JOURNEY TO THE MIDNIGHT SUN
James Sheldon
LOVE CONQUERS ALL
Book 1 of 3
Chapter 18
Dawn arrived in drab gray monotone and still the white snowflakes floated down with unfailing beauty. John was first out of the tent as always and, as he stood up, Ellie lifted her head and nickered.
“Good morning, Ellie.”
Grazing what grass she could dig, the queen of horses wore a white mantel of snow over her dark fur coat.
Day five would be one of slow but steady travel, bland, gray, and non-eventful. The new snowfall did not warrant snowshoes which, being heavy and cumbersome, ate up loads of human energy and were to be avoided except when absolutely necessary. And they were almost never necessary on the river, as the afternoon wind swept the ice daily, limiting snow cover to several inches except in places along the shores where drifts accumulated. Presently light snow fell off-and-on but the wind, having exhausted itself the day before, came late and even then never packed a punch. Not a pretty day but a decent day for progress especially when compared to the day before, especially in the knowledge that some blizzards last a day, and some last three or four.
Late the following morning the sun appeared through a small gap in the clouds and as the cloud blanket continued to fracture it became obvious, the afternoon wind would bring clear skies even as it bid our travelers to leave the river.
To gain the forest trail, Jessie kept an eye out for a friendly exit in an otherwise hostile environment. Walking at the front of the column, her thought process was that of a natural accountant. The idea being to make the most of the river before the wind came and then pay as little tax as possible in the transition to forest trail. She had not been looking long when, from the ice under her feet, a strange sound like a tap on an otherworldly drum froze her in place, “Stop!” lifting her hand to signal a halt.
Cautiously taking another step, Jessie once again heard the warning, a haunting drum-beat followed by a series of growls traveling up and down the way.
Oblivious to the danger, Yike and Nemo tried to encourage her on, “Go away! Go away!”
Stepping quick from the sled, Emma called out, “Yike, Nemo…come! Come!”
While Emma leashed Yike and Nemo behind the sled with Chewy, Mia tossed a length of rope to Jessie, and John came forward from the back.
“You’re our rear guard,” said John, handing his rifle to Laureal, scarcely missing a step on his way to the front.
“Be careful.”
“Will do,” and proceeding to the front, he stopped a stone’s toss shy of Jessie’s position, “Thin ice, huh?”
“Yes.”
Standing halfway between Jessie and Ellie, John turned to Mia, “Let’s get the belay hooked up.”
Knowing the drill, Mia fed the rope through the belay that had been permanently secured to Ellie’s breast strap. She then took up the slack.
John then motioned for Jessie to step towards him.
Carefully, Jessie took a step, then froze in place as the ice weakened under her weight.
John grimaced as the ice cracked, “If you fall though, I know at least one thing that will happen real fast.”
“What would that be?” her voice filled with dread.
“We’ll have you bundled up in front of a fire before you know it.”
“Oh John!” letting out a nervous laugh.
John encouraged her to proceed and, with each step, the creaking and groaning diminished until at last Jessie reached the safety of stable ice.
“We’ll go around it,” said John, looking to Jessie and the others, unaware that a hot spring (not common to the region but not unheard of either) had opened up on the river bottom. And because the spring happened to come up in a large eddy, the warm water was not carried away directly but rose to rotate in a wide circle below the frozen surface.
Stepping to the sled, John had only taken out the ice chisel when a small voice asked, “Are we going to fall through the ice?”
“No, we are not,” turning to Sophie.
“Are you sure?” peering from her fury dormer like a little bird.
“Yes, I’m certain,” standing with ice chisel in hand.
“How can you be certain?”
“Well…I tell ya what. You watch what I do, and then you will know.”
And Sophie could watch because her seat, along with Noah’s, faced the forest trail on the east side of the river, the side John planned to take around the thin ice. She needed only to do a little craning, which she did at once, intensely focused as John returned to the front.
“Be careful,” said Jessie, looking on while John tied a quick-release knot around his waist.
John smiled as he took the chisel from her hands, “Stay fifteen paces behind me.”
As John proceeded, Cody brought Ellie along sixty feet behind. Mia managed the slack via the belay, and Jessie managed the rope between.
Walking to the right and wide of where Jessie had been, John intended to pass on the side closest to the river trail when once again the ice sounded off in protest. Baffled that the ice could be thin in such a large area, he glanced back and shook his head as if to say, “This is odd.”
Laureal watched as snow disturbed by John’s boots snaked away in a ghostly finger of spindrift. Only a small finger, like a little snake that runs away and quickly vanishes. A telltale warning, the afternoon winds were beginning.
Lifting the ice chisel, John struck the ice once, twice, and raising the tool to strike a third time, he paused in surprise as traces of water appeared. With only a few more chops, he produced a football-sized hole. It would have been surprising enough to see only three inches of ice but there he stood on scarcely two inches. Thick enough to support him, but only just barely. At that point, a more cautious scout may have backed away. Instead, John probed to gauge the river's depth with his chisel.
Setting his chisel aside, John turned to Jessie, “Toss me your spear.”
The spear shaft extended John’s reach several feet and still he was unable to find the bottom. He did not know the river bed lay in the shape of a cauldron there and was very deep. The water that flowed beneath the ice fell into the deep cauldron and swirled in an eddy warmed by a hot spring. Momentarily caught up in wonder, himself knowing that deep water should mean deep ice, John had not yet withdrawn the spear when Jessie suddenly cried out, “John! You’re sinking!”
Glancing around himself, the Seeker saw the snow darkening like a shadow. It could mean only one thing, the ice sheet was sagging under his weight, forcing water up out of the hole where the snow quickly absorbed it like a sponge.
Rising up, John spread his feet to distribute his weight. Then, looking to Jessie, he tossed her the spear, then the chisel. The idea being to remove any chance of losing critically important tools.
Hoping for the same luck as Jessie, John's first step produced a low drumbeat which, if not for several inches of snow cover, would have been louder and all the more alarming. Another careful step and, another drumbeat, accompanied by low groans running out in a radius.
“John.”
“Yeah,” looking to his mother-in-law.
“If you fall through…jokes aside, we really will have you wrapped up and before a fire in no time.”
“Thank you, Jessie,” standing perfectly still, the ice around him groaning, the shadow of wet snow spreading.
Her heart in her throat, Laureal wanted to run to John’s aid but Jessie, Mia, and Cody were doing that and she knew, she'd have the devil to pay if she abandoned her post.
No matter how unlikely, John Summerfield wondered if the family had blundered onto a field of thin ice? In fact they had, and in his mind's eye, he saw them falling through, and the vision of it, be it normal or paranormal, struck him like a punch in the gut.
“Tie off my belay!” he suddenly shouted, his voice filled with urgency, “Take the twins down. Unhook the sled and drag it back the way we came!”
A mixture of confusion and uncertainty, they gazed at him.
“Go!” he shouted, “Go now!”
Laureal leapt into action. Passing the air rifle to Emma, she worked fast. Jessie, Mia, and Cody joined in. The belay was tied off. The twins were brought down. The sled was disconnected. And as they worked, no one asked why perhaps because John's outburst had been completely and utterly removed from his normal character.
On John's behest, Emma, Cody, and the twins backtracked up the river. At the same time, Laureal, Jessie, and Mia discovered just how badly the sled could hang up on uneven edges when pulled backwards (because the sled's builders, being young and inexperienced, had not rounded the backs of the runners).
While they struggled, John tried another step only to have the ice under his feet warn so sternly of disaster, he scarcely dared to move.
“This isn’t working,” and jumping to the front of the sled, Laureal tugged sideways on the runners, “We have to turn it around first!”
Jessie and Mia joined in, tugging mightily but, despite their powerful legs, the runners only dug in.
Realizing that Ellie had to be moved out of the way, Laureal got hold of the giant’s lead rope but had only led her several steps forward when John shouted, “Don’t take her any farther!”
“Okay!” somewhat on the defensive, rushing back to the sled where, having made enough room to get past the giant’s tail end, she, her mother, and cousin pulled for all their worth.
Emma meanwhile, having retreated eighty paces with Cody and the twins, took the rifle back which she had only just given to her grandson, “Go and help them.”
Cody took off at once, running as fast as he could.
“Is John going to fall through the ice?” Sophie asked, clutching Emma’s pant leg.
“Let us pray not, but if he does, we know what to do.” And placing a hand on the child, she comforted her even while worriedly watching the struggle unfold. She wanted to go and help but she could not leave the twins on their own, as the woods were home to watchful eyes, ever waiting for such an opportunity.
Having turned the sled around, Jessie, Mia, Laureal, and Cody struggled to tow it back the way they’d come.
Pulling for all his worth, Cody looked to Yike, Nemo, and Chewy, still tied to the back of the sled, wagging their tails and coming along behind. “Mom,” looking to his mother, “can we use the dogs?”
“We certainly can!” suddenly looking as though she would bop herself in the forehead.
Hodgepodge though it be, the dog’s backpack harnesses became pulling harnesses and the sled team of humans, and dogs from bloodlines naturally inclined to pull, began to make headway. Then, with less than half the distance remaining to reach Emma, Laureal suddenly broke off and dashed away.
With the sled out of the way and the family moved off to safety, John had only begun backing Ellie with verbal commands when he saw Laureal coming on at a full run, “Laureal stop! Stop!”
As close as she dared, Laureal looked on in horror.
John stood in a large area of wet snow, ever spreading as the river came up out of the hole.
“John, if you fall through, hold on to the rope…I’ll back Ellie for you.”
“Forget about that!” And gesturing towards shore, “Go over there!”
Seemingly defiant, Laureal remained where she was, a few seconds of hesitation, it seemed like forever while, all around them, fingers of spindrift appeared and disappeared in the rising wind.
“Laureal,” John implored, “if Ellie falls through, the ice between her and I could break up.”
Laureal glanced back at Ellie.
“Laureal!”
“Yes,” turning back to John.
“You have to get out from between us!”
“Will she pull you out without anyone to manage her?”
“Yes,” and gesturing towards the safety of shore, “Please! Go over there!”
Reluctantly, Laureal moved towards the shoreline.
John then turned his attention back to Ellie, “Back girl, back.”
As the mare took a step back, John took a step forward and, as he did, the ice sank so much under his weight, as to give way any second.
Eighty yards upriver, Emma knew exactly what must be done. A fire had to be built and quickly. It would not be the first time she had saved a family member that had fallen into a frozen river. Thus she visually scoured the shoreline, looking an access to the forest no matter how difficult. Her eyes were no longer that of a young woman and still she had gained an intuition that could give one the impression of perfect vision. And just then, gazing into the shadowy wood, she felt a warning voice rise within her.
“Mommy! Mommy!” cried the twins, “Mommy!” running to Mia as she, Jessie, Cody, and the dogs came towing the sled like beasts of burden.
“I’ll go and help them,” said Cody, spinning away towards John and Laureal.
“Wait!” Emma cried. And stepping to the boy, she handed him the rifle, knowing his sharp young eyes made him a good shot. “We have trouble,” nodding to the woods.
Following his grandmother’s gaze, Cody saw two, then three, four large wolves in the trees along the shore. They were not hiding but simply watching from the shadows. Unfortunately, a sudden gust pelted Cody’s eyes with snow like frozen sand. Then, as his blurred vision cleared—
“Where'd they go?”
Meanwhile downriver, Laureal turned her face to the sky, “Please Lord, don’t let him fall through.”
“Back girl,” said John to Ellie, taking another step and sinking until at last, feeling the weakness of the ice under his feet, John looked at the growing slush pond around himself and knew his chances of escape had slipped away.
Eighty yards away, Emma took a spear from the sled, “Make no mistake, they know we're in trouble, and they know we have small children.”
Spear in hand, Jessie scanned the woods while Mia took a tomahawk from the sled and stuffed it into her belt.
“We have to take the shoreline,” said Emma. We’ll leave the sled here for now. Stay close together and keep the children between us. We have John’s rifle, we have our weapons. We’ve got to get a fire going, a big fire. John’s life may soon depend on it.”
“Fire will keep the wolves at bay,” said Cody, aiming the rifle into the woods, searching for a target as they went forward together.
Nearing the shore, Emma took another look downriver where, to her horror, she saw the figure of her granddaughter not ten paces from the shoreline, standing alone with her back to the shadowy forest.
“LAUREAL!” Emma called out.
Focused on the dilemma before her, Laureal did not hear her grandmother’s voice in the wind.
“LAUREAL! ” they called. “LAUREAL!”
Hearing their shouts at last, Laureal turned to see them waving their arms. Unable to make out their words above the wind, she looked on in confusion.
"Damnit all," said Emma, and going down to her knees, she set to un-strapping Yike’s pack. Jessie and Mia followed her lead and at once the dogs were free of their backpacks and harnesses, leaving nothing except their heavy leather collars.
“Sic’ em Yike!” Emma ordered, “Sic’ em!”
Reading the Matriarch’s gesture, the big alpha dog bolted downriver with Nemo and Chewy close behind.
With the last of the ice giving way, John lifted his eyes to tell his wife he was going down. Instead, he cried out, “LAUREAL, BEHIND YOU!”
Laureal’s turned to see the shadows darting between the trees. Timber wolves, two in the lead, and five more just behind. They crashed through snow-laden undergrowth and leapt down the high bank with blistering speed.
Stumbling backward in shock and horror, Laureal turned and ran for the open river.
With a spinning leap, Ellie bolted in panic and John, seeing as much, held tight to the rope and, as it snapped taught, he leapt for all his worth.
Catapulted forward literally as the ice beneath him fell way, how John did not break through the ice on landing his next step cannot be known, save that his weight, no longer a strong downward force, meant the ice held just enough, allowing him to take one more flying leap as Ellie put on a burst of speed.
Every atom of strength she possessed, Laureal poured into saving herself. A flood of adrenaline energized long strong legs and she would have accelerated like track star in the prime of life if only she hadn't been encumbered by heavy furs.
Out of the blue, Yike, Nemo, and Chewy crashed into the wolfpack’s flank. Vicious fights erupted in which the dogs were unfortunately disadvantaged against superior size, strength, and intelligence.
The lead wolves remained on Laureal’s tail, three of them, one of which veered towards John who came at an angle, charging headlong with knife in hand. The wolf aptly dodged John and then tried a swift attack from behind only to have John spin like a cat and nick its face with his blade, surprising the beast and causing it to take pause. John, however, scarcely broke stride but continued to spin around and charge straight for the alpha male.
“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” bearing down to force the alpha off his attack just moments before it caught Laureal from behind.
“OH JOHN!” as the wolves encircled them, her voice a crazy mix of terror and relief.
“Use your bow as a club,” putting his back against hers, knowing it was their best defense. But Summerfield wasn’t thinking of defense. His mind didn’t work that way. Charged with adrenaline, he had his favorite weapon in hand and, more importantly, he had years and years of training with it. He also had his bow and quiver of arrows although, so fast had the attack come upon them, there’d been no time, no opportunity, no way to string an arrow in close-quarters combat.
Baring large fangs, the wolves juked with terrifying speed as they aimed to land a devastating bite. Hunger drove them to abandon their usual strategy of cautious bluffing meant to panic their prey, to separate and cause it to run whereupon it could be chased to exhaustion and eaten alive.
“Keep your back to mine,” John barked over his shoulder. “Don’t let them drive us apart.”
Again the wolves charged in only to jump back and away from blade and bow. It was not a bluff meant to separate the young couple. Rather, it was desperation driven by hunger.
“John?” glancing over her shoulder, her voice high and breaking only to suddenly scream out as she swung her bow, striking at incoming jaws.
“Don’t take your eyes off them! Not even for a moment!”
No more had John spoken than the alpha male leapt at him. Colliding head on, man and beast bounced off one another like a pair of fighting rams. The big wolf just did dodge John’s blade, and John just did dodge the wolf’s fangs.
The two humans immediately came back-to-back again. And the wolves continued their attack, pressing for an opening to land a crippling bite.
Thinking of Laureal’s knife, John knew it to be unbelievably sharp. Flint is five-hundred times sharper than the best steel scalpel according to the AMA. In fact, having used her blade on occasion, John had been astonished by it even as Laureal saw it as nothing more than normal in her world.
“Laureal, I’m going to take one of them out. When I do, I’m going to lose my knife. When I lose my knife, I’m going to need your knife to kill the next one. Leave your knife in its sheath so we can make a safe pass. And whatever happens, keep your back to mine.”
“Are you ready?” John asked.
“John…please don’t let them get me!”
“I won’t.” And in his next breath, “Are you ready?”
“Ready,” her voice filled with fear and yet, resolved.
John flipped his big steel knife and caught it by its blade. He did it in one quick low snap without need of looking. By such means he did not avert his eyes and give the wolves opportunity as they circled and juked. Then, keeping his knife low so as not to alert his attackers, he wound up and waited for the right moment. It came at once! With one smooth quick motion, John put his body into a side-armed throw and hurled his blade from point blank range. It went in to the hilt, just behind the shoulder as the beast jumped to avoid it too late. Mortally wounded, it turned and bolted for shore.
“Your knife,” said John, and no more had Laureal pressed it into his palm, than he drew it from its sheath and lunged for the alpha male. But the beast jumped away in a state of confusion and uncertainty. The strongest of his offspring, the prince of the pack, had just turned tail and run. Leaving a trail of blood, it had attempted to climb the bank only to tumble to the bottom where it lay motionless.
“Come on!” barked the Seeker, his dark eyes like cold steel, his flint blade at the ready.
The alpha turned and ran for the forest with the rest of the pack breaking off the attack and following his lead. Laureal shouted for Yike and Nemo to heel. She did not see Chewy lying motionless in the snow. The attack, which hadn’t lasted but a minute, was over.
Laureal let out a great sigh as John wrapped her up in his arms. Cheek to cheek, their fur hoods long since fallen back, the lovers scarcely felt the wind and cold in the aftermath of their intense exertion.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” breathlessly. “Are you?”
“Yes,” his chest heaving. Then, pulling back just enough, he looked into her eyes.
High as a kite on adrenaline, Laureal broke into a smile.
John followed suit and pulled her close.
At last, opening her eyes to look over John’s shoulder, Laureal saw her little brother down on his knees beside Chewy, the oldest of their three dogs, the one they had grown up with—
“Oh no!”
Crying, the boy looked up as John and Laureal approached, “I wanted to shoot but, I couldn’t get a clear shot.”
Laureal knelt and embraced her brother while John checked for signs of life. Then, sure that Chewy was dead, John spoke with certainty, “Cody, with them tangled up, and the snow thrown up in this wind…there was too much risk. You could have hit one of the dogs, or one of us. Instead, you did the right thing and pulled up.”
“They double-teamed him,” wept the boy.
John put his hand on Cody’s shoulder, “Chewy gave his life so that we could live. And from now on, every time we remember him, we will be better for it because we will be reminded of what true honor is.”
John Summerfield was not old enough for wisdom but had been mentored by old warriors that passed on simple sets of codes. The Seeker ran his hand over his wife’s shoulder as he stood up to acknowledge Emma and the family on the approach. They were keeping close, protecting the children, moving as a unit with spears at the ready. Meanwhile out on the river and well away from danger, Ellie trotted two and fro, throwing her head and snorting.
“How we doing?” asked John.
“We’re okay,” replied Jessie. “What about you?”
“We’re alright,” John replied, “except…we lost Chewy.”
Emma turned to her grandchildren, yet down in the snow with the dead dog. Many times she had watched them as kids, frolicking with the big happy pup. She had only taken a step in their direction when a sudden windblast forced her to the immediate reality and, shielding her face, she turned back to John, “We need to get off this river.”
John nodded in agreement, “I’ll get the horse and meet you at the sled.”
“John.”
“Yes,” turning back.
Emma glanced over to the broken ice, “Is it possible to put Chewy in the river? I don’t want you to take any unnecessary risks, but could you use a tent pole or something to push Chewy across the ice?”
“A tent pole will flex too much,” Mia interjected, fresh from the difficulty they’d experienced while trying to pull the sled backwards, she knew the snow would pile up ahead of the carcass.
“We can lash two tent poles side-by-side," said John. “And we can use the rope as a safety.”
While John went to fetch Ellie, Emma turned to her grandchildren, “Kids, I am so sorry!”
Laureal stood up and hugged her grandmother.
“Chewy, old friend, we’re going to miss you,” said Emma, and feeling her granddaughter shudder, she patted and spoke softly, “Now, now, Chewy had a good long life, and no dog ever died with more honor.”
Still holding Laureal, Emma could not help but notice the dead wolf. She knew time was of the essence. They needed to get off the river. And still, such a beautiful pelt would be recognized by all as a symbol of a hunter’s prowess and, by proxy, a family’s status. Thus for the sake of rebuilding the family, she pulled back to look in Laureal's eyes, “Dear, are you up to taking that wolf's coat?”
“Would you like me to, grandma?” wiping her eyes, her tone uncertain even as she read her grandmother’s look.
“If you're up to it?”
Glancing at the wolf, Laureal turned back to Emma, “I'm up to it.”
“Very well. Work fast but keep your focus. Take Cody with you. Before you begin, drag the carcass away from the shoreline. Bring it over here. From here, Cody can stand guard over us all.”
“Are we going to put the wolf in the river with Chewy?”
The Matriarch nodded in affirmation, “Chewy and the wolf died honorably, fighting for the sake of their own.”
With her grandchildren off to task, Emma joined Jessie and Mia. John came and a conference began among the four; the Seeker with his horse, the savage women with spears in hand, a pair of small children clinging about their legs, seeking shelter in the wind.
“It will be very cold tonight,” Emma said gravely, glancing at the clearing sky. “This wind may not die down until late, if at all. We need a well sheltered campsite, one we can defend.”
“Agreed,” said John. “The likelihood of a second attack will depend on how we fare.”
Searching her memory, the Matriarch spoke her thoughts aloud, “A flat below the south face of an abandoned cut-bank would be ideal but, I can't recall any such place, at least nothing we could reach before nightfall.”
“There would be shelter in the Nith,” Jessie offered, referring to the ruin of Saskatoon which the family had planned to pass that very afternoon.
A Nith, as John understood it, was a ruin and entering one was taboo. In the entire territory of the Kasskatchen people only a handful of ruins survived. There was the ruin of Regina, the ruin of Prince Albert, Saskatoon, and the largest being the ruin of Winnipeg. All were seen as dwellings of a bygone race that had come to no good end. Emma, and folks like her that lived out on the frontier, believed Niths to be haunted by the spirits of the damned. And that being the case; Emma gazed at her daughter in disbelief.
“Have you lost your mind?” recovering from the initial shock.
“I do not see how we have a choice,” Jessie rebutted.
Moving his eyes from one family member to the next, John felt himself once again facing a patch of thin ice albeit of a different nature. Nevertheless, he offered his two cents, “As you all know, I have taken shelter in such places. I have even explored them.”
“You are more fortunate than you know,” stated Emma. “The One who made you, himself having a plan for you, has obviously seen to your protection. We, on the other hand, know of the evil, and therefore, we must not put the Great Spirit to the test.”
“I have taken shelter in a Nith,” Jessie rejoined.
“Certainly you have not!”
“I have…long ago.”
“Where?”
“It was in the summer. Myself and three friends. We snuck out and spent the night on a dare,” referring to the ruin of Prince Albert, located in their northern hunting grounds.
Within her hood, Emma searched her memory and it all came clear. The summer her daughter turned sixteen. A lanky, strong-made boy, just as handsome as they came. All of seventeen, cocky and a real daredevil among youths. Jessie had fallen head-over-heels for him. And for the next two years, they were ever seeking one another’s company.
“Harley,” said Emma, as if she already knew it could be no other.
Jessie made no reply but John saw a distant sadness in her eyes, even as the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly.
Shaking her head, Emma lowered her eyes.
“I know, mother. I could have brought a taint upon our family. A stigma from which we may never have recovered. And for that I am sorry.”
Stung and astounded, “Thank God this has remained a secret.”
“Yes Mother, thank God. But is not that just it? If the One gives us free will found it in his heart to protect a pair of wayward kids, then would he not also protect us? Did he not open a door for us? And since we stepped through it, has he not delivered us, twice now? And in light of that, could it even be an accident that the shelter of the Nith lies so near?”
At that moment, a powerful gust pelted them like a swat to their bottoms, leaving them to exchange potent looks.
“Mommy, I’m cold!” came a little voice.
“We have to move,” John asserted. “Jessie, Mia, if you would return the children to the packsaddle.” Then, turning to Emma, “Please, sort and lay out the rope for me.” And lastly, calling to Cody, “Go to the sled. Get two tent poles and lash them together.”
The river had awakened like a sleeping serpent. Beautiful but deadly, its body writhed with the illusion of spindrift. Under passing clouds, it shifted in and out of shadow while Laureal, down on her knees beside the wolf carcass, huddled with her back to the wind, her hands drawn into her sleeves, that she might gather up her warmth within her caribou armor. Then, seeing John on the approach, she stood to meet him.
“Is this not the most beautiful you’ve ever seen?” holding the wolf pelt for him to see, her expression solemn.
John nodded but spoke no words. Moving quickly, concerned about getting off the river as he should be, he bent to take the carcass away only to pause, whereupon leaving it lay, he rose and embraced his wife.
“I’m going to make you a vest,” said she as they held tight.
John pulled back just enough to look into Laureal’s eyes. He’d come so close to losing her. But there she was, safe in his arms. “I am so glad you’re alive!”
