Page 43 of HaL

I sit here for a long moment, staring after her. I had not realized how much I needed this. Dawn has been watching the entire time. Even though I am not ready to face Troza yet, eventually I make my way back inside.

I shake the snow from my fur as I step into the hall separating the outside from our main rooms. Just as I reach my door, an idea occurs to me. When I finally place my hand on the sensor, I find Dawn standing on her side of the membrane, looking at me with obvious concern.

“You were playing with a polar bear.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“Do you know how dangerous those things are?”

“Qanuk is an ice Gojira.”

“Having a fancy name for the bear doesn’t make me feel any better or safer. I about had a heart attack when she pounced on you out there.”

I chuckle. “I know better than some that they are dangerous, but Qanuk is different. We have been playing together since she was little.”

Dawn’s expression softens, but she still looks unconvinced.

“I was out hunting with Oset when I found her trapped beneath a fallen timber. It took both of us to get it off her. Oset thought I was crazy for getting anywhere near her, but we managed to free her.”

“You just walked up to an injured ice Gojira?”

“She was a cub.”

Dawn gives me a look.

“Still.”

“Still,” I agree with a grin.

“Oset was ready to fight her once we got the timber off, but I just knelt down and she came right to me, completely trusting.” The memory makes me shake my head. “I put salve on her leg, and she disappeared into the snow. I never expected to see her again. Then that night, I woke in the darkness only to find her sleeping right beside me.”

Dawn’s eyes widen.

“She stayed with us for the rest of the trip. When I returned to mine and Troza’s cave, she slept outside for a few risings, but I could tell she was getting restless. I remember feeding her early one rising and just as I was about to head back inside, she reached out with that enormous paw of hers and pulled me toward her.”

Dawn laughs softly. “Like she was giving you a hug?”

“Exactly.”

I look back toward the viewer and the snow beyond it.

“Since then, she still finds me every so often. I never know when she’ll appear, and I can go a long time without seeing her. But whenever she does show, she always remembers me.”

For a moment, neither of us say anything.

I can still feel the warmth of Qanuk’s fur, hear her playful growl, and remember the weight of that enormous paw pulling me into her. Dangerous or not, she has never once made me afraid of her. She only ever reminds me that even in a world as harsh as ours, some bonds do not need words to survive.

I shake vigorously, trying to get the rest of the snow out of my fur, and Dawn laughs.

“You look like a big puppy just after a bath. Are you not even a little cold after being out there that long? I was beginning to worry since the snow just kept getting deeper.”

“Do you dislike it?”

“What, the snow? No, not at all. I love how clean and unique it is … after all, no two flakes are the same.”

“Are you up for a change of scenery?”

“I am, but you are not playing well with others right now, and I’m too sore to fight any other girls if they come sniffing around ya.”