Rite of Merit - Fellowship

  The winter morning skies were clear with the sun rising slowly from the East with sparse clouds moving just as sluggishly across the pale blue skies. The last flocks of geese, late for their migration period, were flying in their typical V-formation across the skies.

  Far below, where the rolling hills and fields were covered in a thick layer of snow that glittered beneath the sun’s rays, Solomon was accompanied by two others and a gathering of humans carrying rods and ropes with gnarly hooks dangling and swaying as they walked.

  As Anit was a Toki she struggled to get through the more deeper parts of the snow as they travelled. Not that it bothered her; her boundless energy allowed her to keep up with Solomon and the other Tokota, Domitius, who was a little behind everyone else.

  Solomon was taking the lead of the travelling group with his handler sitting on the saddle upon his back with her hand covering her eyes to shield them from the glittering light the snow-covered fields gave off from the shining sun.

  Solomon, Domitius and Anit had joined up with the travelling group to go to the frozen wastelands of what used to be an ocean before a thick layer of ice grew over it. It was only during this time where the locals could go out onto the frozen ocean and fish; chipping away at the ice until a hole was formed that they could put their fishing lines through and wait to catch something.

  It wasn’t a safe expedition, however, and was the sole reason the three Tokotas were there. Though when the fishing expedition had seen Anit they had been more than a little worried on how a Toki could be of any help to them should something devastating happen.

  “We’re almost there,” one of the men of the expedition called out, pointing towards the dip in the hills where a thin stretch of rocky beaches separated the ocean from the grasslands.

  Dahlia patted Solomon’s neck and then looked behind her towards the rest of the expedition. None of them seemed happy though at the same time they didn’t look disappointed, either. Though it was hard to tell when the majority of their faces were covered by thick linen scarves and furred hoods.

  Anit bounded through the snow, jumping and leaping over the heaping piles that threatened to swallow her whole. A few times she had to shake her head to clear the snow from her ears and top of her head. She looked towards Domitius and grinned at him, hoping that her snow-speckled coat would make him smile.

  He only looked to her with slight confusion before he turned his head away to look forward and towards the frozen ocean. “Is this safe?”

  “It should be; apparently these folks have been doing it for generations.”

  “Then why tag along with them? If nothing bad happens—”

  Anit opened her mouth to butt in herself and correct him, though the piebald Tokota got there first.

  “There were a few occasions where they ventured too far where the ice had thinned out. Once they cut at the ice it collapsed. They lost three people – one was a mother.” Solomon glanced back at them and then looked around at the expedition. “You won’t find any parents on these expeditions. Or old people; just volunteers.”

  Domitius lowered his ears and nodded slowly. “Oh.”

  “Don’t worry; we’re here to make sure no one dies.” Anit smiled, once again trying to make the sombre Tokota a little more cheery. “They know the risks so they often ask for help from Tokotas looking to do their Rites. If anything bad does happen it’s our job to make sure they get home safely.”

  The downcast expression that once pulled Domitius’ face down now straightened and his eyes seemed to take on a more serious gleam.

  Anit didn’t have to jump through the snow for very long and was able to walk and trot alongside her companions and the expedition with ease.

  The leading men of the expedition wandered forward; holding a hand out to stop Dahlia and Solomon and wandered onto the beach first. The snow was thin here; a light dusting that often got picked up and carried off, sometimes onto the ice covering the ocean.

  Solomon, Domitius and Anit stood on the beach with the rest of the expedition, watching as the three fishermen wandered onto the frozen ocean with careful steps, hitting the solid surface with their spears and the soles of their furred boots.

  When a noise echoed around them they moved away, marking the ice with a single line with a knife as if to say “not here” and moved on.

  “What are they doing?” Dahlia asked.

  “Checking the ice for a path. They mark where not to go and keep going. Then, we follow their path and start fishing.” The man who answered then looked to her and the three Tokotas. “You will follow behind.”

  Dahlia nodded and glanced at Anit and Domitius who were standing just a little behind her and Solomon and watching with a curious and confused expression.

  The expedition began to move slowly and in a single line, following the path that the other three had taken to get to the area where the ocean opened up and would be a more ideal location to start fishing.

  When they were motioned to follow along, Anit and Domitius followed Solomon in a single file down the same path with slow movements.

  Even Anit was walking slowly and being careful with her footing.

  Up ahead, the expedition had reached the dropping point where the deep waters of the ocean lay beneath them. A circle was marked and they took it in turns to chip and carve into the ice to make a circular hole, using wooden spoons to scoop out the shards of ice of the hole as they dug into it. When it got too deep they used their spears to cut and carve the rest of the way until they breached the bottom of the ice; water bursting from the hole like boiling water before settling.

  The fishing expedition split off into groups; each one taking their time to create a safe passage to the next fishing site.

  For a moment all seemed to go well; three fishing sites had been set and they had started dipping their weights hooks down into the holes to start fishing. Solomon, Anit and Domitius listened to the fisherman mumble and converse with one another to pass the time while they waited for fish to take the bait.

  But the silence was suddenly broken by the sounds of the ice cracking and groaning and all eyes turned to the fourth fishing team that had started chiselling away at the ice to start fishing.

  “Mamot!” One of the men closest shouted and stood up with fear evident on his face.

  The ice that had deceived the group caved in with a blood-chilling crunch; the sheets of ice flipping upwards from the weight when the ice broke off from the more thicker pieces.

  Dahlia jumped down from Solomons back, pulled his saddle from his back and slapped his rear with a thick gloved hand. “Move!”

  Anit was the first to run forward towards the fishing team that had been swallowed by the dark waters, her tiny claws scrabbling along the ice before she leapt and dived into the icy chilly waters. Her muscles went to freeze up at just how cold the waters were but she forced them to relax and dived into the depths to grab the nearest fisherman.

  Right after her was Domitius and Solomon who jumped into the depths after the fishermen that weren’t managing to swim to the surface.

  Dahlia put the saddle down and ran with the other fishermen to the break in the ice. Watching a few of them suddenly fall to the floor and drag their body across the ice to disperse their weight and avoid breaking the ice or becoming a casualty themselves.

  Any of the fishermen that were managing to tread water was pulled out and onto the ice. When Anit breached the surface with one of the fisherman both she and the fisherman was dragged to the surface. Anit had to be held down to stop her from diving back into the water as the fishermen were worried about her small form diving too deep to go after the remainder of the fishing team.

  Domitius breached the water and the fisherman he held in his jaws was pulled from his grasp and dragged onto the ice before he dived back down.

  Solomon was next to break through the surface with his own rescued fisherman and went back for the last fisherman.

  Dahlia watched the dark churning waters for the safe return of Solomon and Domitius and chewed at her top lip from anxiety.

  Anit had been dragged away from the break in the ice with the fisherman that had been recovered back to dry land before they were put on the snow and had their drenched bodies covered in snow. She laid on the snow, held down by the other fishermen and waited for Solomon and Domitius to return to the surface, whining for the fishermen to let her go so she could help.

  When Domitius reached the surface with the second to last fisherman they were both pulled to the surface. The fishermen had to push Domitius on the ground on his side so that they could slide him back to the surface so that they could cover him and his rescued fisherman in snow.

  “Come on, Solomon,” Dahlia muttered, wringing her hands together while her eyes scanned the dark and churning waters. “Solomon!”

  The fishermen waiting got ready to grab Solomon and the last fisherman when they saw his white coat coming close to the surface. Dahlia was there with them, grabbing his mane and pulling him out of the freezing depths and onto the thick ice.

  “Stay, stay,” she muttered to him when he tried to roll onto his belly and placed a hand on his chest to keep him on his side and followed him to dry land.

  Anit was finally allowed to get to her paws and run towards Domitius and Solomon when they were close enough to land. “Are you two OK?” She asked, jumping between the two.

  “Freezing,” Solomon said with chattering teeth and sore legs.

  “Wet.”

  “Brace yourselves; it will get worse,” she warned them when they were put on the snow and then almost buried.

  Solomon growled at the stinging and burning sensation the snow had and push himself to his paws.

  “Are they going to be OK?” Domitius asked when he looked at the fishermen they had rescued. A few of which were considered critical from how long they spent in the water with a lack of oxygen.

  Solomon looked to his handler and lowered his ears a little at her.

  “They’ll be fine. You did well.” Dahlia stroked his head and rubbed some more snow on his legs and mane.

  “We will keep fishing,” Dahlia was suddenly told. “But we won’t take as long as before. We leave when the sun starts to drop; before the cold gets worse.”

  Dahlia nodded. “I hope you catch enough fish.”

  “Thank you for saving my people.” The leader of the expedition said to the three snow-covered Tokotas and bowed his head as a sign of respect before he and a few others went back onto the ice and to the fishing sites that were still safe enough for them to fish at.