She watched the state trooper’s plane disappear into the sky.
A satisfied smile blood on Louise’s face, as beautiful as a flower on the spring tundra. She slowly turned to Morris, who was squirming in the mud, her gaze filled with a hint of mockery.
"My dear Safety Officer, what are we to do with this criminal? Kivalina has no prison to hold inmates."
"The Crown Territory doesn’t have a hospital, either." Feng Mountain rolled his eyes. "But I’ll take him back to the Crown Territory. As it happens, I need a diligent logger. Perhaps Mr. Morris is up to the task. More physical labor is good for the body. It’ll keep him from getting any funny ideas."
"That’s wonderful!" Louise was thrilled to see Morris go. ’Hiring Feng Mountain as safety officer was probably the wisest decision Kivalina has made since becoming an autonomous municipality.’
"I’m heading back to the Crown Territory, then. Remind Old Swan that he promised to find people to work off the paynt for the fishing trip. Otherwise, there won’t be a next ti."
’I ca to Kivalina to earn so Soul Power by fishing, but who knew I’d get dragged into this ss? I even ended up on the hook for it myself.’
’Not worth it!’
Annoyed, Feng Mountain had Little Swan take him and Morris to the airport on a snowmobile.
Throughout the ride, the sea wind howled, lashing their cheeks like a cold Sharp Blade.
He filled the Carnation’s tank and was shocked at the terrifyingly high price of fuel. It was 3.8 US Dollars a gallon in Fairbanks, but here in Kivalina, it was 11.6 US Dollars—over three tis more expensive.
And being the safety officer didn’t even get him a discount.
’I should’ve just bought a fuel storage tank for the Crown Territory.’
After tossing Morris into the cabin, Feng Mountain taxied the Carnation onto the runway, just about to throttle up for takeoff.
Suddenly, he spotted a stumbling figure at the airport entrance, running toward his plane.
Maria.
’Why is she at the airport?’
’To see off?’
Feng Mountain quickly hit the brakes. To his surprise, Maria pulled open the cabin door and climbed into a back seat.
’What is going on here?’
Feng Mountain was completely baffled. He turned to see Maria, the bruises on her neck yet to fade. "What are you doing?"
Maria gripped her seatbelt, her face tear-streaked and her eyes welling up. She looked utterly pitiful.
"Feng, I want to go to the Crown Territory. I can’t stay in this awful place. Every ti I close my eyes, I rember what happened that night."
Maria spoke between sobs, her eyes full of pleading as tears stread down her cheeks.
"I already talked to my grandmother, and she’s very supportive. I can cook, clean, hunt, and fish... Please, I’m begging you, don’t leave here."
Just then,
A call request ca over the plane’s radio.
Feng Mountain picked up the handset. Old Swan’s anxious voice crackled on the other end.
"Feng, is Maria on your plane?"
"She is! She said she wants to go to the Crown Territory and that she has her grandmother’s permission." Feng Mountain glanced at Maria, who was looking at him with her hands clasped in a desperate plea.
"Phew, that’s right. Aunt Naxi did agree. I was supposed to take her to the airport, but she ran off the second I turned my back. As long as she’s on the plane, that’s good. Maria’s a good kid, so be nice to her."
Relief was evident in Old Swan’s tone. After a short pause, he added, "Feng, since you’re taking one person, why not take Little Swan too? This kid... Hey! Hey, are you there?!"
He hadn’t even finished speaking when the radio went dead.
Feng Mountain had already cut the connection. He imdiately restarted the engine and slamd the throttle to full. The Carnation lifted off the ground in less than ten ters, soaring into the sky.
’The people of Kivalina are too crafty!!’
’I can’t visit too often.’
...
「Over three hours later.」
Maria was pressed against the porthole, her eyes sparkling with excitent.
She gazed upon the beautiful scenery of the Crown Territory, where a vast expanse of snow shimred with a captivating light under the sun.
She saw herds of musk-oxen ambling leisurely over the snow, enjoying the tranquility of this world.
She saw herds of reindeer startled by the roar of the plane, scattering in a panic as their hooves kicked up flurries of snow.
Compared to the cold, stark Kivalina, the Crown Territory was bursting with life.
Everything here filled Maria with a sense of novelty and joy.
As the Carnation slowly ca in for a landing,
Nash’s figure was already waiting on the runway.
Feng Mountain jumped down from the plane and gave Nash a brotherly hug. "Where are Coca-Cola and the others?"
"They went into the forest," Nash answered, his eyes drifting toward Maria.
’He’d seen this woman before.’
’An Eskimo from Kivalina.’
’What happened to her? What are those injuries?’
Nash was filled with questions, but he didn’t ask imdiately, only frowning slightly.
Feng Mountain gestured for Maria to wait a mont, then pulled Nash aside to explain what had happened over the last two days.
Nash expressed his sympathy for Maria’s ordeal, sighing softly.
"Scum like Morris are common in the Indigenous communities," Nash said. "They live off state governnt dividends and subsidies from the Indigenous Company."
"Most Indigenous People get at least 2,000 US Dollars in cash every month. Once they have money, many of them don’t want to work. Drinking, gambling, and getting high are widespread problems, and they ultimately end up on the path to cri."
"Khilla, I know what to do!" Nash nodded emphatically, a vicious glint in his eyes.
"Keep a close eye on him. Don’t let him escape," Feng Mountain said. He had complete faith in Nash’s abilities, knowing he was always reliable.
With that settled, Feng Mountain led Maria away from the runway to keep her from seeing Morris.
Back at the camp, a new problem arose.
When it was just two grown n living together, there was no need to worry about awkwardness or privacy.
But adding a woman into the mix made the living situation a hassle.
Feng Mountain certainly wasn’t going to give Maria the bedroom, but he couldn’t just banish her to the tool shed. That would be too cold-hearted.
’Maybe set up a simple tent for now?’
’But that wasn’t a long-term solution, and it was cold outside. She’d freeze into a popsicle by the middle of the night.’
After mulling it over,
Feng Mountain decided to make so small modifications to the living room.
By moving a bookshelf outward, he could clear out a narrow, ter-wide space. He’d use a reindeer hide blanket as a curtain and rig up a private space with an outdoor tent to give Maria so privacy.
As for the bed, that would have to wait for Nash to return.
He was a natural at carpentry.
As Feng Mountain busied himself, he ntally sorted out the subsequent arrangents.
Once the small room modification was complete, the already small living room beca even more cramped.
Maria hadn’t expected Feng Mountain to be living in a large bus. An expression of guilt appeared on her face, knowing that her arrival had disrupted their living environnt.
"I’m sorry for all the trouble."
"It’s no problem. You can stay here for now. In a few days, we’ll have the log cabin built, and you’ll have a private room," Feng Mountain said, trying to comfort her when he saw her guilty expression.
After tidying the living room, he waited and waited, but Nash didn’t return.
With no other choice, he decided to take Maria out to familiarize her with the Crown Territory.
Arriving at a clearing, Feng Mountain took a deep breath, cupped his hands around his mouth, and blew a sharp, loud whistle.
The piercing whistle seed to shoot toward the sky like an arrow before echoing across the empty expanse.
Just as Maria was looking on curiously,
a pack of snow-white figures charged into the camp like the wind, sitting down obediently in a row in front of Feng Mountain.
"Are they... sled dogs?"
Maria was uncertain, her voice laced with confusion and hesitation as she stared at the seven wolf-like white animals before her.
"No, they’re all Taiga Wolves, the only Wolf Pack in the Crown Territory. Don’t be afraid if you see them in the forest," Feng Mountain said, revealing the White Wolves’ identity with a proud and smug expression.
’After all, not everyone can bring out seven beautiful and docile Alaskan Taiga Wolves.’
He then pulled a sled from under a wooden shelter and harnessed the White Wolves.
The front of the sled could easily seat one person. Feng Mountain thoughtfully laid a deerskin blanket over the fra and helped Maria get settled.
Then, Feng Mountain stepped onto the runners and shouted to the White Wolves.
"To the riverbank! Mush!!"
Upon receiving the command, the White Wolves surged forward as one, pulling the sled toward the tundra. Their steps were powerful and uniform as the sled glided swiftly over the snow, kicking up a cloud of powder.
The wind roared in her ears as Maria gripped the sled’s fra, her face a mixture of nervousness and excitent. She stared in astonishnt at the White Wolves pulling the sled.
As an Inuit, dog sledding was a part of life, but wolf-drawn sleds were extrely rare—if not completely nonexistent.
She’d once heard the elders say that Inuit hunters of the past had tried to train wolves for sledding, but it always ended in failure.
Because wolves are proud animals. Their souls yearn for freedom and will not submit to human will.
Yet the team of White Wolves before her now was an astonishing sight.
These White Wolves were powerful and graceful, their movents perfectly coordinated. They were even more obedient than any sled dog.
’How did Feng manage it?’
The next mont,
Maria rembered what her grandmother had said before she left!
Child.
You must respect Feng.
He is the Spirit of All Things.
...
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