The Victorian Wolf Effect (Book III)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - Treacherous Winter

Timber and Henry continued to hike heading northeast to the best of their ability. They were going through the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada mountains and fairly light snow cover. The climb was not too steep yet but it was slowly getting worse. They had very loudly discussed going around but their map had been ruined in a mudslide and the only map they had left were their minds and the compass. So they decided to climb to the top to get a better understanding of their surroundings.

It was a fairly simple trek through the foothills for the first few days. The ground had only a thin layer of snow so that their tracks exposed the grass beneath. The slope was gentle and gradual. It did not take much more effort to climb than it did on flat ground but the higher they climbed, the steeper the ground became. At night, Timber used the stars to guide them. During the day, they used the sun but the clouds were slowly moving in thicker and blocking the sky in larger intervals.

Without warning, the snow melted and it was gone for three days. Timber and Henry were baffled but they kept walking and climbing, going in a zig zag pattern to find the easiest path up for Midnight and the sled. It was so oddly warm that Henry didn't use the bear hide to sleep under at night for those few days. They had rationed their food to half a can each per day of the goods they had purchased in Fort Bragg and Weaverville and they were starting to run low. Hunting was difficult too as food was scarce in that part of the mountains. At least there was nothing within Timber's range of smell.

Then Timber woke up one morning unexpectedly covered in snow. She woke up Henry immediately. He was ice cold. They did not travel that day. Henry had been exposed to the cold for too long and he needed to warm up. Timber made a large fire and a thin mushroom soup out of some of the fungus she had been collecting and a squirrel she caught the night before. She put in the last handful of rice they had.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, Timber," said Henry that night. "I am getting a little put off of squirrels and mushrooms. Are there any more berries or nuts?"

"I know. I see the look on your face when dinner time rolls around. Hunting hasn't been very good and we're out of just about everything else. We have a couple dozen nuts and things left but we need to save that for when we have nothing. When something else comes up, I'll kill it or pick it but for now, this is what there is. I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, I don't care too much for mushrooms."

"Really? But I've never heard you turn them down."

"If they're on my plate or in the sauce, I'll eat them. If I had my way, I'd avoid them. I don't hate them, but I don't much care for them either."

"I don't know why but that makes me feel better. So, which way now?"

The sky had been hidden by clouds for days with no break in sight so she couldn't see the stars. She looked at the compass. She pointed in the direction it showed Northeast to be. So Henry built up the big fire more before they went to sleep that night. They covered themselves tightly with the bear hide and dozed off, savoring the warmth of the fire and picturing their swift arrival to Haven.

They traveled again all the next day, through the deepening snow. The day after, Midnight gave out and went down. Timber and Henry made up their minds quickly. For the rest of the journey, Timber would be in her wolf form. She would carry some of the load on her back, Henry would carry the rest on his. Timber and Henry would also be attached to each other by a rope. So Henry broke the horse's neck and it died instantly. Then they set to the heartbreaking task of collecting their belongings and abandoning the poor beast where it had fallen along with the sled. They could not bring themselves to take the meat no matter how much they needed it.

For four days, Timber and Henry climbed and traveled through snow that was getting so deep, that it was hard to walk. Timber walked in front, plowing through the compacted snow with her broad chest. Henry walked behind, careful to stay on the path Timber was making and not let go of the rope. They stopped only to eat what little they had and to sleep. They were both cold but their drive kept them going.