‘Whoa!’
Daniel stood back on the brake as the dogs slowed up on the ridge of the hill, bringing the sled to an eventual stop close to the mountain where the herd had been grazing all winter. It had been a long, fast and hard trip. He took a deep breath, pulling in the cold air and filling his chest. Little crystals of snow were frozen into his beard and eyebrows.
He could see the corral where the other families had been collecting the reindeer off the mountain for the last few days. A big area in the middle and holding pens all round it, like the petals of a flower. He’d passed several of them on his way here, greeting old friends he hadn’t seen in years, all wanting to know about his father’s health and his sister’s news. All the other families had left now, but not before gathering Daniel’s reindeer for him before they went and then staggering their own departures so that the herds didn’t all leave together. It wouldn’t be sensible to try and move a thousand or more reindeer at one time. Only Daniel’s herd was left now in the holding area. He pushed the dogs on and pulled up by the pen.
The dog team were panting contentedly, some of them even lying down in the snow. He secured them by tying a rope from the sled to a tree, and a second rope from his lead dog – stopping to pat and thank him – to another tree. The last thing he needed now was to lose the team. Once they started running, there was no getting them to come back, and with a heavily loaded sled of supplies behind them, who knows what accidents could happen.
He looked around the clearing at the foot of the mountain, scanning for any stragglers, reindeer that hadn’t been herded up in the last few days, hiding behind the snow-covered trees. The cold air was making the insides of his nostrils tingle. He needed to move quickly; the weather was good and he had to make the most of it. He looked up at the big wind turbines. They weren’t actually turning at the moment, as there was no wind, but they could start up again at any time. He knew they were a necessity, creating energy for the country. It was just the reindeer who didn’t. All they knew was that the turbines frightened them, and that could affect their breeding.
Daniel worked quickly to split the dog team, attaching one team to the second sled. He didn’t want to speak to anyone right now or explain his whereabouts or his plans. He’d just needed to get away. He couldn’t stay in Stockholm after what had happened . . . or hadn’t happened, as the case might be. The restaurant would be snapped up, he knew that, but he didn’t want to answer any of the questions the journalists would be bound to ask. What happened? Why had it all gone wrong? Everything had gone wrong. From having it all, he’d lost it all. The eye of the perfect storm, so to speak.
But all that was behind him now. What he wasn’t sure of was what was in front of him. First, though, he needed to get the herd away from here, and safe, ready for the new calves to be born in May. Once he’d done a head count, he could get moving.
His dog Florá – different from the huskies, more like a collie dog – jumped stiffly down from the sled, followed by her son. Daniel checked his phone again, looking around the vast open space at the foot of the mountains for some sign of his sister, who was due to meet him there. Where was she? All he’d had was that brief message about being held up, and a promise that she’d try and get there as soon as she could. Should he wait a bit longer? Maybe light the fire and eat something? He breathed in again, hoping it would help blow away all thoughts of the last few weeks, and decided not to stop and cook. He wasn’t hungry; everything just tasted sour. But the air out here was helping to dilute the bitter taste left by the experience of the past few weeks.
Suddenly he heard the sound of an engine, and car doors slamming shut. Thank God, she was here at last! The reindeer were milling around restlessly, ready to make a move. He turned to face the road in the distance and pulled out his binoculars, training them on the vehicle pulled up on the roadside.
Oh no! That was exactly what he didn’t need right now. A bus full of Northern Lights seekers to get in his way!