mate. We just have to keep going.’
‘And I’m hungry,’ Tikaani muttered as they turned back. It had been a long time since they had eaten. Beck thought back and realized it had been well before they reached the glacier. They’d had enough on their minds since then to keep their thoughts off hunger. But now . . .
All their gathered food was gone. Beck had been counting on getting through the pass and finding more food on the other side before hunger set in.
They could be in for a hungry night.
Tikaani paused and fingered the rock face. ‘How about this?’ he asked. Grey-green lichen sprouted out of the cracks in the rock. Tikaani pressed one of the spongy clusters with his finger. It shrank under the pressure, then sprang back again like rubber. ‘I mean,’ he added, ‘you eat most stuff.’
‘No good,’ Beck told him with a shake of his head. ‘It’s too acidic for humans. If you wanted to eat it, you’d have to process it somehow to neutralize the acid.’
Tikaani pulled a face. ‘And those rocks are starting to look mighty tasty too . . . So where did the wolf go?’
‘Maybe he just dropped dead of hunger,’ Beck muttered.
‘Uh-oh . . .’ Tikaani had found the paw prints again and was following them with his eyes. He crouched down. Then he crouched down a little further, his face almost pressed against the ground. ‘Uh, Beck . . .’
Beck was by his side in a moment and they saw what had happened. There was another crack in the rock face here. Rather, there had been, once. There wasn’t now because at some time – maybe a thousand years ago, maybe yesterday – a boulder had fallen down and blocked it off. The only way through was under the boulder – through that tiny, snow-clogged space that Tikaani had just discovered.
Or, he thought, you could go over the top.
‘Wait here,’ Beck said. He pulled off his snowshoes and scrambled up the side of the rock. It was steep and he had to be careful, always making sure he had three secure anchors – feet or hands – before moving the fourth. But it wasn’t that high, and in just a few moments he was standing on top of the boulder, gazing west. Then he called down to Tikaani.
‘Come on up and admire the view!’
Tikaani joined him a minute later and they gazed out onto the pass.
Beck’s guess had been right. The narrow cleft opened out into a wider path and, beyond that, a whole valley that continued up into the mountains.
‘
Woo-hoo!
’ Tikaani hooted with joy, and immediately bit his lip. ‘Sorry,’ he added, more quietly, crestfallen. ‘I know, avalanches. But, woo-hoo, anyway.’
‘Woo-hoo,’ Beck agreed, grinning broadly. ‘Get your snowshoes and let’s go.’
CHAPTER 27
‘We Anak aren’t known for our mountaineering skills,’ Tikaani mused as they walked. ‘I’m starting to see why . . .’
Beyond the narrow gully, the pass was wide. There was no sign of the wolf marks. Beck reckoned the wolf had passed this way a long time ago – long enough for snow to have buried the signs of its passing. The pawprints had survived on the other side of the boulder because it was sheltered there. Here the valley floor was thickly coated with snow, just like the mountainside behind them. It curved very smoothly in a deep U-bend from one side to the other; at the edges it turned sharply towards the sky, shedding the snow and revealing the sharp black rock beneath. Beck reckoned it would be easy to negotiate; it shouldn’t present any major obstacles. On the other hand:
‘That’s why we rarely climb. There’s absolutely nothing to eat.’ Tikaani had put his finger on the problem. ‘And so we stay down on the plains or by the sea.’
The valley was scoured by freezing, dry winds. Tikaani was right – there was little chance of finding anything to eat here.
‘It makes sense,’ Beck pointed out. ‘You have to stay alive.’
‘I know.’ Tikaani sighed. ‘I know. If you’re going to live on the Arctic Circle, then
‘And I’m hungry,’ Tikaani muttered as they turned back. It had been a long time since they had eaten. Beck thought back and realized it had been well before they reached the glacier. They’d had enough on their minds since then to keep their thoughts off hunger. But now . . .
All their gathered food was gone. Beck had been counting on getting through the pass and finding more food on the other side before hunger set in.
They could be in for a hungry night.
Tikaani paused and fingered the rock face. ‘How about this?’ he asked. Grey-green lichen sprouted out of the cracks in the rock. Tikaani pressed one of the spongy clusters with his finger. It shrank under the pressure, then sprang back again like rubber. ‘I mean,’ he added, ‘you eat most stuff.’
‘No good,’ Beck told him with a shake of his head. ‘It’s too acidic for humans. If you wanted to eat it, you’d have to process it somehow to neutralize the acid.’
Tikaani pulled a face. ‘And those rocks are starting to look mighty tasty too . . . So where did the wolf go?’
‘Maybe he just dropped dead of hunger,’ Beck muttered.
‘Uh-oh . . .’ Tikaani had found the paw prints again and was following them with his eyes. He crouched down. Then he crouched down a little further, his face almost pressed against the ground. ‘Uh, Beck . . .’
Beck was by his side in a moment and they saw what had happened. There was another crack in the rock face here. Rather, there had been, once. There wasn’t now because at some time – maybe a thousand years ago, maybe yesterday – a boulder had fallen down and blocked it off. The only way through was under the boulder – through that tiny, snow-clogged space that Tikaani had just discovered.
Or, he thought, you could go over the top.
‘Wait here,’ Beck said. He pulled off his snowshoes and scrambled up the side of the rock. It was steep and he had to be careful, always making sure he had three secure anchors – feet or hands – before moving the fourth. But it wasn’t that high, and in just a few moments he was standing on top of the boulder, gazing west. Then he called down to Tikaani.
‘Come on up and admire the view!’
Tikaani joined him a minute later and they gazed out onto the pass.
Beck’s guess had been right. The narrow cleft opened out into a wider path and, beyond that, a whole valley that continued up into the mountains.
‘
Woo-hoo!
’ Tikaani hooted with joy, and immediately bit his lip. ‘Sorry,’ he added, more quietly, crestfallen. ‘I know, avalanches. But, woo-hoo, anyway.’
‘Woo-hoo,’ Beck agreed, grinning broadly. ‘Get your snowshoes and let’s go.’
CHAPTER 27
‘We Anak aren’t known for our mountaineering skills,’ Tikaani mused as they walked. ‘I’m starting to see why . . .’
Beyond the narrow gully, the pass was wide. There was no sign of the wolf marks. Beck reckoned the wolf had passed this way a long time ago – long enough for snow to have buried the signs of its passing. The pawprints had survived on the other side of the boulder because it was sheltered there. Here the valley floor was thickly coated with snow, just like the mountainside behind them. It curved very smoothly in a deep U-bend from one side to the other; at the edges it turned sharply towards the sky, shedding the snow and revealing the sharp black rock beneath. Beck reckoned it would be easy to negotiate; it shouldn’t present any major obstacles. On the other hand:
‘That’s why we rarely climb. There’s absolutely nothing to eat.’ Tikaani had put his finger on the problem. ‘And so we stay down on the plains or by the sea.’
The valley was scoured by freezing, dry winds. Tikaani was right – there was little chance of finding anything to eat here.
‘It makes sense,’ Beck pointed out. ‘You have to stay alive.’
‘I know.’ Tikaani sighed. ‘I know. If you’re going to live on the Arctic Circle, then
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