know who would be drinking first. Mia and Laureal took care of the twins. Jessie covertly checked on her mother. They all checked on one another, and, satisfied that all was well, the family proceeded with chunks of fresh venison in their pockets, eating while they walked in daylight too brief and valuable to waste.
Frigid and lifeless as it seemed, the surrounding forest harbored an abundance of life. And although snowfall would cover the evidence, the river nevertheless served as a record of animal activity that morning and an important source of information for the family. Many animals were in their dens but not in hibernation. They would be out and about. Bobcats, weasels, and wolverines were alive and well albeit no tracks were to be seen that morning. There were, however, deer tracks, fox tracks, and even rabbit tracks where the shoreline was gentle. Red squirrels were snug in their nest with stashes of nuts stored below. Flying squirrels slept in nests holding up to fifty animals. Active in winter, they came out to fly at night. Plus there were always various bird tracks on the river. And finally, late that afternoon, when the family had gotten far from home, they encountered a single set of wolf tracks.
Immediately after seeing the tracks, the family rounded a bend to see the confluence of the two rivers. Just two-hundred yards ahead, it appeared a well-lit opening at the far end of a forest hallway. One-hundred yards further and the scene became a natural motion picture viewed through a large forest window. The wide open expanse of the big river appeared to crawl, the result of blowing spindrift snaking this way and that. Drawing closer still, the travelers heard the voice of the north wind. An eerie whistling ever changing in tone, rising and falling as if to give fair warning—
“Turn back! Turn back while you still can!”
It was not a blizzard per se but an average day on the open river where one had no protection from the north wind. Not an unexpected sight or sound, and still it drove home the reality before them.
Still in the protection of the forest hallway, Jessie stopped and, while looking back at John, gestured to the bank of the little river. John then came forward while the tiny column stood at rest, “We made good progress today,” said he, obviously well pleased, handing his rifle to Jessie who had come back to meet him. Jessie then proceeded up the bank to have a look-see and, providing all was well, stand guard while the family negotiated the snowy bank.
Pausing only briefly, John took measure of the big river, its spectacle yet a safe distance away. Then turning to the family, he pushed his hood back and smiled confidently, “It’ll be calm out there come dawn.”
Emma looked to Laureal, “Dear, help your cousin take the twins out of the packsaddle, please.”
Nodding amicably, Laureal turned to do as tasked.
“You seem to be doing well,” said John to Emma. He had been watching her more than the others.
Emma responded with a slang term she’d learned from John, “This ain’t my first rodeo.” Not exactly the same as the 21st Century term but a successor translated here for the reader.
“I saw how you divide your time between walking and riding.”
“Yes, well, I’m glad you were watching,” and with a coy grin, “hopefully I have taught you something you can use when you grow old.”
Chuckling, “I believe you have,” and he walked on ahead, around the young ladies who were just then using a simple step stool to take the children down from the packsaddle.
Coming next to Cody, John asked, “How’s our girl doing?”
“She’s doing fine,” stroking the giant’s massive shoulder.
From the bank above, Jessie called down, “Looks good up here.”
Surveying the bank with his eyes, John knew of an easier place to go up, a gentle shore leading to a grassy knoll. He and Laureal had been there once before. However, the bank directly before him, although steep, lay sheltered from the wind. “I’ll take her up,” turning and taking the lead rope from Cody’s hand.
“I can do it, John.”
“I know you can, Cody. And you will, but first, you and Ellie need to get more time working together.”
Just then, Laureal and Mia came alongside, “Should we unhook the sled and remove her packsaddle?” Laureal had seen John take Ellie up moderate inclines before.
“No, I think we can manage this one.” And turning to Emma, “If you would remain here with Cody and the twins, this won’t take but a minute.” Then turning back to Laureal and Mia, “I need you to steady the sled as I take Ellie up. Steady it from the rear corners. Do not get alongside it! That way, if it tries to tip over, you can drive against it with your leg strength to keep it upright and, if it tips anyway, you won’t get caught beneath it.”
“What should I do?” asked Cody.
“Load your bow and keep watch. Protect your grandmother and the twins. Between you and your mother, you can lay down a crossfire to protect them from any would-be predators.”
John knew the chances of a predatory attack were slim to none. He also knew that, empty as a wilderness may seem, there were always eyes on the lookout. Searching eyes, looking for the vulnerable, the lame, the sick, and particularly the very young and old.
Leading the giant several paces to the base of the embankment, the horseman put one foot on the bank and spoke easy but firm like it was all in a day’s work, “Okay girl,” extending his arm with lead rope in hand, he made a ‘come-along-with-me’ gesture, “Let’s go.”
As the incline increased, Ellie began to rear and jump. Not rearing like in a 20th century cowboy movie but rather, rearing just high enough to lift and throw her front hooves forward while driving with her powerful hindquarters, repeatedly launching herself in violent increments. “Good girl!” came the voice of her master. “Easy,” as chunks of snow and ice exploded from her hooves.
John fell hard against the snowy bank, sprung back up, scrambled mightily with arms and legs, and somehow managed to keep up with the giant’s progress. Laureal and Mia drove hard with their legs to keep the sled upright until Ellie reached the top and jerked it away, whereupon the girls fell against the snow-covered bank.
Emma and the twins watched in awe from the river below. It was over in a matter of seconds. Ellie stood at the top and, save for the gentle heaving of her ribcage and the clouds of steam that flowed from her dragon-like nostrils, it was obvious it hadn’t been her first rodeo. Meanwhile, her packsaddle and sled sat upright and intact.
Stroking Ellie’s neck, John spoke through huffs and puffs, “Good job, Ellie.”
Jessie marveled at the power she’d just witnessed.
Laureal and Mia lie in the snow just shy of the top, laughing at it all.
Having brushed the snow from his pants and coat, John brought out a few pieces of rock candy made from honey and maple syrup. He gave one to Ellie. Then, looking to the river below, “Noah, Sophie, whomever gets up here first gets a piece of candy!”
The race was on! Noah took the lead but Laureal, yet laying in the snow, grabbed him.
“Let me go!” cried the boy, just inches from the top. “Laureal! Let me go!”
Then came Sophie, crawling fast, trying to get past, but Laureal, having dug her boots into the snowy bank for support, caught her also, “I’m not letting either of you go,” laughing, “not until you agree to share the candy.”
“Deal!” Noah cried. And set free, both scrambled to the top like fur clad monkeys.
The children got their candy while Mia and Laureal helped Emma up the steepest part of the bank. Cody came up last. Jessie remained on guard until all were together at the top. Fortunately for the family, the confluence, being an excellent fishing and hunting spot, had a permanent winter campsite. Sheltered from the north wind by dense forest, it came complete with a substantial lean-to. The family would not sleep in the lean-to, however, but would use it as a cook kitchen and dining room.
Being off trail for the day, John returned leadership of the clan to Emma, “With your permission ma’am, I will unpack our horse and tend to her needs.”
“Yes, and thank you John. And you too, Ellie,” said the Matriarch, running her hand over the giant's shoulder as if it were a boulder worth its weight in gold. Then, turning to the others, “Cody, take the shovel and clear snow from our campsite. Laureal, build a fire, but before you gather wood, remove the dog packs, take the dogs with you, and feed them only when you’ve finished. Jessie and Mia, put the tent up.” Then turning to the twins, “Noah, help Cody clear snow until Laureal brings an armload of firewood. Then, while she’s out gathering more, you can break off and sort the sticks in one pile and twigs in another. Sophie, you and I are going to make supper.”
While John unhooked the sled and removed Ellie’s packsaddle, the giant grazed by uncovering grass with front hooves like shovels. And being that the grass was plentiful there, John left Ellie to graze on the edge of camp, which suited Ellie just fine. Next John took a spear-like icebreaker from the sled. He also took a basket so expertly woven that water could not leak from it. The basket, being more deep than broad, had a shape like that indispensable marvel of the 21st century; the 5 gallon plastic bucket.
Gathering firewood with her dogs, Laureal paused momentarily to watch her husband chopping ice on the little river below. And he, spying her from the corner of his eye, suddenly thrust his arm into the air, holding the spear-like ice chisel up in a gesture of victory.
Laureal laughed, then, falling silent, gazed on him fondly.
Having gathered a good many pine boughs, Jessie and Mia laid them out where Cody had cleared the snow. Then, taking from the sled a set of willow poles and a family-sized tent made of caribou hides, they set about erecting their shelter for the night. Beneath the tent the thick layer of pine boughs would serve as padding for comfortable sleeping and help insulate the family’s temporary abode from the frozen ground.
Soon the scent of hot stew filled the lean-to, a wonderful smelling blend of game meat, tubers, wild grains, and forest herbs. And so it was, with temperature dropping in waning light, the family sat warming themselves with hot food, crackling campfire, and that tired-but-relaxed kind of conversation that comes at the end of a long successful day. As they spoke, Emma cast her eyes beyond the edge of camp where Ellie grazed with natural efficiency; using her hooves to uncover the grass, eating it, then taking another slow calculating step, uncovering more grass, and so on.
“John, I must say, the value of your horse giant is not a thing to be measured.”
“Think if we all had horses, grandma.” Laureal’s eyes, although tired, were nonetheless filled with optimism, “We could ride into a whole new dimension.”
“I rather like our ‘dimension’ as it is,” smiling, “but Ellie is wonderful.”
Mia gazed at the giant with admiration, “I have never known an animal of such majesty.”
“I have never met anyone that did not fall in love with Ellie,” John affirmed. And turning to watch his mare, “A good horse really does take a man into a new dimension, or a woman, or a family, or for that matter, a nation.”
Before them, the giant had lifted her head to full height. Grass hung from her mouth. Her big white face stood out in the twilight like a luminous sign. Her ears perked straight as pikes, she gazed back at the family. Then, after a moment of silent observation, she returned to grazing.
“I know Ellie so well. And still, she’s something of a mystery.”
“And how would that be, John?” asked Jessie
“Well,” John began, “Ellie does not see us as members of a herd like our dogs see us as members of a pack. Whereas our dogs show extreme attachment to us, Ellie sees herself as autonomous. She is independent from us and yet, she senses friend or foe and knows whose side she is on. And being on our side, she would work herself to death for us and, from what I’ve seen, it would not be dumb-animal stupidity. And therein is the first half of the mystery. The other half has to do with her split personality: One side for humans, one for other horses. With other horses her very first response is to subdue all comers. If not controlled by a human, she will go directly to any horse in her scope and, if it does not submit to her at once, she will attack it. As soon as it submits she will accept it as one of her subjects. But if it does not submit, she will dispatch it, viciously, as if its life were nothing to her. I have witnessed her transformation from gentle giant to living nightmare. She’s a friendly beast that explodes with shocking speed and brutality!”
“John,” Jessie uttered in horror, “why haven’t you told us about this before?”
“That’s not the personality she has for us,” and realizing how he had alarmed them, “I swear it! Ellie hasn’t a single atom of meanness for us! However viscous she is with other horses, she is exactly the opposite with humans. That’s the second half of the mystery!”
Mia eyed John from within her fox-lined hood, her expression gone cold, “John, I have trusted you with the lives of my children!”
“And they are perfectly safe!” on the defensive.
After a brief silence, John softened his voice, “Mia, they really are safe…or at least a lot safer than they would be without Ellie. And, well, I admit, it’s a mystery to me but, it’s true. Ellie would kill another horse like it was nothing and she would kill herself for us like it was nothing. Truly, time and again on the trail I witnessed her take on punishing tasks for me with no prompting other than pointing her at the challenge. And yes, she is a highly trained horse but there is a limit to what humans can take credit for, or explain, regarding the behavior of a horse. And this leaves the mystery unanswered. It’s an enigma that I could never have known if I had not come through the wild with her. But I did come through the wild with her. And I think I could either take it for what it is or spend my life going round and round trying to figure out how a crazy-powerful-violent animal could be so docile and willing to give her all for a human.”
In the last inkling of light, although perhaps only a reflection from the fire, Emma caught a glimmer in Ellie’s eye.
“I think I understand, John. There is, as you say, a mystery. And then again, there is not.”
“Oh really? And how could that be?”
“Well, while we cannot understand everything about Ellie’s nature, we can simply know what we have seen with our own eyes. Ellie, is a gift.”
“Amen,” Jessie seconded. And looking around the fire, she nodded to the giant, “Just look at her.”
In silence, they watched the peaceful beast.
“Now look at us,” Jessie continued. “We could have fallen by the wayside. We did not. We drew together and made a new beginning. And Ellie had a big part in it, lest we forget how she labored dragging those heavy logs, and now, our sled. The Great Spirit is working through her to help us along.”
The firelight burned in Jessie’s emerald eyes, “The Great Spirit has a plan for us!”
Laureal felt trails of goose bumps running up her arms, “Grandmother, we have gone through that door you spoke of.”
“We certainly have,” said the Matriarch, her face illuminated by the flames.
