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Chapter 3

Excitement gave Ella a new energy and she pushed the dogs on. They ran faster, their harness creaking and their paws crunching in the fresh snow. The forest was further away than it looked and for a while Ella thought they would never reach it, but eventually they drew close enough to see inside. Suddenly Ella wished there was another route to follow. The forest looked dark and uninviting. What if polar bears were sheltering in there? The dogs hesitated, sensing Ella’s nervousness.

Bravely she urged them on, calling, “Hike.”

They entered the trees and Ella slowed the dogs to a walk. It was an eerie place to make a camp. The forest seemed too quiet. There was none of the rustling of unseen creatures like there was in the Country Park near Ella’s home. Hoping that she would be able to find her way back, Ella steered the dogs deeper. A little while later she heard an unfamiliar noise. Ella suppressed a shiver. Whatever was going on?

“Whoa,” she whispered.

The dogs stopped immediately, ears pricked waiting for their next command.

Acer threw back his head, his whiskers twitching as he sniffed the air.

“I can hear a machine. And I can smell smoke,” said Ella quietly. “We must be nearly at the camp.”

She climbed off the sled saying, “Wait here while I take a closer look.”

“Be careful,” Acer warned her.

Swallowing back her nerves Ella crept through the trees. Soon she heard voices – a man and a lady, both with strong Canadian accents, were talking earnestly. Using the trees for cover Ella crept closer until she reached the edge of a clearing and stopped in surprise. She’d stumbled upon a camp consisting of several sturdy tents, three snowmobiles and a large amount of machinery. Her eyes widened as she took it all in. There were cylinders, pipes, a small generator and a large red machine that looked like a portable drill. It was the drill that was making the noise. Ella stared at it for ages, but she couldn’t work out what it was drilling for. In one corner of the camp were several wooden boxes, all identical to the one Ella had found. One box was open and inside was a mountain of cooking utensils and tins of food. The man and the lady were still talking, sitting round a camp fire clutching mugs. Ella listened to them for a bit, but the conversation didn’t make any sense as it was full of unfamiliar words that she guessed must be connected to the machinery. But at least she’d found out who owned the crate. Ella guessed it contained supplies and it had obviously fallen from the vehicle that had transported all the other things here. Eager to share her news with the Starlight Snowdogs she made her way back to her sled.

“What will you do now?” asked Acer, when Ella finished telling him what she’d discovered.

Ella thought about it. She didn’t want the drilling team to know she was there in case they asked awkward questions. No one had actually said that the Starlight Snowdogs were a secret, but instinctively Ella knew they were.

“I know,” she said at last. “I’ll leave the crate on the edge of the camp for the people to find.”

“Won’t they wonder how it got there?” piped up Blue.

“They’ll probably think that’s where they lost it,” said Ella.

“What are they doing?” asked Honey curiously.

“They’re drilling for something.” Ella wished she knew what. The hidden camp had made her feel uneasy. “Acer, how far can you take the sled without being heard?”

“Right up to the clearing,” said Acer confidently.

“Let’s go,” said Ella, leading the way.

On silent paws the dogs stepped forward, pulling the sled behind them. At the edge of the clearing Ella put up her hand for them to stop. Once more she leant over the crate and cleared her mind of everything else.

I can do this, she told herself.

Blue was watching Ella and tilted his head in encouragement. Ella smiled back. Her confidence was so strong that she lifted the box as easily as if it was a box of tissues. She put it on the ground, then stood back. She was hot with exertion and unzipped her coat a short way, welcoming the feel of the chilly air on her neck. The dogs watched her expectantly, waiting for their next command. Silently Ella pointed back the way they’d come. There wasn’t much room to turn, but with a few shunts they managed it and, once the sled was facing in the right direction, Ella climbed on to its runners with her hands resting on the driving bow. No one spoke until they were out of the forest and back in the open.

The weak autumn sunlight reflected off the snow, dazzling Ella. She screwed up her eyes and called, “Easy,” to the dogs, who immediately slowed down.

Ella was pleased she’d found the crate’s owners, but a niggling feeling told her that her task wasn’t over. Her initial surprise and unease at finding a drilling camp in the middle of nowhere had now turned to suspicion. Exactly what were the people looking for and how would their activities affect the Arctic wildlife? There was one person Ella knew who might have the answers to her questions.

“Acer,” she called. “Can we go to Port Nanuk? I want to talk to Saskia.”

“Yes, of course,” said Acer.

Ella guided the sled back the way they’d come and although the tracks she’d followed earlier had been wiped out with fresh snow she recognised certain landmarks. There was the coniferous, Y-shaped tree, the three trees huddled together like gossiping friends and the gently sloping hill. The dogs were panting as they reached the top and Ella called them to a halt to let them catch their breath. There was an amazing view from up here. A bubbling feeling rose in Ella’s stomach as she stared at the brilliant white world stretching before her. It was so beautiful and so unspoilt. Leading the Starlight Snowdogs and exper iencing this wild landscape was the most wonderful thing ever. For a split second Ella wished that Isabel was there to share it with her too. But at least she had Saskia. Ella couldn’t wait to see her new friend again. Gathering up the gangline she prepared to send the dogs forward, but before she could, something caught her eye. A long dark line that from this distance resembled marching ants was heading towards the river from the opposite direction. Ella stared in fascination until the ant-like figures grew large enough to make out.

“Caribou!” she exclaimed in wonder. There were so many it was almost impossible to tell where one ended and the next began.

“Where are they going?” Ella asked.

“They’re moving to their winter ground,” Acer explained. “In the summer they live in the north where the mosquitoes are fewer and there’s a plentiful supply of lichen for their newborn calves. In the winter they return to the south, where the climate is milder and there is a fresh supply of food.”

The herd moved steadily towards the river in an orderly line. The adults were easy to spot with their enormous velvety antlers. The calves were much smaller and their growing antlers resembled twigs. Ella had never seen such an enormous herd of animals and was so impressed she stood staring at the caribou as they calmly picked their way towards the river. It was a complete surprise when, without faltering, the lead animals waded into the water and, thrusting their heads forward, began to swim. The river was fast flowing, carrying chunks of ice that clunked against each other. The caribou didn’t swim straight across it. Instead they snaked their way to the opposite bank, making wide serpentine loops. Ella held her breath, fearful that they wouldn’t make the journey safely.

“Why are they swimming like that?” she asked. “Won’t it take longer to cross?”

Bandit sniggered and Acer gave him a low warning growl before answering.

“The current makes it impossible to swim in a straight line.”

“Of course,” said Ella, feeling slightly silly.

All she could see of the swimming caribou were their thrusting heads and occasionally their stumpy tails bobbing in the water as they struck out for the opposite bank. There seemed no end to the herd. As more animals launched themselves into the water there were others filling their place on the land. Ella’s eyes flickered from the caribou swimming in the semi-frozen river to the long line of animals still crossing the snow-covered land to reach it. There were hundreds of caribou ranging from the very young to the very old. It seemed a long while before the first swimmers approached the shore. Nimbly they scrambled out of the river, picking their way across the rocks and continuing their journey on land like an unstoppable army.

“Lucky they’re going the opposite way to us,” said Ella half to herself. It was going to take ages for the whole herd to be clear of the river and she was getting cold. She wriggled her fingers inside her padded gloves and then wiggled her toes, but even though she was wearing cosy thick socks her feet still felt numb.

“Hike,” she said reluctantly, knowing if she stayed where she was she would freeze.

Eagerly the dogs moved forward. Acer and Honey needed little guidance as they sure-footedly made their way down the hill, Ella struggling to tear her eyes away from the spectacular sight of the migrating caribou. Soft grunts rang out in the distance, until a sudden bellow made Ella twist her head in surprise.

“No!” she gasped.

A young caribou was being swept away by the river. Eyes rolling with fright, it frantically kicked at the icy water. With heart-wrenching bellows its mother swam after it. The rest of the herd ignored the drama and continued on their way, elegantly rising from the water as they reached the shore and tiptoeing across the rocks. Ella gathered up the gangline. There was no way she could watch the calf drown. She had to rescue it.