"Excuse me Grandma Chrys," I mind-spoke back, "they didn't kill the Amorak did they?"

"Oh no, the Thule people were equipped to hunt whales, but not Amorak's. They would not exist today, if they went down that road."

"Wait!" Freck was anxious to say somethin'. "I think I can hear mind-speaking . . . She tilted her head the way people do when tryin' to hear better.

"Can you understand it?" Grandma Chris asked.

"No, it's gibberish." She listened harder. I could almost see her eardrums pokin' out. "Oooh . . . some of the words are startin' ta make sense. There's a voice tellin' the others 'bout his friend's death."

Outside, not too far away, rose a warblin' wail much louder than the shriekin' wind. It was a sorrowful grievin' sound. Infectious as a yawn that sympathetic feelin' of grief surrounded me like a dense fog. I had touched the Amorak collective mind too. It was as if their loss was personal to me. The overwhelmin' feelin' was familiar. I experienced it before when my dog Bitzi was killed. There was a heavy pain in my chest. I could barely move. I was wadin' neck deep in emotional waters. My inner ears were poundin' like a bass drum. I telegraphed, "Is anyone else feelin' the same overpowerin' sadness?"

Grandma Chris was silent, but Freck choked out, "I feel just like I lost a close member of my family. It's horrible."

Gee agreed.

Outside the moanin' intensified. The sorrow we were experiencin' added to the pack's. Nini looked confused. She said, "What's happing with you three? You are starting to freak me out."

Gee had more of his wits about him. He answered her, "We are caught up in their emotion of mourning. It is suffocating. Do you not feel it?

She couldn't, and neither could Grandma Chrys. I looked around at Nini's staff and Traci Banks. None of them seemed affected by it either. Lucky us.

"We feel the pain of your sorrow." Gee mind-spoke to our captive. The moanin' ceased while the Amorak listened to him. "My name is Gee of the Keepers of Knowledge. I did not intend to create an enclosure that would cause the death of your friend. I am truly sorry. What can I do to make amends?"

He was so contrite I was sure they would be forgiven. Apparently forgiveness doesn't come easy to the Amorak. By then I was beginnin' to understand their words too. Freck was quicker, but I wasn't that far behind. What I heard was a cry for vengeance. Their profound sorrow was turnin' inta anger.

Gee mind-messaged all of them, "Please do not give into your outrage. If you come against us we will be forced to fight back. More will die. Trying to avenge one life by sacrificing others is not the answer."

A booming' voice was heard above the storm, "We have done nothing to harm you and yet you murdered our brother!" At this there were earth shakin' roars of agreement.

Gee responded, "We caged your scout to prevent any more slaughter of our livestock. Also, we needed a little time to learn something about your clan. By the intelligence you revealed in your rescue attempt, we have gained great respect for you. The power was cut to the barn so you obviously know something about electricity. What you didn't understand was that the enclosure's electric power came from a totally different source. The iron rods carried a high charge because we were afraid of your strength. We did not know how high of voltage was necessary to protect us. He must have believed that since the lights were off the cage was safe to touch. He grabbed hold of the bars in an attempt to bend them open. His mighty grip sent the current surging through him. There was nothing I could do. It happened too fast."

The same determined voice speaking in their native language was heard again louder than the now raging blizzard. "My name is Roth, leader of the survival hunters. Gee of the Keepers of Knowledge, how is it that we hear you in our heads?"

"I am unable to speak verbally, so I form words in my mind and direct them into yours." Gee answered him. "Roth, what are you and your fellows called?"

It seemed that this exchange of information was dampening the anger some. Whatever they were--Abominable Snowmen, Yeti, or Amoraks, they were not dumb animals. They could reason and think.

"We are known simply as The Family."

We heard whispered assents, "The Family evermore." It sounded like a congregation sayin' amen at the end of a church prayer.

The Family members appeared so horribly frightenin' with their red eyes, tusks, and long claws, but you cain't always tell by looks. Are they peace lovin', or was it a trap to lure us into droppin' our defenses? I heard my grandmother's voice say, "Be careful, ya don' wanna get stuck with no wooden nickels." I decided ta wait and see. Trust's gotta be earned.

▫️▫️▫️

Gee addressed them again, "We would like to prove our sincerity by releasing your captive brother, and allow you to reclaim your dead. Would you Roth, and all the Family, accept a truce?"

I mentally overheard them speakin' among themselves. Some still insisted on vengeance. Others urged caution. The final decision was apparently up to Roth. For awhile the only thing we heard was the screamin' wind.

At last he boomed loudly like he was hollerin' through a megaphone, "Gee of the Keepers of Knowledge. To accept your apology we need something more. It has been a long journey. We are starving. In our land there was a big shake of the ice. It destroyed much, including our food supplies. Most of it fell through cracks and into the waters. Hunger drove us here. Could you spare some of what you call livestock?"

"The animals are not mine to give, but I am certain that under the circumstances our people will willingly share."

"Gee of the Keepers of Knowledge we will give you time to confer with your people. Please make it quick. I do not know how long I can hold the Family in check."

"How many do you require?" Gee asked.

After a pause, Roth answered, "Five hundred of what you call livestock. We will eat some now for strength. As for the rest of the livestock we will drive them back to our famished Family. This will tide us over, and strengthen us enough to rebuild our sanctuary in the far north."

"Five hundred is a lot. This is a small community. That amount would seriously damage their ability to survive. Many of these humans would rather fight than starve. It is a choice I cannot make for them, even if I could. It will take a few days of discussion. In the meantime, what do you need to satisfy your immediate hunger?"

"Six will be more than adequate to last three days. Will that be enough time, Gee of the Keepers of Knowledge?"

Six, I thought, there must be many more Amorak out there in the storm. Probably more than we could possibly defend ourselves against.

Gee mind-spoke to Nini, "We have rough terms for a truce."

Nini stiffened as if expecting bad news. "What do they want? How do we know we can trust them?" She had to ask because she didn't understand Amorak, and neither did Grandma Chrys. It was unnerving to discover that we had an ability that the Grand Keeper didn't have.

"The answer to your first question is food. They are hungry—nearly starving. The trade is livestock for peace. They need six large animals, cattle, reindeer, or horses, immediately. Can you spare them? Then they asked us to provide them with 500 more to take back to their people."

Whatever bad news she was expecting, it surely warn't this. Her face got red and stormy like she'd been slapped with a half-frozen cod. "500 plus 6," Nini was almost shoutin', "How are we supposed to supply them? That would take my entire herd and those of 20 other farms! The citizens of Nuuk will not stand for it!"

"Would you rather see your friends and neighbors massacred? If forced to—they will attack—and take what they need anyway."

Nini sunk into her leather couch and held her head in her hands. She knew Gee was right. Even though her friends had modern weapons like shotguns and rifles, it wouldn't be enough to fend them off. Not for long.

"Nini," Gee spoke softly, "They are starving and will surely die if we do not help them. Would you like to have their deaths on your conscience?"

"Gardener no!"

"The problem is, dear Nini, that it will be up to you to convince your people. It is a difficult task...and you have only three days to do it."

She sat starin' at the hardwood floor. She was tryin', I was sure, to find a way out of this dilemma. Neither Freck or me intruded on her mental privacy. We really didn't want ta hear what she was thinkin'. Mournfully she  sighed, "What did the ancient Thule do?"

"I can answer that." It was Grandma Chrys again. She had told us the solution was simple. It turned out ta be true. "Present them with a whale. Make it the biggest one you can find. That is what the Thule did."

"Of course!" We all said at once. A whale should tide them over nicely.

Gee contacted Roth, to ask if it was okay to substitute whale for livestock. The Amorak agreed, but asked for two bowheads rather than just one. They liked the idea of whale, it would be much easier for them to sled the beasts over the ice sheet than to drive 500 head of cattle. Who knew how many would survive the crossing?

▫️▫️▫️

We had our three days grace. Nini provided six head of cattle, and two Amorak were allowed inta the barn. Gee removed the cage to release the prisoner. Then they left carrying' their dead with them. At all times they treated  the body with solemn honor. It was touchin' ta watch, like a military funeral, but without the 21 gun salute.

Before they left we took several photographs of 'em and pictures of the mangled mare. There wouldn't be no way for Nini ta convince the population without some kinda proof.

We had evidence, but would anyone believe it? Maybe they would think it was staged. Everyone knows photos can be doctored.

Because of Nini's nearly panicked intensity, the Nuuk city counsel called an emergency meetin'. Freck, Captain Haskins, and I accompanied Nini. We were there to back her up as eyewitnesses.

The chairman opened the meetin' and called Nini to the podium. There was a stenographer clackin' away on her little machine to record every spoken word. It was obvious they took this matter very seriously, but except for the council and us, the room was nearly empty. I counted five others scattered 'round the room seated on grey, metal foldin' chairs. One appeared to be a listless journalist. He reeked of boredom. He wouldn't be bored for long, I reckoned. The handful of observers were probably regulars who attended every council meetin' like crows circlin' roadkill.

It appeared that Nini was a person of some stature in the community. I'll bet Johnny ol' average citizen couldn't cause them to convene an emergency meetin'. Nini was, of course, keeper tall, which put her at least a head taller than everyone else in the room. She made an imposing figure as she walked to the front. She loosened the nut on the microphone stand and pulled the cradle up to reach her height. The first thing she did was express a heartfelt thank you. Then she began to tell the story from the beginnin'. "I am sure you are aware of the extreme panic in our animals over this last week . . . "

Thin lipped Councilman Olsen interrupted, "Ya can say that again," in a whiny kind of voice. "I doubt anyone had a good nights sleep until last night."

"That is why I requested this meeting. Me, and a few of my friends, discovered the reason just last evening. We can stop it from happening again, but we have to act very quickly."

There was a small clamor as three councilmen tried to speak at the exact same time. It was followed by excuse me's and you go first's. When it was settled, Councilwoman Peterson, pinched her brows together, making her look like the eagle on our school's flag. Her intensity made me shiver. She leaned forward, and spoke deliberately into her microphone, "What did you find was the source of the disturbance?"

"I am coming to that," Nini said. "It is a good thing you are all sitting down because this is going to come as quite a shock." She paused and cleared her throat. I noticed her right foot tapping nervously. "Before I tell you and before you dismiss me as crazy, I can support my claims. I brought photo evidence and eyewitnesses." She cleared her throat again and gripped the podium hard enough to make her knuckles white. "Amoraks."

"Amoraks!?" A hubbub broke out on the dais and and between the groupie observers. Someone shouted, "You're crazy!"

"That's just a fairytale."

"What do yo take us for gullible children?"

The chairman whacked his gavel repeatedly as he demanded order.

Nini spoke louder as she raised her hand with the photos taken in the barn. "May I approach?"

The chairman nodded yes. She handed him the pictures. You could hear gasps as each of them reviewed the small sheaf of photographic evidence.

"Who took these?"

"How do you know they aren't fakes?"

"Is this some kind of hoax?"

Nini asserted, "I assure you that they are real. They were taken in my barn in my presence. These three eyewitnesses can attest to the truth of what I say." She turned around and motioned that we should stand.

"Okay," The chairman spoke, "let's hear from the witnesses. You sir," He pointed to our captain, "What is your name?"

He drew himself up standin' at full attention, "My name is Major Robert Haskins, US Air Force, retired."

"Major tell us all how you fit into all of this."

In a commandin' voice he reported, "I am the captain of the DC-3 commercial airplane we call Ol' Grizz. We were carrying these two, and their pet on an expedition to the North Pole." Freck and I nodded in agreement. "Nukk was a pre-scheduled stop for refueling and rest.

"Immediately upon exiting the plane we were assaulted by a cacophony of gawd-awful howls and screams from terrified animals. I have never heard the like. It turned my blood cold.

Nini here introduced herself to us, then invited us to her cabin for dinner. She appeared frightened but was hospitable, nonetheless. After dinner I, along with our copilot and navigator, returned to Ol' Grizz to make sure she was inspected, refueled, and prepped for the morning take off. On our return we heard a big rukus coming from the barn. I sent the other two back to the cabin and went by myself to investigate. "

". . . And what did you see?"

"I saw an enormous, bloodied, shaggy white creature with tusks, red eyes, and claws that a lion would envy. It was furious. It glared like it wanted nothing better than to rip out our throats. I'm certain only the electrified cage saved us from a murderous attack. You could tell the beast had charged the enclosure once already by the burned fur down its front. "

"Major Haskins, have you ever seen anything like it before?"

"No Chairman Olsen. I've seen a lot of strange things in the world, but this one takes the cake. I figured it could kill a person in at least four different ways. Its long muzzle with razor sharp teeth looked sturdy enough to bite through anything. Its long claws could rip one to shreds. The tusks extending from either side of the muzzle could mortally wound its victims. Finally, the huge arms and barrel chest, would be more than adequate to squeeze the life out of any foe, man or beast."

"Is this a good description of what you children saw?"

"It is." Freck muttered.

"Yes." I said, too nervous ta even look up.

"Can you tell us what happened next Major?"

"I can. All of the lights went out, but I could still hear the hum of electricity surging through the iron bars of the cage. My immediate thought was, whew, thank gawd the beast couldn't escape its confinement. Just then, through the back of the barn, a second monster rushed in. It grabbed the bars like it was going to rip them apart. It was that grip that sealed its death. The charge held it like a magnet. It couldn't release. After a minute of horrible shrieking and wild-eyed convulsing, it fell down. Electrocuted like a convicted murderer."

"Do the other witnesses concur?"

I, still looking at the floor, said, "Yes."

Freck told the council, "I was in the cabin at the time."

"So you did not see this event. How is it that you can testify to the appearance of the beast?"

"I grabbed a flashlight and ran to the barn after the lights went out. Right on my heels was the rest of the crew. I slid through a narrow opening. Have you ever smelled burned fur? It was sickening. The cook, navigator, and one of the medics pushed the heavy door all the way open allowing them to rush in." Her face reddened when she said, "They trained their flashlights on the scene and cursed like drunken sailors."

That brought a chuckle from the council and the observers. "Don't worry, we won't ask you to repeat their words.

"Nini," spoke Chairman Olsen, "just suppose you have convinced us, what would you have us do?"

She carefully responded, "We don't know how many Amorak are out there. They have set terms and given us three days to comply. We were extremely lucky to trap one. If we hadn't they would have overrun the entire city by now."

"Why would they do that?"

"Hunger. The great crash destroyed their homes and food supplies fell through cracks in the ice shelf. They sent out a large hunting party to find and return with meat. It was a scout who broke into the barn and killed my mare. Its capture stalled the attack. They aren't dumb animals. They are intelligent. They demanded six animals to satisfy their immediate hunger, and 500 more to take back to their people. We have only three days, beginning last evening, to give them what they want or they will take it by force.

"We can fight, of course, but how many of us would die defending livestock?"

Almost in unison the council complained very loudly, "Five hundred! In three days! Impossible! We must have more time to convince the population!"

Nini solemnly said, "Getting more time is not an option. They need to return to their people to save all the others from starvation. They will wait no longer, but we have an idea we believe will diffuse the situation without putting undue pressure on our farmers."

The chamber got so quiet you could've heard a fly fart.

She continued, "If we provided them with two Bowheads, that would satisfy their needs. They assured us they would peacefully return to their homes."

"What's to prevent them from making future attacks?"

"The last time a confrontation happened was over one thousand years ago. The Thule people gave them a whale and they never came back. We can assume that they do not want war any more than we do."

"But there's no guarantee, is there?"

"No, there is no guarantee, but what in life is ever guaranteed? We can learn from history, if we choose to."

Chairman Olsen rapped his gavel, "What do you say? Are we willing to accept the evidence of the Amorak's existence?"

The four others said, "Aye."

"Furthermore is it the decision of this council to accept the conditions of their withdrawal, by providing them with whales?"

Again there were four ayes.

The gavel slammed down and the chairman said, "Let's save Nuuk!"