"Listen now, and remember what I say." "Today, I saw the reindeer bull for the third time in my life." "I saw him first when I was your age." "Then a second time, in the prime of my years." "This morning I saw him once again." "Young friend, I grow old." "The reindeer and I will not meet again." "Amongst the Lap People, this story has been passed on   from generation to generation for almost 1000 years." "Dilko!" "Here, Dilko." " Something has happened to Dilko." " He can take care of himself." " Will you help him, Father?" " No, your brother will be back soon." "Mother!" " I can't find Dilko." " You have to call loud." "I called and called, but he won't come." "When is Aigin coming?" "He'll be back before dark, I hope." "Why did Aigin have to go hunting today?" "He'll be back soon." "I'm going to look for Dilko." "Stay close by." "Don't go wandering off." "Father!" " Oh!" "I should have known." "Sierge." " You found nothing?" "Nothing left in the traps, just a few bones." "Our friends the wolves stripped them naked." " How are we to eat?" " The great hunter will feed us." "Here, make some soup out of this." " The children are hungry." " Calm down." "Just wait for Dorakas to get here." "Find the chief." "Run." " Are you walking downhill?" " What?" "Yeah." "I'd rather hike than ski on a morning as lovely as this is." "Especially as I can't keep up with young Sierge." " The traps were empty." "Wolves." " Every one?" "That's not all." "Sierge spotted signs of Darffot." "Are you certain?" " What's Darffot?" " Everyone knows he's..." "The true name of Darffot cannot be spoken, not now." " Why?" " Do you want to bring us bad luck?" "We'd better tell Raste this." "Come on." " They're going to hunt down Darffot." " You shouldn't lie." " Is it true what you're saying?" " Yes, it's true." " How far is he?" " Maybe next time, Orbes." "We can manage without you." " Raste!" " Sierge holds the spear on this hunt." "You can come along when that spear of yours learns to find its mark." "You are ours at last, great Darffot." "My village will devour your flesh with reverence." "Your great heart and the spirit burning in it belong to Raste now." " Where's the one who got the bear?" " Don't even ask." "Raste won't be showing his face in camp for a few days." " Why not?" " Raste killed the dreaded Darffot." "He's acquired a fearsome magic deadly to the rest of us." "His very glance could blind you." "For that reason he must hide himself from others." "Only with this can you look at his eyes." "This ring will force out the evil in his gaze that is death,   and let in the power of life." "Tchudes..." "They killed..." "What are you trying to say?" "Tchudes." "He said Tchudes." "Sahve, find Raste." "I'll remove the arrow." "See that no one comes in." "Hurry now." " Are they coming this way?" " We must find out what happened." "Hitch up the reindeer." "Get the sleds ready." "Put the children on the first sled." "All of us are to stay together, do you hear?" "Put out those fires." "Sahve, wash his face." "He'll be waking soon." "His arm will be all right." "He must use it, work with it." "If it's going to get stronger that's very important." "Don't be scared, you're safe from any danger." " Did you take the arrow out?" " Thank Raste for that." "He's our noaidi, our pathfinder." "Raste." " Why do they attack us?" " Such is our fate, I suppose." "Are you rested enough to tell me what happened?" "They... killed all of my family." "My parents." "Even my little sister." "Tchudes?" "Where are they now?" "Where did you last see these people?" "Out across the ice, by the lake." "If the lad's right, they're not far away." " Are there a lot?" " Ten." " More like 15 or more." " Pretty stiff odds." "I had some skis." "They had none." "They'll be trying to track you." " I shook them off." "I'm sure." " Sure!" "We have women and children here." "If you've led them to us..." "He was badly hurt." "He had no choice." " Come, he must rest." " I hid my tracks." "Do you want gratitude?" "This is yours." "We're packing up." " We're making a break for the coast." " Why?" "We'll be safe there." "What would you do in our place?" "I would stay." "Were it my village, I'd defend it." "You're mad." "We're not warriors." "They'll catch up to us." "Then we'll have to fight." "The village will be slaughtered down to the last child." "They make wolves seem like angels." "His blood is here." " Let go of me." " Where are you going?" " To the coast." " We're all going together." " I'm leaving." " Not till we're all packed and ready." " Is there a longbow I can use?" " That might be hasty." "I ought to try and strengthen my arm." " You ought to rest." " I am rested." "Here." "That bow is a little weak." " I'm staying here." " You're coming with us." "You'd better hurry, before it gets dark." " I say we fight." " We have women and children." " I'm not running away." " Wait." " The village must keep together." " There's no time to waste." " We can't leave yet." " What's the delay?" " Our young visitor refuses to leave." " The brat?" "I'll take care of him." "Come on." "What are you doing?" "Let him go." "Tie him up." " We can't run away." " We have families to protect." " The men should fight." " You are a fool." " Do I have to tie you up, too?" " Try it." "I've wasted enough time on you." " He'll be all right." " Get him on the sled." " Was that necessary?" " Should I have let him stop us?" " You were too hard on the boy." " This isn't a game." "Exactly." "Our lives are worth fighting for." "Have you all gone insane?" "What do you think these arrows are for?" "Rabbits?" "They're weapons for killing men." "That's what the Tchudes do." "The Tchudes are trained killers, we're not." "Sierge is right." "We must leave while there is still time." " You're running away, too?" " We can't fight all of them." "The rest of you get started." "We'll meet at the pass." "I want to stay behind." "You're not one to run and hide, but you must come with us." " I can't do that." " But they're coming for you." " What happens when they get here?" " I don't want it to happen to you." " The nights are getting colder." " And darker." "All the better to hide me from them." "We'll meet again." "I can feel it." " What name do you go by?" " Aigin." "Aigin..." "My name is Sahve." "Sahve!" "Brother..." "Aigin." "Here, boy, I've got another bone for you." " Were you sleeping?" " I wish that I could." "Why can't you?" "Scared of the dark?" "At daybreak, head for the coast." "There are other villages there." "Not for me, I have no village." "Your mind is clouded with thoughts of revenge." "You must remember, we are all but parts of the whole." "We are children in a greater family." "The Tchudes have forgotten this." "Don't you forget it." "My family is dead." "I am all alone." "You may feel that way, but you are bound up in the greater family." "You are not free, unshakable bonds hold you to us." "How do I trust something that can't be seen?" " Look up there." "What do you see?" " Only the tent." "But what is there between you and the wall of the tent?" " You mean there's something there?" " You see nothing?" "No." "You still can't see it?" "But now you can feel that something is there." "You can't see it in the air, but your very existence is tied to it." "In this way all things are bound together, intertwined." "No man can ever tear himself apart from the whole." "But it can happen that he loses sight of the whole." "When he does, he is like the Tchudes." "Men who have lost the path." "They stumble blindly towards self-destruction." "Listen, and remember what I say:" "This morning, I saw the reindeer bull for the third time in my life." "The first time I saw it, I was your age." "Then once again, in the prime of my years." "Today, I am old." "The reindeer has come for the last time." "But what does it mean, Raste?" "Raste?" "Raste!" " You're an early riser." " I hadn't expected to see you." "We changed our minds." "We'll help you find that pack of wolves." "If we follow the track you left, it'll lead us to the Tchudes." " Let's go then." " Wait." "Take this." " It's better than that one." " All right." " You're sure it's this way?" " Yes, I'm sure." " There's a set of tracks here." " I didn't go that way." " Whose tracks are they then?" " Wait here." "I don't like it." "I've hunted wolves before, but not like this." "I only wish it were wolves we were hunting." "I'm wondering which of us is the hunter." "Hurry!" "Orbes!" "Over there." "Watch out!" "Behind us." "Behind you." "Listen, I think you can get away if you can reach the forest." "Try to catch up with the others." "Reach the coast and warn the village." "Tell them that the Tchudes are on their way." "It was you who made those tracks, trying to cover our trail." "Take the drum with you." "Sneak out while I distract them here." " Raste..." " Hurry." "Where are the others?" "You will lead us to them." "Help us, or this will happen to you." "Stop!" "I will lead you to the village, if you'll let Raste live." "Once we have the others, you may return here and let your friend go." "We thought we'd give you a little surprise." "We didn't expect you." " Where are all the men?" " They went hunting yesterday." "They'll be back in a few days." "You'll stay, we'll have a nice visit." "What is it?" "What's wrong?" "Some went that way." "The rest went over the ridge." "You two go that way." "You follow the others on this route." " When will the Tchudes get here?" " Not for at least two days." "Following our trail on foot will take them two days at least." "The shortcut through the mountain, what if they find it?" "They don't know this country." "They'd never find the pass." "They'd never find their way down." "A bird could make a nest out of that." " A good soak will set it right." " Hot water won't help that." "A sauna is what you need." "I'm ready for a sauna." "I'll light the fire then." " We'll see more from the crest." " It'll be dark soon." " What is it?" " The boy shouldn't be out there." " Why?" " He's bad luck." " Come on." " No, I'll stay." "All you'll find up here are the spirits of the mountain." "Spirits?" "It's not spirits we have to fear." "Go to sleep in there." "Your little hand is cold." "How is this little hand?" "I was looking at the mountain, and there was a flash of light." "Where?" " Are you sure you saw something?" " Yes." "I think it was as sign from the heavens." "Are you waiting for a lover to come off the mountain?" "Such as who?" "Maybe the spirits are warning you." "So you'll have time to make yourself beautiful before he gets here." "Wait." "You'll never find your way out." "There's only one way down and I'm the only one who can find it." "What's that for?" "It's treacherous." "We'll have to tie ourselves together." "I've gone to heaven." "This poor fellow is so hot, I can melt snow on his head." "They're coming through the pass!" "The boy is leading them here." "I knew we should never have trusted that devil." " Aigin wouldn't lead them." " They're coming, that's what matters." "The women and children have got to get away from here." " We've got to get our weapons." " How can we hope to stop them?" "We could delay them, and I know which one I'm going to kill first." " They didn't have a chance." " The lad hadn't a chance, either." " But he did it." " Yes, for us." "He killed our enemies to protect us, but in doing so died." "Let there be a place in our hearts for him forever." "The Tchudes are buried up there on the mountain." "They won't bother you again." "But Raste..." "He gave me this." "You've lost your pathfinder." "But on the other hand, we've gained one."