JOURNEY TO THE MIDNIGHT SUN
James Sheldon
LOVE CONQUERS ALL
Book 1 of 3
Chapter 24
Built in days past when the clan was at its zenith, the family's summer home showcased an immense hearth of red granite in which a large fire presently blazed.
At nineteen, Laureal had never known the clan’s heyday and still the comfort and familiarity of her childhood summer home saw her wrapped in warm furs, cozy and relaxed, having washed her hair only minutes before. On the long table before her, a steaming bowl of cereal contained stone ground wild wheat, a legacy of 21st century farming for which Canada and Saskatchewan in particular had won world renown. The red wheat genome, bred to survive cold climates and fully capable of reproducing itself, had gradually moved north with the warming climate to find its niche in forest glades and especially in openings along the rivers and streams.
Presently, John looked on as Laureal added a copious helping of honey to her bowl like it was nothing. Honey was abundant due in large part to a 21st century project in which researchers at the University of Saskatchewan collected honey bees from around the world in an attempt to cross breed and create a super bee. They succeeded and Saskatchewan became famous as a honey producing region. The Saskatchewan bees were long-legged, robust, disease resistant, cold weather bees that, while docile, worked hard and produced large amounts of honey. A thousand years later and an abundance of woodland bee colonies, combined with the fact that honey, like wheat, can keep for decades and even centuries when stored correctly was one more resource in thousands enjoyed by the Emerson clan.
Having dowsed her cereal with honey, Laureal lifted her eyes only to see John’s looking on in amusement. She straightened her back, squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes with an air of superiority as if to say that in that place she was the princess of the wood and she could have all the honey she wanted.
Cody looked up from his cereal, “It’s crazy how Yike and Nemo have fallen out lately.”
John only chuckled, for it seemed one amusement followed another.
“Mommy?” Sophie whispered, casting a sideways glance at the Seeker, “Why do men laugh at sad things?”
“Because they’re men,” Laureal interjected, turning to John with a scowl, “It’s not funny.”
“Oh yes it is,” John rebutted with a knowing grin. “And I’ll tell you why. It’s the same old story from the beginning of time and everyone knows it; two fellows become best buddies, and then, along comes a little lady and—pow!”
“Little?” Cody cried through a mouthful of food, “she’s bigger than both of them put together!”
“Can little doggies marry big doggies?” Noah asked.
“Where there’s a will there’s a way,” Mia murmured, hiding her eyes in her cereal.
Thus began a breakfast banter among the youth, more in fun than not until, at last, Emma put an end to it, “Laureal,” the Matriarch said sternly, her eyes fixed on the girl.
“Yes Grandmother,” suddenly fearful.
“Did you feed that wolf this morning?”
Laureal’s eyes went directly to Cody.
“What are you looking at me for?” Cody cried.
“Laureal,” Emma pressed, “I asked you a question.”
“I only tossed her a little scrap, Grandmother. I…I wanted to get a better look at her.”
It was only a white lie, a half-truth, but nonetheless, like all lies, having a potential for tragic results. Truth was, Laureal had been tossing scraps to the she wolf for the past three days. Innocently enough, it had begun with youthful curiosity. Laureal, and to a lesser degree John and Cody, all wanted to know about Yike’s ladyfriend. It was common knowledge that wolves mate for life, and young female wolves were often driven out of their families to find a mate and start families of their own.
“Laureal,” said Emma, “what has gotten into you?”
“I’m sorry, Grandma.”
“I told Laureal not to feed it!” Cody burst out, casting a condemning glance at his sister. Then turning to the Seeker, “John and I both did.”
John grimaced. And Cody realized his betrayal too late.
Emma looked from one youth to the next, and when she spoke, her tone set her edict, that all may know she was fixing to lay down the law, “I was hoping that wolf would go away on its own, but obviously that’s not going to happen now.”
Emma then addressed the Seeker specifically, “John, when you have finished your breakfast, take your rifle, and take Cody with you. You know what to do.”
“Grandma,” Laureal cried out, “I—”
“We have two small children here!” Emma expounded, cutting Laureal off. “Do I need to remind you what that beast will do the first chance it gets?”
“Grandma, she—”
“She’s a wolf!” Emma exclaimed. “And that’s an end to it!”
In the absence of words, looks went around the table, of which many pages could be written.
“Laureal,” Emma finally said, her tone yet firm, “you owe your cousin an apology.”
Laureal turned to Mia, “I apologize, Mia. I didn’t mean any harm.”
Her lips pursed tight, Mia gazed at her cousin. “What were you thinking?”
“I honestly don’t think she’s a threat to us.”
“Laureal,” Jessie questioned in disbelief, “did you not hear your grandmother?”
“She’s more afraid of us than we are of her, mom.” And quickly she added, “She never allowed me more than a stone’s toss. She never bared her teeth, or even growled. You can ask John, he saw, and Cody did too. And Mom, now that our dog has surely gotten her pregnant, I cannot see what honor there is in us abandoning her.”
“Oh for heaven’s sake!” cried Emma, putting her tea down. “I will not entertain any more of this nonsense. Not, another, word!”
The fire crackled in the great hearth while, seated at the long table, all seemed to withdraw within themselves, eating their breakfast as if it had become an unrelished chore.
“John,” Emma said at last, “you know what you must do.”
John drew a heavy breath, “Laureal, I’m going to need your help.”
“Why?”
“You know why,” John replied, visibly sorry that he had to ask.
“That wolf trusts you,” Cody chimed. “It won’t show itself for John or I.”
“I’d hardly call it trust,” Laureal rebutted, and turning to John, “You don’t need me.”
“She won’t show herself to me.”
Tortured, Laureal looked from one family member to the next.
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t suffer,” John added.
“Let’s get this over with,” said Cody, standing up.
“Mom,” Laureal pleaded, looking to her mother as a last hope.
“I’m sorry dear, but your grandmother is right. That beast is a danger to the children. And because this is your doing, it is your duty to do your part in its undoing.”
Not a word passed between the three youths as they donned their furs there beside the heavy double doors of the great longhouse. John spoke lowly as he opened the door for his wife, “Laureal, I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” stepping over the threshold, her voice so low as to be nearly inaudible.
John, Laureal, and Cody went down the steps, passed between several huts, then on the edge of the compound where they passed several more huts that stood long abandoned. Turning south, they walked along the edge of a stream that supplied the family with water among other things. There they began to call for Yike, whereupon the big dog came bounding up the trail.
Having caught Yike, Laureal turned to her brother, “Take him back.”
“No, I'm coming with you.”
“No you are not!” upset, but nonetheless gathering herself. “This is something John and I must do alone.”
“Laureal’s right,” John affirmed. And taking a contrite air, “Cody, somehow your sister’s made a connection with that wolf, and…this is not going to be easy.”
Halfway between a disappointed sigh and a frustrated huff, Cody turned and trudged back towards the longhouse, pulling Yike along with him.
Looking to Laureal, John nodded to the trail on which Yike had come, that she might take the lead and do as she must. He followed some paces behind. The sound of snow crushing beneath their boots, a cadence of muffled squeaks like so many wet rags being wrung into knots, broke the quiet of the wood. By such means they continued to the edge of a small meadow.
Laureal turned to John, the morning light entering her hood illuminated an expression of grim acceptance. Then turning away, she called across the meadow, “Weya,” her voice soft and sad, yet tight with self-control, that she may keep from faltering, “Weya. Weya.”
No more than a few minutes had passed when from the trees across the way, the she wolf appeared obviously hoping for another scrap, that she might stave off the cold. And although humbled by hunger, it just so happened that this particular wolf had been none other than the princess of the pack. And when her brother the prince died in battle, she lost her powerful ally and was subsequently driven out at the behest of her own mother the wolf queen who saw her beautiful daughter as a rival. A traumatic turn of events even for an animal. Presently, she bore a healthy dose of apprehension and yet, sensing Laureal’s sadness, unable to understand the reason behind it, she cocked her head.
Slowly and smoothly, John stepped to the side that he might shoot well clear of Laureal, “Don’t move,” he whispered, lifting his rifle to take aim at the canine. The wolf, which Laureal had named, Waya, possessed such rare beauty as to be the very icon of nature’s untamable majesty. With her bloodline flowing straight from the heart of the Mackenzie Valley, she measured exceptionally large even for a timber wolf. Her coat, being that of cream, not only gave her contrast against the fresh fallen snow but added warmth to her natural luster. Her green eyes were softly beautiful and yet keenly aware. On her back and shoulders, she wore a faint mantle of gold which came over her head like a hood.
While Weya sniffed the air with hope, John sighted his rifle square in the middle of her chest. He moved his finger to the trigger and drew a deep breath, then exhaled half of it so that he might be as steady as possible while squeezing the trigger.
Laureal went numb awaiting the irreversible outcome.
Then came the sound of the rifle, “Click.”
“Oh! This damn thing!”
Laureal turned to her husband, her young face slowly filling with hope, “John…it’s a sign!”
Pushing his hood back, the horseman’s frustration shifted first to confusion, then to contemplation. He glanced from his wife to the wolf and back again. Then at last, letting out a cathartic exhale, he shouldered his weapon, “Let’s go home.”
“John,” searching his eyes, “what are you thinking?”
“Let’s go home and I’ll tell you.”
Laureal listened as they walked and when John had finished she told him what she thought, “It’s a wonderful plan but, just so you know, grandma's probably already considered it and it’s doubtful she will reconsider unless she believes it to be the will of the Great Spirit.”
“Well then, let’s hope it’s his will.”
They walked on until Laureal paused and, turning to John said, “Mr. Summerfield.”
“Yes, Mrs. Summerfield.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“John.”
“What?”
“It is important to have the Great Spirit’s favor. And that’s why it’s important that you stop your cursing.”
Laughing to himself while shaking his head, John turned to the path ahead. Following along behind, Laureal did not press the issue.
Meanwhile in the longhouse, Emma and Jessie worked at table organizing and packing food supplies for the next leg of their journey. Nothing was held back, everything had been put on the table for a well-planned roll of the dice.
Coming in, John and Laureal hung their furs by the door, then proceeded to the long table where John wasted no time getting down to business, “I didn’t shoot her.”
Stopping her work, Emma turned to John, “Why not?”
“We were given a sign,” Laureal interjected.
Emma and Jessie exchanged no small looks of suspicion.
Fearing they might not believe him, John stated only what he thought truly necessary, “My rifle jammed at the critical moment, and while Laureal believes it a sign...you know I’m of a more skeptical nature. Still, we all know that I carefully disassembled, cleaned, oiled, reassembled and tested my rifle after our arrival here the day before yesterday.”
Pausing, John drew a deep breath before proceeding, “With your permission, I would like to make a proposal. Perhaps it is something you have already considered, in which case it is my hope that you will reconsider.”
Each in their own thoughts, all stood looking at John, not only Emma and Jessie, but Mia and Cody had also stopped their work to look on.
At last Emma broke the silence, “Well, let’s hear it.”
“If we may all have a seat?” John suggested. “This won’t take long. And then, if you still think we should dispatch the wolf, I will do so.”
The Matriarch agreed and with everyone seated, John began, “If allowed to live, that wolf will have pups. And judging from her build and Yike’s build, and also taking into consideration the tremendous endurance that wolves possess, and also, Yike’s good nature around humans, and well, I have to believe that a litter of hybrids from these two animals would make a team of sled dogs as good as could be found.”
Seeing that he had gotten their attention, John took heart. But before we proceed, this is a place to note that crossing dogs with wolves might be seen as a perversion by some while others might argue it is only another experiment in man’s long history of experiments, good and bad. No case for either is being made here. Instead, what can be told is this. Nature did not give our hero the luxury of such arguments. Rather, nature forced his hand as a member of a semi nomadic hunter-gatherer group whose survival depended in no small part on their ability to find advantage in the challenges nature placed before them.
“Given the wolf’s great size,” Summerfield continued, “and given Yike’s smaller size; she could have a litter large enough to make a full sled team. And given our plan to increase our numbers, I have to think a sled team would be of great value to the family. Now, I admit I have no experience in this, but I know of an account in which wolf pups were taken by softhearted humans in order to save them from extraneous conditions. And although the mother visited her pups when the humans were not around, she did not carry them off but had the intelligence, or love perhaps, to let them remain where they were safe and well cared for. And if that could be our case, well then the children could raise the pups from early on with our careful oversight. This would bond the dogs to the family. Better yet, it would be an opportunity for the children to learn skills and responsibilities that would serve them throughout their lives. And lastly, I have to believe a sled team would not only be of great value to the family but would impress a large measure of respect on anyone that saw us coming.”
John was right about status. Arriving at a rendezvous with a team of sled dogs in 31st century Saskatchewan was perhaps as impressive as arriving at a grand ball in Victorian England with a carriage and six. On the other hand, perhaps young Summerfield’s role could be compared to that of a 21st century grandson-in-law who, best intentions aside, tries to convince grandma that borrowing money for a new Cadillac is part of God’s plan for the family.
Emma could not help but come off knowingly, “John, I have already taken into account everything you have said.”
John countered with the obvious question, “May I ask what swayed your decision?”
“Aside from the danger of the wolf attacking the children, her pups would be half wolf. But suppose we overcame that with careful rearing. We would then have the expense of feeding not two, but eight, nine, or ten very large dogs. They would eat us out of house and home. And what about the time it would take to train them? Being half wolf, they would require great care in their upbringing, that they may become trustworthy as adults. John, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate your good intentions. We both want the same thing. And God willing, we will rebuild our family. But we cannot justify this, not at this point in time…we just are not that far along yet.”
Thinking on his feet, John offered an alternative, “We could trade the pups at the rendezvous. Surely they would make good barter as sled dogs, or guard dogs. The family could increase its fortune that way.”
Looking at John, Emma was reminded of her own late husband for whom distance had made the heart grow fond. It wasn’t that John and Engle were two peas in a pod but rather that John, like Engle, had proven to be a horse to bet on. And there was her granddaughter, sitting beside him with great hope in her eyes. And looking at them both, she could not help reminiscing over a past age and what a good team she and Engle had made. And in that same moment, she knew that if ever there was hope for the family to regain what it had lost, it was looking her in the eyes. And that, in and of itself, was a sign.
At last, Emma turned to her late nephew’s widow, “Mia, what do you think?”
“I have serious concerns,” and casting her eyes to the twins, she visibly appeared to drift. She seemed not to hear when Emma said, “Take your time, dear.”
“They have lost so much,” returning her attention to the Matriarch. “Perhaps a litter of pups would be good medicine, something to help us fill the void.”
“If we traded the pups away,” Laureal softly interjected, “we could keep the most gentle one for the children’s sake. I have memories of Chewy that I wouldn’t trade away for anything.” And looking to her brother, “I know Cody does too.”
“I suppose,” Jessie began, “a litter of pups might serve as a medium for the children, to help them transition from old family to new.” And lifting her eyebrows, “Perhaps, a medium for us all.”
“Cody, what say you?” John asked.
“I see no reason not to have as many dogs and horses as we can.”
“Are you willing to do the extra work required to supply the meat to feed the dogs?” asked Emma, looking from John to Cody, Laureal to Mia. “Are you willing to take on the responsibility of their care and training, and oversee the twins in their learning?”
Seeing all were in agreement, Emma looked to Jessie, and seeing her lips turn up as she gave a little nod, Emma lastly turned to the children, “Noah, Sophie, would you like to have some puppies?”
“Oh yes Emmy, please!”
“Puppies!”
“All right then,” said Emma, “as we all agree to do our part, and to spare no diligence in keeping the children safe at all times, the matter is settled…puppies it is.”
