Page 54 of Tiger's Tale
The laces danced in the air next to Stacia, as if waiting for something or someone else before finally settling down. The red-and-black-striped tiger, oblivious to the thoughts of her sister, narrowed her eyes, sensing the magic was trying to tell her something important. It was portentous. As if trouble loomed, or something was coming for them. She could almost grasp it, but she was unable to define it.
“I... I had no idea the magic could do this,” Zakhar said.
“We didn’t exactly either,” Danik replied with a grin. “Glad you brought food though. They’ll really need to eat after this. I also hope you brought a map.”
“I did,” Zakhar said, running a hand along the beautiful sleigh. “Why?”
“Because we need to get to a military outpost on the far side of the mountains. Climb aboard. Priests carrying food get to sit first.”
Zakhar took the back seat with all the packs and traps, leaving the front open for Danik and Nikolai. Picking up the reins, though hesitant to use them, Nik said, “Are you ready, ladies?”
Stacia cocked her head back to look at him, and Nik could have sworn she was smirking. Leaping forward, she began to run. The sleigh slid to one side and then the other, threatening to capsize at first, but then Veru started running, too, and they soon found a rhythm. Pulling together, they moved faster and faster, and before long the countryside around them blurred, and everything became white.
18
DEATH IS NOT FOUND BEHIND MOUNTAINS, BUT RIGHT BEHIND OUR SHOULDERS
It took them two days to reach the Ural Mountains and another two to climb the mountains and find the road that led to a military outpost overlooking the West Siberian Plain. Since they agreed it wouldn’t be smart to introduce the tigers to the soldiers at the outpost, Nik and Zakhar went to gather information from the soldiers, while Danik and the tigers hunted.
Veru managed to catch a ground squirrel and a marten, but Stacia only found a nasty badger who refused to come out of his hole no matter how deeply she dug. He used his long claws and sharp teeth to cause her enough trouble to make her give up on him and take the squirrel Veru dropped at her feet instead. Since they were only out hunting for a short time, Danik returned with just three fat grouse, which would be enough for dinner for the men. They returned to their meeting place to find Nik and Zakhar waiting.
“What did you discover?” Danik asked them.
Nik answered, “Not much. It seems this area is populated by Samoyed peoples, not Evenki.”
“Will they hunt the tigers?”
“I don’t know,” Nik answered. “Some live in the forest, others along the rivers. They live in clans and claim territory based on family lines using signs or symbols of their clan to designate borders.”
“Did they say where to find the Evenki?”
“The man I spoke with believes they are located much further east. Almost all the way to the sea.”
Danik removed his hat and slapped it against his thigh. “That far? Is it even safe for us to travel across the lands of the Nomadic Alliance? I know the tsarina was passing laws to protect those who wanted to immigrate to the empire, but I don’t know how easy or safe it will be for us to travel through. Tell me again exactly what instructions the soldier gave you before departing the capital.”
Pacing, Nik thought and said, “The man told me head to an outpost and ask for directions. Then he mentioned something about hunting and bringing a gift of meat or pelts to the people in exchange for information. He warned me to tell no one about the tigers until we found his people, the Evenki, saying they would believe us and help us and that we should ask for a shaman. He never mentioned any other tribes or clans.”
“Right. So he had to have known that his mother’s people were located on the far side of the Nomadic Alliance. If he did, then why have us stop at an outpost? Why not tell us to travel all the way to the Great Sea?”
“He said his father had been stationed at one, and that’s how he met his mother, who was Evenki.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Danik said. “If the Evenki are located that far out, why would they come to the borderlands? How would his parents even have met?”
“I don’t know. Trade, maybe?”
“Council meetings,” Zakhar suggested. “The Nomadic Alliance council leaders would have met with diplomatic leaders from the empire from time to time. It would make sense for them to travel to more neutral territory when discussing accords. A traveling diplomat would have taken a contingent of soldiers stationed at the outpost, especially those who knew the traditions and languages of various clans.”
“Then we need to seek council leaders. Perhaps they will know how to find the Evenki or the shaman we seek,” added Danik. “I say we head out, walking at a normal pace. Let me set some traps so we have some furs and meat to trade with. Then we’ll see what we find. I figure the least we’ll get is information.”
Agreeing with Danik, the men headed down the mountain and out onto the Great Siberian Plain. They made camp along the Ob River, and Zakhar and Nikolai learned how to bait and set traps from Danik. Within a week, they had a growing pile of squirrel, arctic fox, ermine, otter, lynx, rabbit, and even some highly prized sable.
He taught them how to skin, flesh, and stretch the pelts, reserving the meat for themselves or the tigers. Once Nik had been taught how, he took to the skinning of the animals quite easily, which Danik appreciated. Skinning the animals had always been the part of his job that he’d hated the most. Zakhar was also happy to let Nik do the job, though he didn’t mind the stacking or the stretching. Counting and numbers had always been something of a fascination for him.
When he asked Danik the price each pelt would fetch at market, he kept a running total on parchment and began calculating the numbers against how many meals each pelt could provide for the hungry. Soon Zakhar was the first to rise in the morning, very excited to see what catches could be found in the traps, and he was very quick to remove the animal and bait the trap afresh. Though he still prayed over the fallen creatures of the Lord, he counted it a blessing that their flesh could be used to feed and clothe the hungry and naked.
Zakhar would even hum or sing songs of thanksgiving as he wrung the mud from the bodies of the poor dead creatures. Danik, though he loved music and singing, and despite the fact that hunting was his work, had never developed a fondness for it. He didn’t deny the beauty of the furs, or their warmth, and he even agreed with Zakhar about the money and the feeding of children, but to him the memories of taking the feathers or the fur from the animals would never leave his mind.
He’d come across bands of hunters who were so thorough in their work that they left no trace of animals behind to repopulate the area. These men didn’t hunt for meat or to create a warm coat or blanket but to line one of many cloaks of wealthy men or to fill a wardrobe with beautiful colored fur coats and hats that were rarely used.
