We followed the tracks along the cliffs on foot.

“That’s a pity..” Larry said, “We can check how much progress they made next week.”

“No horses?” I asked.

“We haven’t had those since the madness began. Even chains wouldn’t keep them from getting loose, attacking everything they saw. We could get to the market by sunrise if we keep a good pace,” Larry told me.

I wished I had Grimmington’s vehicle, or even the Fumauto. Probably wouldn’t do very well in snow, but still better than walking. Felt bad about leaving Margaret like that. Had only just got there and was already getting kicked out. We turned with the tracks, away from the ocean, into the forest.

“So, about what just happened..” Larry said.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I replied.

“The worker said something about you ‘letting the mad one attack him’?”

“I didn’t shoot in time, and he was pissed about that. There’s nothing more to it.”

“Okay, I believe you.”

Dogs barked not far from where we walked. The trees opened up to reveal a pond I must’ve missed while riding the train the day before. The dogs came out onto the pond. A squirrel scattered across the tracks, startling me. I swung the automatic rifle around, getting ready to shoot. Their claws tapped the ice, creating a sound similar to hail striking a sheet metal roof. All six of them wore harnesses attached to the sled they pulled. I caught a glimpse of something shiny and silver in the sack between the legs of the man sitting on the sled. The man, dressed in blue with a red collar turned his head towards us. His hat with four points reminded me of the one the joker wore on father’s card set. He slowed down. No red eyes, didn’t shoot.

“Good morning,” the man with the funny hat said.

“Good morning.” Larry replied.

“You’ve got some nice rifles, out hunting?”

“Nope, just aimlessly roaming I suppose.”

“I’m about to go mammoth hunting with my brothers. Care to join? It won’t be easy.”

“Thrilling,” Larry and I looked at each other, “could be a good way to kill some time.”

“Get on then!” the man in the funny hat scooched forward, leaving room on the sled for Larry and I.

The man in the funny hat whipped the dog reins after we had squeezed in, making them speed up.

“What’s in the bag?” I asked the man in the funny hat.

“Silver jewlery my mother crafted, I intend to sell them at the market. I’m on my way there to meet my brothers.”

“Why are the dogs.. Not mad..?” Larry wondered.

“The dogs? They were calmed by Rana’s touch.”

“Meaning..?”

“I have full control over them, if I wear this,” the man in the funny hat stuck his hand into his shirt, and revealed a necklace. A silver stick figure holding a crescent moon; a bow.

“I don’t believe it,” Larry shrugged.

“What other explanation is there? Witchcraft?”

“I don’t know, maybe you brought them over from the Valley.”

“No.. I do not leave my lands. I wish you would’ve done the same.”

I did not know what he meant, but it made Larry reluctant to say another word to the man. The dogs were quick to navigate between the trees, the sled travelled effortlessly on top of the hard snow. Didn’t take much longer than by train to get to the big lake. Tipi tents made of piled up sticks and leather had been built in the middle of the lake. They were lit up from the inside, and I could see shadows of people moving around inside. Some market stands were still being assembled, none of the things I saw were there the day before. The tents grew bigger the closer we got, being at least three stories tall by the time we arrived.

“Avoid shooting anyone here, please?” Larry whispered to me before getting off the sled, “We don’t want another Henry situation.”

“Dávvet!” a man dressed in a similar outfit to the man in the funny hat but with a coonskin cap rather than funny hat called out. He stood by a sled clearly made to fit a gigantic animal. The thirty-something reindeers ready to pull the sled gave me a fright, was one of them the killer of Abo? They didn’t seem mad, I told myself, no need to be on edge.

“Niilá, my brother!” the man in the funny hat, Dávvet, smiled.

“Gábe is cleaning our rifles, he should be done any minute.”

“These are my new friends, they’re coming with us on our hunt.”

“Fun!” The coontail wagged as Niilá checked his pockets: “Here, you might need these later tonight.” He handed us two necklaces identical to Dávvet’s.

“You know, you’d make a big profit if you were to sell these claiming they control the mad ones,” Larry pointed out, putting the necklace on.

“No, no,” Niilá laughed, “the animals must be blessed by Rana’s touch for them to work.”

“Why doesn’t this Rana go around during the day touching every animal she sees then?”

“Because that is not what the gods intended.”

“Screw what your gods intend, people are being killed every night!”

“We are part of nature, we eat, then we get eaten; the cycle of life. There’s no changing that. Even if you Valley people think you can.”

Another man, carrying three rifles, came out of one of the Tipi tents. Their barrels were thicker than both Larry’s and mine. He too, wore that blue and red outfit. He gave Dávvet and Niilá a rifle each.

“Gábe, could you put mother’s jewelry in the tent?” Dávvet asked the man with the remaining rifle.

“No problem, brother.” Gábe grabbed the sack of silver from Dávvet’s sled, and took it inside the Tipi tent. Gave the three of us more legroom, I no longer felt squished.

“He’s the youngest, that’s why he does as we ask,” Niilá explained.

“And I’m the oldest, which is why I get my own sled,” Dávvet added.

“How many mammoths have y’all caught this year so far?” Larry wondered.

“This is our first time, ever, actually. Don’t worry, we know what we’re doing. Probably.”

“I don’t see why we should spend any more time here than we have to, let’s get going,” Gábe said, coming back from the tent.

Niilá grabbed the reins of the reindeer sled, and stepped onto its platform along with Gábe. Whip, the reindeers began pulling the sled. Whip, we too, started moving.