It was painfully obvious that they wouldn't be fast enough.

They sprinted down the side of the mountain as fast as was possible without tumbling off the sheer cliffs, but progress was painfully slow. The slope was just as icy and treacherous going down as it had been on the climb up, and the fall was just as deadly. The icy ground forced them to carefully choose their paths and footholds, and jagged cliffs and loose stones stalled them even further. Yet while they frantically picked their way down the mountain, Sakari was moving at an incredible speed across the open tundra. Climbing up the mountain might delay her, but none of them had any delusions about outrunning her.

"Is there any way to face her?" Anyu asked as they hopped down to a lower ledge. She spared a furtive glance over the cliffside. The ground still stared up at them from a dizzying height, the wind howling into the empty void.

"I'm working on it," Kano said uncertainly. His brows were furrowed in concentration, his gaze distracted. Whatever solution he was searching for, it was not coming to him.

"Hurry!" Tavra called from farther down the mountain, as if they weren't already going as fast as they could. He was once more astride Shesh's back. The reindeer's agility and balance made him extremely skilled at making his way down the mountain, easily outpacing those who only had two legs to walk on. He paused his descent and whinnied worriedly, seeming to echo Tavra's plea.

Kano sighed and jumped down another edge, this one even taller than the last. He tripped at the bottom, falling forward into the snow and cursing the mountain under his breath.

"You alright?" Anyu called down as he stood up and dusted off the snow.

"I'm fine," He sighed. He turned back around and held his arms out to her from several feet below. "Here." Anyu only hesitated for a moment before jumping down. Kano caught her by the waist, seamlessly hoisting her to the ground.

"Thank you," Anyu said breathlessly. They were mere inches apart, so close that Anyu could see the flecks of snow caught in his eyelashes. She might have imagined the way he hesitated to pull away, but Tavra's voice and their dire situation brought her back to the present.

"We're not moving fast enough," Tavra said once they'd reached him. It was a statement of the obvious, but there was still no solution in sight. He slid off of Shesh's back and handed the reins to Anyu. "You two get on."

"You're not fully healed," Anyu protested.

"I'm well enough," Tavra said. His form shifted to that of the ferocious black wolf, his glowing yellow eyes conveying his worry. "If we don't move faster we're all dead anyway."

Anyu didn't like it, but she couldn't argue with his logic. She and Kano pulled themselves onto Shesh's back, and the three of them renewed their descent down the mountain, their pace much faster now that each climber had four legs.

They were at last making some progress down the mountainside. Glancing to the side, Anyu saw a small stream of water flowing down alongside them. It must have been runoff from the ice and snow at the peak. The steady flow of water continued to increase in size as they descended until a full fledged river was racing down the mountain beside them, like a thick vein in the mountain's icy skin. It was a good sign. If they were at a low enough altitude for running water to flow freely, then they were approaching the tree line.

"Whoah boy!" Anyu called as Shesh suddenly stumbled, nearly tripping over his own legs.

She patted his flank, looking down to check that he hadn't twisted his ankle on the rocks. She felt Shesh's body suddenly freeze, in the way that it did when facing down a dangerous predator, and the reindeer took off without any warning. Anyu fastened her arms tightly around his neck lest she fall off his back as Shesh descended down the mountain at a reckless pace. Anyu was wondering what in the world had inspired so much fear in her brave companion when she started to feel it too.

The mountain began to rumble beneath the ground, at first so subtly that it was unnoticeable, but soon bigger, louder, and more powerful. It was a pounding noise unlike anything Anyu had ever heard before, though if she'd had to compare it to anything it sounded almost like a large herd of reindeer galloping at full speed.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She did not want to look behind her, but there really was no choice.

Anyu craned her neck backwards and nearly choked on her own breath.

It was an avalanche. A huge avalanche heading down the mountain straight for them. The mass of snow and ice and rock was massive, almost as big as a glacier, as it tumbled down, only gaining more speed as it went.

And there, at the very forefront of the onslaught, riding it like a wave, was a figure. It was still too far away to see her clearly, but certain details were beginning to become visible the closer the avalanche drew. It was a young woman, that much was clear, with a tumble of gorgeous midnight hair that flared behind her as she advanced on the wave of snow.

Sakari had crested the mountaintop.

Anyu whipped her head forward again before she could discern much more, her body freezing up. Kano felt her tense and scowled.

"What is it?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

Anyu tried to form the words but her tongue wouldn't function properly. She had been afraid before when she had been dragged down into the depths of Kesuk Lake or when it seemed Nanuk was about to tear her apart. Terrified even. But this was different. Her reaction to the avalanche was more than a simple will to survive, but something visceral inside her bones.

She closed her eyes, trying to will everything away, but the image of that merciless wall of snow coming for her flashed behind her eyelids.

She remembered hearing that sound from far away, the noise carrying for miles and miles over the empty tundra. The panic in the village that followed, and the party that was sent out to investigate. She'd held Anik in her arms when the elders had arrived at their igloo to tell them that the avalanche had taken their mother.

She could imagine all too clearly what it would be like. Not just the cold of the ice, or the incredible force that could crush a human body like an insect, but the suffocating. Choking on the snow and rocks as they were forced down your throat, being buried alive by it.

"Anyu!" Kano yelled. "Snap out of it!"

Tavra growled nervously as he ran alongside Shesh, his eyes glancing up to her with concern. Anyu inhaled slowly and reached for the tamga hanging around her neck, gripping it tight enough to bruise her fingers. She needed to get home. She needed to return to Anik and her grandmother. As much as she wanted to help Kano and Tavra in their mission, that was what all of this was for.

Releasing a long exhale, she let go of the tamga and wrapped her hands even more tightly around Shesh's neck. She was glad of the pretense of holding onto him to not fall off while really she gave the reindeer the strongest hug she could muster.

"I'm okay," She said, relaxing her stiff posture.

They were nearing the mountain's end. Here the mountainside grew steeper and harder to cross just before it flattened out into normal ground. The river cascaded off of one cliff into a magnificent waterfall, plunging into an even stronger current below.

The rumbling of the avalanche pounded louder and louder, until it felt like the constant boom of thunder in the heavens. Each moment Anyu thought that the noise couldn't possibly get any louder, and every time she was proven wrong. And all of a sudden it was gone. Kano reached around to yank sharply on Shesh's reins, bringing the reindeer to a sudden halt. Anyu turned to reprimand him for slowing their escape but found she couldn't close her jaw.

The avalanche stood before them, enormous and deadly and dangerously close. The snow continued to churn and rumble slightly, as if it was eager to resume its destructive course. By all reason and logic, it should have continued its speedy descent and crushed them under a torrent of snow and ice. Instead it stood still, frozen in time a scant few yards away from them, like a dog heeling at its master's command.

Sakari stood at the edge of the looming mass, close enough now for Anyu to fully observe her.

She was clearly very beautiful. Her face was pretty and youthful, although Anyu thought that her eyes somehow looked very, very old. A tangle of midnight black hair blew freely in the icy wind behind her. Her olive skin was smooth, her cheekbones sharp as a knife, while her eyelashes were soft as fresh fallen snow. She wore a dress of dark grays and blues, a simple design of sealskin cloth with a thick band of fur wrapped around her waist. And she was smiling at them.

"Kano," She said. Her voice didn't sound particularly hostile, but Anyu had a feeling that it couldn't be trusted. "Why have you run away from your prison?" She absently twirled a lock of her hair, and a spiral of snow and ice followed the movement behind her. "You know how grandmother hates it when you disobey her."

Her eyes moved over Anyu and Shesh slowly. Anyu tried not to flinch under her stare. Sakari's eyes narrowed, and the tamga suddenly felt warm against Anyu's neck. But then she eased back into a lazy smile.

"And Tavra as well," She mused. Tavra, still in wolf form, had placed himself behind Shesh's legs in a useless attempt at hiding. His hackles raised as Sakari addressed him directly. "I'll admit, I was doubtful when I heard that you were also a part of this. But no matter."

"Sakari," Kano said. There was an obvious twinge of desperation in his voice. "You don't have to be Siku's pawn. If you just helped us to-"

"What- free the summer indwellers?" She arched a perfect black brow. "And let them take back all of their inua? You tried once already Kano; you must know by now that I have no interest in that happening.

Anyu's mind raced trying to piece together Sakri's words. So if the summer indwellers were released they would retake their inua, their power, that Siku and her minions now kept for themselves. Her eyes turned back to the massive form of the avalanche, frozen in time, and swallowed thickly. It certainly was an awesome amount of power. And that Kano had already tried once- that made it seem like he'd already asked Sakari to help him oppose Siku, and she'd refused him. Had that been what had landed him in that prison?

Kano exhaled and drew a knife from his belt. If he was drawing his weapon already, then there truly was no hope of peaceful negotiation. Following his signal, Anyu brought out her spear and Tavra stepped forward, his teeth bared.

There was no way that they could defeat an avalanche with spears and knives. But if they could somehow reach Sakari herself, maybe they had a shot. Anyu had to believe they had a chance, otherwise she would have to face the idea that their journey, their very lives, were at their end. It wasn't something Anyu was willing to accept without putting up a fight.

Sakari merely tsked at them, shaking her head.

"Siku wants you alive, if I can help it," She said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Why?" Anyu spoke up.

Sakari looked at Anyu curiously, as if she were just noticing her for the first time. "Ah, the human," She said. "To be honest, I don't know why she wants you alive. Perhaps it's been so long since a human has come to Adlivun that she would like to study you." Anyu tried not to cringe under her intense gaze, but it proved to be very difficult.

"No surprise why I'm needed alive, is it?" Kano said. Sakari's posture stiffened suddenly. "Hasn't found anyone to replace me yet, has she- not even her own granddaughter?"

Sakari's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Speak carefully, Kano," She warned. "I don't tolerate arrogance."

"Ah," Kano said, slipping into his usual presumptuous manner. Anyu couldn't help but think that this wasn't the right time for it. "So it's true, then. Tell me, did she let you off gently or tell you to your face?"


Sakari's expression darkened. Anyu didn't know what Kano thought he would accomplish by angering her, but she wasn't one to waste an opportunity when she saw it. As Sakari opened her mouth to reply, Anyu drove her arm forward, sending her spear flying straight for Sakari's heart.

She didn't even flinch. Sakari lifted a hand and a tendril of ice and snow detached from the frozen avalanche, swatting away the spear without a second glance. Anyu deflated. So much for fighting their way out.

Sakari's eyes were dark and threatening as she fixed Anyu with her gaze.

"Then again," She spoke slowly, enunciating each word. "Siku will surely understand if I explain that you simply would not come quietly."

Tavra growled, and Shesh shuffled nervously backward. The avalanche behind Sakari began to move in slow motion, as if it were waking up from a long nap. Anyu's blood ran cold at the sight. Kano gripped her arm tightly and then they were all running down the mountain once more, despite the total futility of escape.

Anyu ran, the muscles in her legs beginning to burn with overexertion. Her lungs heaved in the thin winter air, and her feet stumbled over the ice and rocks, but she kept going. A thunderous roar behind them signaled that the avalanche was once again in pursuit. Anyu did not need to turn around to see it. She could feel how close it was through the vibrations in the mountain, the snow drifting through the air.

"The river!" Kano shouted over the torrent.

The river widened just ahead of them and Anyu immediately understood Kano's thinking. If they just jumped into the water, they could avoid being crushed to death by the ice and rocks. Of course, then they would simply be killed by the freezing temperature of the water, but perhaps their chances of survival were slightly better with the risk.

They sprinted towards the water as the avalanche devoured everything in its path behind them. Anyu's head cleared of all other thought but that goal. Her hands began to grow hot, as if she was warming them by the light of a fire. The river beckoned like the last, brilliant light in a sea of darkness, always there yet always just out of reach.

We're not going to make it.

The thought reverberated through Anyu's mind in panic and terror as she felt the snow grabbing at her heels.

Praying to whatever spirits were listening, Anyu grabbed onto Shesh and Tavra and gripped Kano's hand just as the avalanche consumed them.

I apologize once again for the long time it took to update. I'm considering prioritizing my other story, Tattered, over Icebound, but I'll still continue writing as fast as I can. Thank you!