Winter in Eden

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Like all Paramutan occasions, their arrival involved much shouting, laughing and eating. Willing hands pulled their ikkergak up onto the beach beside the others giggling and getting in each other’s way as they hurried to unload it, helping themselves to the remains of the food as they did so. It was quickly eaten, deliciously rotten after all the days at sea therefore greatly admired. Armun stayed to help the women, but Kerrick was eager to see this new land and knew that he could be of no help in erecting Kalaleq’s paukarut. He took up his bow and spear and walked between the other paukaruts toward the wooded hills beyond. It felt good to be on solid ground again after the endless days in the ikkergak, although the earth seemed to move beneath his feet at times. When he came to the trees he smelled deep of their leafy fragrance. This was a good land.

But the cold winters had reached here as well. Although it was midsummer there was still snow lying in the deep gulleys. Birds called from the trees but there did not seem to be any bigger animals in the forest. Perhaps a better hunter would have seen signs, but he found nothing. He also tired quickly because, after the many days at sea, his legs were unused to this steady walking. Despite this he felt real pleasure to be on firm land and went on, ignoring the fatigue. He sniffed the air. Forest mold, grass — and a faint smell of carrion carried on the wind. Along with a faint crackling sound.

Kerrick stopped, motionless, then bent slowly and placed his spear on the ground. Only when he had nocked an arrow into his bow did he retrieve the spear then walk silently forward, one weapon in each hand. The crackling grew louder and he saw something moving in the clearing ahead. Slowly, staying in the shadows, he moved toward it until he stopped suddenly, astonished.

The dead animal appeared to be a deer, now torn open and bloodied. But the creature eating it was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was tall, thin, bent over with its head buried in the corpse. Then it straightened up, pulling out a length of flesh. A bloodied head and beak, staring eyes, a murgu of some kind. No — it was a bird! Taller than he was, legs thicker than his, tiny wings. He must have stirred because the thing saw him, dropped the gobbet of meat and emitted a hoarse cry and flapped its wings. He dropped his spear and raised the bow, drew the string taut and released the arrow.

And missed completely. The bird stood its ground, still screeching, when he seized up his spear again and backed slowly away from it into the shelter of the trees. Time enough another day to find and kill one of the creatures. Once it was out of sight he turned and made his way back through the forest to the shore.

Their paukarut had been erected and Kalaleq was sitting on the ground before it in the sun, a Yilanè chart spread out on his lap. He smiled when Kerrick appeared and shook the chart in his direction.

“Something here and soon I will understand it. Already I know a lot. Do you see all the green, like scales — do you know what that is? That is the ocean. Soon I will understand.”

Armun emerged from the tent when she heard them talking. And he told her about the forest and his encounter with the great bird.

“This is a new land so we must expect new things,” she said with firm practicality. “I must go as well and see for myself. There will be plants and bushes that you know nothing about. There is always food to be found in the forest if you know where to look.”

“Dangers as well. Do not go out alone. We must go together.”

Her expression changed when he said this and she took Kerrick by the arm, as though her grasp would hold him there. “They were just waiting for our ikkergak to arrive before they start north on the ularuaq hunt. Just the males, even the grown boys don’t go. It is the most important thing that they do.”

He saw her grim face, the fear in her eyes. “What is wrong?”

“They want you to go with them.”

“I don’t have to.”

“They are sure that you will be pleased by their asking you. It is a great honor and they expect you to accept. But I don’t want you to leave me.”

He understood her feelings: they had been parted too long before this. He tried to reassure her — and himself at the same time. “It won’t take much time — it will be just like going on a hunt. You will see.”

After the recent voyage Kerrick had no desire at all to put to sea again. Yet there was no way he could avoid going. The boys looked at him enviously while the women patted him when he passed for it was considered the best of luck to touch someone who was going on their first ularuaq hunt. The rest of the day was spent preparing the ikkergaks — most of the night in feasting off the old meat knowing they would be bringing a fresh supply when they returned.

They left in the morning and Armun stayed inside the paukarut, could not bear to see him go away from her again, emerging only when the little fleet was just a blur on the horizon.

They sailed due north and Kalaleq was quick to tell Kerrick the reason why, indulging himself in the Paramutan love of talking.

“Ice, we sail to the ice, that is where ularuaq are.”

Kerrick had difficulty in understanding just why the creatures stayed to the north, near the ice, because Kalaleq used words that he had never heard before. He would just have to wait until they reached the ice in order to find out for himself.

They were many days at sea before the white line of ice was seen in the distance. There was much shouting and excitement as they drew close and the frozen wall rose above them. The waves surged and broke against it and in the troughs between the waves dark masses could be made out hanging from the ice.

“Qunguleq,” Kalaleq said and rubbed his stomach. “The ularuaq come here, eat it. We come and eat them. What fun!”

As they turned and followed the ice Kerrick could see that the qunguleq was green seaweed of some kind, immense lengths of it attached to the ice and trailing out into the sea. He had never seen anything like it before. With this thought came some understanding. The ularuaq had come here to eat the qunguleq — and the Paramutan had followed. He looked forward with some excitement to seeing what sort of creatures grazed these frigid northern meadows.

Despite himself, Kerrick was caught up in the excitement of the hunt. The ikkergaks turned west and sailed along the wall of ice. When they reached the first of the icebergs that had broken free they spread out in a line to search around the bergs and in the channels between them. But never alone. This was a group effort and some of the other ikkergaks were always in sight. Kalaleq’s ikkergak was near the middle of the line. The ikkergaks to the right and left easy enough to see — but the others were out of sight in the distance or searching other channels.

Since this was Kalaleq’s ikkergak he had the honor of riding in the bow and throwing the spear. This had a long wooden shaft and a carved bone point with many back-facing barbs that would catch in the flesh to keep it from pulling free. Kalaleq sat and greased a long length of line with blubber, coiling it into a smooth pile beside him. Everyone else kept watch for their prey.

They sailed north for five days in this manner, searching all day and heaving to at night. Each dawn they were under way as soon as it was light enough to see, spreading out in their hunting formation. On the sixth day Kerrick was just hauling in a fishing line when there was a great shout of joy from one of the lookouts.

“The signal, there, look!”

Someone in the ikkergak to their left was waving a dark shape over his head. Kalaleq picked up a skin and passed the signal on down the line as they heeled over to follow the other turning ikkergak. The herd had been seen: the hunt was on.

The first ikkergaks tacked while they waited for the others to catch up — then all of them moved west together.

“There they are,” Kalaleq shouted. “How beautiful — I have never seen anything that beautiful!”

To Kerrick they were just dark lumps against the ice — but they were food and shelter, life itself to the Paramutan. Their entire existence depended on the ularuaq, and to find them again they had crossed the ocean, from continent to continent. Now was the time when they must succeed.

Closer they came and closer, until Kerrick could see the great dark backs of the beasts as they moved along the wall of ice. They had blunt heads and what looked like thick lips. With them they seized the qunguleq and tore great streamers free. They reminded him of uruketo, they were as large, only they lacked the high dorsal fin. Every now and again one of them would surge high out of the water and crash back with a tremendous splash. The ikkergaks drew closer and angled toward the far side of the pack and began to separate. Kalaleq nodded in appreciation of the maneuver.

“Get in front, let them see, make them come back toward us.” He pointed at the other ikkergak which, like them, had dropped its sail and was rocking motionless in the waves.

The others hurried away, letting out their sails fully to reach the pack as quickly as they could, angling for position. The great creatures grazed steadily, seemingly indifferent to the ikkergaks that grew ever closer. Their own craft rocked back and forth on the waves, the sail flapping loosely. The tension grew and Kalaleq shook the spear and bounced back and forth from one foot to the other.

“They are coming!” someone shouted.

Everything seemed to happen at once after that — and Kerrick jumped back out of the way. The sail was run up and lashed tight while the steerman — facing the bow for the first time — headed toward the approaching pack which had taken fright and was now fleeing from the other ikkergaks. Kalaleq stood ready in the bow, solid and unmoving and apparently ignoring all the shouted advice. The dark forms of the ularuaq plunged toward them.

“Now!” Kalaleq shouted. “Go about!”

In a single frenzied spasm of effort the steerman pushed hard on his oar while the others hauled on the lines that swung the sail to the other side of the mast. It flapped and cracked — then filled again. Moments later they were moving again on the opposite tack. Away from the ularuaq, angling across before them.

The reason for the maneuver was soon obvious. The ikkergak was no match for the rushing pack, could never have caught up with them. But as the giant sea creatures overtook them their relative speed was slowed and Kalaleq could select his victim. He did this calmly, signing to the steerman with his hands which direction he wanted to go, ignoring all the advice about size and suitability from the rest of the crew.

They were in amongst them now, sleek wet forms moving by on both sides.

“Now!” Kalaleq cried — and stabbed his spear into a bladder that hung by a thong over the bow of the ikkergak, just beside him. The spearpoint came out black and dripping and a repulsive odor washed back from the burst bladder. The ikkergak rocked as it bumped the back of the ularuaq.

Kalaleq plunged the spear down with all of his strength, deep into the creature’s hide, then jumped away as the coil of line attached to it began to run quickly over the side. The stench from the punctured bladder was unbelievable and Kerrick lurched to the side and threw up. Through his tears he saw Kalaleq cutting the thong — the bladder dropped into the sea and was swept away.

With this done, Kalaleq kicked overboard the inflated skin just as the last of the line paid out. The skin bubbled away through the water, secured to the line, and the ikkergak turned and followed it.

Kalaleq climbed the mast again and shouted down instructions. If they lost sight of the inflated skin the whole operation would fail.

The steerman glanced at Kerrick and laughed. “Strong poison, good and strong. Make you bring up all your food, just smelling it. Even a ularuaq cannot live long with that poison in it, you’ll see.”

He was right; soon after this they came up to the inflated skin, bobbing on the waves. Below it the immense, still form of the ularuaq could just be made out. The rest of the school were gone, but the other ikkergaks were coming toward them.

“Good stab, wasn’t it?” Kalaleq said, dropping down from the mast and looking fondly at his catch. “Did you ever see a thrust so good?”

“Never,” Kerrick told him. Modesty was not a Paramutan trait.

“It will float up soon, then sink, but you will see what we do then before we lose it.”

By the time the ularuaq’s back was at the surface, the waves surging over it, the rest of the ikkergaks were arriving at the scene. Kerrick was astonished when one Paramutan after another stripped off his furs and dived into the icy water. They had bone hooks, like greatly enlarged fishhooks, tied to the ends of leather lines that they carried between their teeth as they dived down next to the ularuaq. One by one they surfaced and were hauled into the ikkergaks, their fur running with water. They shivered and shouted how brave they were as they dried themselves and redressed.

No one paid any attention to them because they were all busy hauling on the lines. Kerrick could help with this since it required no skill — just strength. The point of this exercise became clear when the ularuaq’s corpse stirred in the water, then rolled slowly over. The hooks had been sunk into the creature’s flippers. Now it floated in the sea with its lighter-colored underside facing upward.

Some of the lattice-work flooring had been lifted and a coiled mass taken out of the bilge. This proved to be a length of some creature’s intestine preserved in a thick coating of blubber. A shaft of bone with a sharp tip was fixed to its end.

After stripping off his furs, Kalaleq put the bone into his mouth and dropped over the side. Half swimming, half crawling, he worked his way along the ularuaq’s body, the tubular length of gut trailing behind him. Kneeling, he was prodding the resilient skin with his fingers, hitting it with his fists. He moved along to another spot, repeated these actions — then waved at them before taking the sharpened bone from his mouth. Raising it above his head with both hands he stabbed down with all his strength to drive it through the creature’s tough skin. Then he twisted it and worked it down into the flesh until it was out of sight.

“Try it now,” he called out, stood shivering beside it with his arms wrapped about his body.

At first Kerrick thought that the two Paramutan were pumping water from the ikkergak. Then he saw that this large pump was attached to the end of the length of gut and was pumping air — not water. The tube writhed and straightened as they worked. Kalaleq watched the operation until he was satisfied with the results, then slipped back into the water and returned to the ikkergak.

He laughed aloud as he dried himself and redressed, then tried to talk but his teeth chattered too much.

“Let me, warm me up,” he said to one of them who was frenziedly working the pump. The other Paramutan was gasping and exhausted and more than happy to hand over. “Now we… fill with… air. Make it float,” Kalaleq said.

Kerrick took over from the other Paramutan — pumped in the same frenzied manner as the others, and soon passed the handle on to the next volunteer.

Bit by bit they could see their efforts rewarded as the great body rose higher in the water. As soon as this happened the lines, still hooked into the flippers, were passed to the other ikkergaks and secured into position. Their sails were set and they got under way, slowly pulling the great sea creature after them.

“Food,” Kalaleq said happily. “This will be a good winter and we will eat very well.”