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Siqiq’s mother scooped him up when they reached the sleds, inspecting his arms and legs and fussing over him.
“Put me down. Put me down.” Siqiq squirmed in her arms. His eyes darted to Panuik.
Trini covered a smile with her hands. A wild animal had attacked the boy and tried to haul him off to its den. His wrists and lower legs bled, though from shallow wounds, but his greatest concern was being treated like a baby in front of his cousin.
He would be all right.
The same couldn’t be said for the dogs who limped, bloodied, back to the sleds. Three were missing.
“Bring him back to the sleds so I can tend to him,” Ahnai ordered.
“I can walk. I’m fine.” Siqiq struggled to get down, but Umiak carried him back to the sleds and set him on one. He slid to the ground, glaring at his mother, daring her to put him back up.
“Hueq. Hueq, boy,” Ahnai scolded.
Siqiq shut up, chin dropping as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his feet.
Ahnai rummaged through a pack on the sled and pulled out a water pouch and a cloth. She whetted the cloth and set about wiping the blood from his arms and legs, leaving behind angry red bite marks. Ahnai set aside the bloodied cloth and retrieved a salve from her pouch. She applied it liberally over the wounds.
He hissed once, but his eyes darted to Panuik once more. He gritted his teeth to silence any further complaints.
While she worked, Trini searched her own backpack for her first-aid kit. She always carried it whenever she went off-world; Aunt Teresa had put it together for her years ago.
She found the antibiotic from her aunt that had been modified for the Nuukimak. Whenever Trini visited a new planet, Aunt Teresa always sent her with some basic medicines developed for the natives for emergency use. The antibiotic would reduce the chance of infection and eliminate contaminants in the bloodstream.
“Here, this is medicine.” Trini offered the small pill to Ahnai. “Make him take this with water.”
The old woman studied it for a moment, before nodding. “Give it to him.”
Trini offered it to Siqiq, but the boy side-eyed the pill, clamping his mouth shut.
“Siqiq,” Ahnai scolded.
Grimacing, he reached for the pill. He put it in his mouth and washed it down with water.
While Ahnai bandaged his cuts, Trini checked the latest projections for the storm. It was growing in force. Sixty mile per hour winds, hurling volcanic spewage and poison gases. At its current rate, the storm would hit in less than three hours. A full thirty minutes before they had any hope of reaching the thorneway.
She found Inksuuk and Yoskalo tending to the dogs’ wounds.
“We need to get moving,” she said. “We have little time before the storm hits.”
Inksuuk didn’t respond as he wrapped one of the dog’s legs.
“Did you hear me?” Trini asked, a little louder this time.
Without looking up, Inksuuk said, “We stay until Ahnai is ready. She is the healer. When she is satisfied with Siqiq’s care, we leave.”
“They can ride in a sled. The touvak can handle those two,” Trini said. Why couldn’t she make them understand they had no time to waste?
“Not until Ahnai says we go,” Inksuuk said. There was ice in his voice.
Huffing and throwing her arms in the air, Trini returned to Ahnai. “Would it be acceptable for you and Siqiq to ride in the sleds while you tend to his injuries? Things will be very hard for everyone once the storm hits.”
Panuik snorted, eyes gleaming maliciously. The edges of Siqiq’s mouth turned down. She’d embarrassed him, but she didn’t care. Things were getting too crazy to worry about what embarrassed a child.
When Ahnai didn’t respond, Trini raised her voice so everyone could hear.
“I don’t want to interfere with Siqiq’s treatment, but if we fail to reach the thorneway, he’ll lose his life.”
Ahnai stiffened and turned to her. A heat pulsed in her eyes for a second before they calmed again.
“It is in his best interest for me to examine each wound to avoid infection.”
“That’s why I gave you the medicine!” Trini exclaimed. “He’ll be fine. But none of you will be if we don’t get going.”
Ahnai glanced once to Inksuuk. He stepped forward in front of Trini, forcing her to step back.
“Perhaps it’s best we find other shelter instead,” Inksuuk said.
“What?” Trini asked. “There’s nowhere safe. Your only hope is to get off this planet with us.”
Inksuuk shook his head. “Our path has carried us too far east. Too close to the quinniq’s domain. We almost lost a child because of it.”
Trini placed her hands on her temples, trying to take calming breaths. “This storm will bring so much dirt and debris you won’t be able to breathe, even with the masks. Not to mention the poison gases.
“Even if you find temporary shelter, like the place Taamaruq scouted, it won’t take long for your food supply to run out. If you don’t die from the lack of breathable air, all the animals will. Plants, too. You’ll starve.” She was shouting now. “Is that what you want for Panuik? Siqiq? Taamaruq? Your wives and families?”
Inksuuk crossed his arms and opened his mouth to reply. Before he could, Cho stepped forward and grabbed Trini’s arm, pulling her way.
“Pardon her, please,” Cho said to the Nuukimak. “Let me talk to her.”
When Trini tried to pull free, Cho gripped her arm tighter, almost dragging her off to the side.
“What are you doing?” Trini demanded.
“Trust me,” Cho said through gritted teeth.
“We don’t have time to waste. Do you want to die here? I am trying to get us safely to the thorneway.”
“I know,” Cho answered. “But your anger is upsetting them. You’re driving them away.”
Trini felt her mouth drop open in surprise. “What?”
“Haven’t you noticed the Nuukimak restrain their emotions? They don’t show anger. They’re calm. They keep themselves under control.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Trini demanded.
“Right now, they see you as Wolf Spider. Your anger seems a bigger threat than the storm.”
“That’s crazy!”
Cho shrugged. “It’s their culture. Anger is the inability to control one’s self. It makes you unpredictable. Dangerous.”
Trini wanted to snap that they didn’t have time for this foolishness. She debated suggesting that if the Nuukimak were so worried about her anger, then they should go on alone. Let the Nuukimak find shelter while they continued to the thorneway and got help from Space City.
“Let me try to talk to them?” Cho asked.
Trini didn’t want to leave them behind no matter how frustrated she was, so she nodded. Normally she prided herself over the Wolf Spider moniker. Was it truly a problem now?
Cho walked back towards the Nuukimak, Trini following. The first thing Cho did was check on Siqiq. She bent down in front of the boy, a big smile on her face.
“How’re you feeling?” she asked. “The quinniq attack must’ve been scary.”
Trini bit down on a growl of impatience.
The boy held up his arms and pointed at his bandages as if showing off old war wounds. “It tried to get me, but I got away. But I got hurt.”
“I saw. I’m glad you’re safe,” Cho replied.
Siqiq bent over and peeled back the bandage above his right ankle, pointing out a nasty cut. “This one’s huge.”
“You’re very brave and strong. Your father must be very proud.”
The boy puffed his chest out at the compliment. Cho ruffled his hair and stood, turning to Ahnai.
“Will he be okay?” she asked.
Ahnai nodded. “With Atak’s blessing. He needs rest, but should be fine as long as we keep his wounds clean.”
“That’s great,” Cho said. “I’m glad Trini scared off the quinniq. I was afraid for him.”
Inksuuk and Yoskalo gave Trini uncertain looks.
“It was Trini who saved Siqiq?” Umiak asked.
Cho nodded.
When Umiak’s eyes shifted to her, Trini confirmed, “I wasn’t about to let him get hurt.”
Again, Yoskalo said, “Arnakfaalap. She who inspires fear in the heart of hunters.”
It struck Trini, the similarity between the name Yoskalo had given her and her own nickname. Yoskalo said it with respect, but the words didn’t feel like an honor.
Cho bent down to Siqiq again. “Are you ready to resume our march?”
“Yes!” the boy’s eyes lit up. “I’m ready. I can do this.”
“Trini is passionate because she wants to keep you all safe,” Cho said to the boy, though loud enough for everyone to hear. “As she said, we’re running out of time. Even at a fast pace, we may not make it in time. We may get lost in the storm and never find our way. She’s trying to do what’s best for everyone.”
Ahnai nodded. “As are we all.”
“Of course,” Cho agreed.
“I care about all of you,” Trini added.
Ahnai gave her a quick glance then turned to Inksuuk. “The conditions seem more favorable now.” She gestured to the sleds. “Can we all ride again?”
Trini felt her heart beating faster at the possibility.
“Conditions are favorable,” Inksuuk answered.
Ahnai nodded. “Then that is what we should do.”
Inksuuk gave orders for everyone to shuffle what supplies they could without untying too much.