I’ve never been outside Britain before. This morning, I didn’t think I ever would. And suddenly, I’m inCanada.
It’s pretty. Thick layers of snow cover the trees around us. We’re in a gently sloped valley, surrounded by several small hills. The one right in front of us has some strange metal posts dotted on its slope; the remnants of a ski lift perhaps? On top of it is a large one-storey building, covering almost the entire hilltop. It’s mostly made from metal and concrete; it has to be one of the ugliest buildings I’ve ever seen. There’s a massive radio tower on top, but some of the satellite dishes are hanging in precarious positions. I doubt it’s still in use. The perfect place for someone like Van Deen tolive.
I look around. There are no other signs of human habitation in the landscape around us, so it has to be that structure on the hill. It’s perfect for whoever lives there: they’ll be able to see strangers from miles away, especially now in winter. Which means they’ve probably seen usalready.
There’s no chance of us to approach undetected, so we better hurryup.
“Shall we shift?” I ask and Torbennods.
“We’ll be faster that way. Once we’ve reached Van Deen, we can shift back so we can talk to him. Is Alisready?”
Yes, I am. Let’s show them what we’re madeof.
“Don’t take too long,” Airlea says from behind us, standing by the glistening Portal. She’s hugging herself and her skin is covered in goosebumps. While she gave us warm clothes, she’s not wearing any herself, and it seems as if she’s more susceptible to the cold than us. I almost feel sorry forher.
“We’ll try our best,” I reassure her, applauding myself for being so nice toher.
After I get undressed, I give Alis a mental nod and she shifts us. Our paws are soft on the snowy ground and I know that our fur blends in perfectly. Three of the guys aren’t so lucky. Húnn, Ràn and Finn all stand out with their brown coats. But it can’t behelped.
Not everyone can be a pretty polar bear, Alis says dismissively and I grin. Here’s my old, proud Alis, not the one drowning in despair. I know it may only be temporary, but I hope it’s enough for her to recharge her emotionalbatteries.
Alis starts running and the other bears follow her. The hill is quite steep, but she still manages to climb it withease.
We’re halfway up the slope when the first bear appears from between a group of trees. He’s a polar bear like Alis, but only about half her size. His fur is mottled and dirty and his eyes have a vacant look, even from this distance. He looks ill and like he’s too thin for his fur. If that is one of the ferals, they really are no match for us. Alis could swat him away like a fly without even getting out ofbreath.
Then ten more step out from the undergrowth and my confidence wavers a little. They now outnumber us two toone.
We keep running, ignoring them for now. As long as they’re not attacking, they’re not worth stopping for. We need to get to the top and to VanDeen.
The hill is getting ever steeper and Alis slips more than once. Her weight is helping her sink into the snow though, giving her some added grip. As someone who’s always been quite thin, it’s strange being stuck in a big, broad bearbody.
Big is beautiful,Alis tells me and I hurry to agree with her. I don’t want to upset her rightnow.
She looks around to check on the ferals, but they’re keeping a safe distance. Problem is, they’ve now cut off our escape route, forming a line between us and the Portal. Let’s hope Alis’s domineering thing will work for long enough to force them to let us through later on. But first, we’ve got a lunatic tocatch.
The buildings come into view. This may have been a viewing station before the Drowning, a place people would come to look at the surrounding mountains. It certainly is beautiful – not the building, the landscape. There’s a lot of trees here. There are almost none on the island I grew up in, and the same is true for the other two islands I’ve explored in the past few weeks. And even if there are trees, they’re usually small and bent by thewind.
Here, there’s a variety of conifers: fir trees, spruce, some others I’m not quite sure about. Most of them are covered in thick layers of snow, bending their branches until they touch the ground. The forest around the station has been cleared though, giving us an easierapproach.
Now that we’re closer, it turns out that it isn’t just one building but one larger one in the centre with several smaller ones dotted around it. Some are in a state of disrepair while others are clearlyinhabited.
Strangely enough, nobody is awaiting us in front of the biggest house. I would have expected guards, especially since they must have seen us approach. Surely some of the ferals warned the people uphere?
Let’s be careful, I warn Alis, but it’s not necessary. She’s treading carefully, slowly, taking in everything around her. All her senses are on high alert and I’m having trouble sorting through all the differentsignals.
The bears behind us have a strange scent; not that of a normal bear shifter. Alis seems confused byit.
Do they smell like Arcas?I ask her, but she mentally shakes herhead.
No, nothing like him. Their scent is that of thedead.
How ominous. She doesn’t expand on that but I don’t want to distract her, so I keep quiet, watching as she slowly approaches the glass double doors that lead into thebuilding.
Torben and Húnn flank her, while Finn and Ràn are at the back, keeping an eye on the ferals behindus.
I’m beginning to have a really bad feeling about this. Not that I ever assumed this was going to be easy, but still… this is going to betrouble.
Suddenly, there’s movement behind us and Alis whirls around, ready to fight as a group of ferals detaches from the rest, charging atus.