Chapter 16

Ben and Sarah scuttled back into the cave and managed to get some sleep. The first thing Ben did when he awoke was to check on David to make sure he was still all right. He could see the boy was making progress but his speed had slowed quite a bit due to the snow. He had watched David take three days to make it to where he had camped, but with current conditions it would take much longer for him to make it back to his cave - if he made it at all.

Ben's forecast about when his own group would get its first snow proved to be accurate and the first flakes began to fall around the cave by the middle of that afternoon. All six of them gathered to watch it come down - huge thick flakes falling individually like downy feathers. It was light at first but within an hour it was falling heavily and there was already a good inch or two covering the ground by the time of their evening meal.

Darkness fell earlier too, with the grey skies and thick snow blocking out most of the light. The twins decided to have an early night and cooked some venison before banking the fire and wrapping themselves up in their skins.

Ben linked with Sarah and they both zoomed 'out of the cave' to follow David. It was obvious that he hadn't stopped to rest, because he had made good progress. Ben estimated that by travelling through the night and all day, David had narrowed the distance to his cave to around two days of walking.

"Look at him, he's exhausted. He'll end up killing himself if he doesn't try to rest," Ben sent to Sarah.

"Isn't there anything you can do for him?" she asked.

In answer, Sarah felt her view change, as Ben zoomed them up a little and then forward. She wondered what he was doing, but quickly realised his intentions when he found a cave a few miles ahead.

Ben quickly mentally transferred some of the dry wood and tinder from their own cave to this other cave and then took himself and Sarah back to where David was walking agonisingly slowly through the blizzard.

The deep voice Ben used startled Sarah again.

"David, you need to rest and eat something or you aren't going to survive this journey."

David's head had been drooping onto his chest with exhaustion, but at the sound of the voice it snapped up and his eyes focused.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" he demanded.

"I only want to see you survive and make it back to your cave alive. There is a cave about a mile ahead. You'll be able to find it using your torch - it's to the left of the stream and is marked by a huge boulder. Inside you will find dry wood and tinder. Make a fire and get some rest."

They could see David shake his head as if to try to clear the voice he was hearing, but his stride seemed to gain strength and they stayed with him until he found the cave.

The fact that David had built up his strength through days and days of hauling wood and snow to his cave was now paying dividends. He didn't realise that of course - being so tired he could barely think. He did manage to build a fire and then pulled his buffalo skins around him and fell asleep immediately.

Ben woke up several times during the night to add wood to the other boy's fire and just before morning, he zoomed a bowl of steaming hot stew to the cave and set it down beside David.

The smell of something wonderful woke David from a deep sleep. He opened his eyes and saw a steaming bowl of food barely a foot away from him. Struggling to sit up, he snatched the bowl and quickly dug his fork out of the backpack.

He ate so quickly that he was burning the inside of his mouth, but the food tasted so good and the heat it put in his belly was worth the pain. Once the food was finished he put the bowl aside and stood up. A glance at the fire left him surprised that it was still burning well - he had expected it to have burned itself out.

David could see the mouth of the cave and the snow beyond. There were no tracks in the virgin snow and he was left puzzling over how the food had appeared and over who had added wood to his fire.

"I'm sure I heard that voice again last night. If something hadn't directed me to this cave - a cave with dry wood and tinder - I would probably have frozen to death out there.

"Maybe someone up there is looking after me? Now wouldn't that be a turn up for the books? God looks after the sinner, isn't that supposed to be one of the tenets of religion? Redemption? Do I need to make my confession and turn onto the path of righteousness? Is that what this is about? Is my conscience haunting me?

"Of course, I might just be going mad. Still, if someone is watching out for me, the least I can do is try my hardest not to let them down."

The food and the sleep worked wonders and he felt much better as he packed up and prepared himself for another battle through the snows. His heart felt light and he almost considered singing he was so full of happiness. After a few miles of gruelling, energy-sapping slog his spirits were soon sinking again, but the memory of the voice leant him strength.

Ben tuned in to monitor David at regular intervals during the day. He also retrieved the bowl - Elizabeth would definitely notice one was missing. After lunch, he and Sarah bundled up well and made a foray into the woods. He was keen to cut enough saplings to try to make some snowshoes and that would need to be done before the snow got much thicker on the ground.

While they were in the woods, Ben checked on David again and Sarah heard him curse.

"Shit!"

"What is it?" she asked.

"He's in trouble - a wolf."

Sarah grabbed her pouch in her hand and rushed to stand beside Ben. She was instantly able to see what he was seeing and she gasped at the picture.

David was stubbornly trudging through the snow, his head down to avoid the worst of the wind blowing directly into his face, his spear helping him along. Behind him, no more than twenty yards away, a solitary wolf was following. It looked thin and wasted, but the hungry look on its face left no doubt as to what it intended.

"You have to warn him! You have to do something!"

"DAVID DROP THE PACK AND BUFFALO SKIN IMMEDIATELY! THERE'S A WOLF ABOUT TO ATTACK AND YOU NEED TO USE YOUR SPEAR!"

The fact that David immediately complied was a measure perhaps of just how conditioned he was becoming to the voice. Ben sent a little extra push of control and that helped too. David shrugged off his backpack and was just dropping the skins when the wolf started to race towards him.

Ben could see that David would be too slow to turn in time to meet the wolf's charge so, as the beast leapt, he focused on 'shouldering' it in mid-air. His nudge did the trick, the wolf's malnourished body no doubt making it easier. The wolf yelped and was thrown off course, landing in a scramble in the snow. It leapt quickly to its feet, but by then David had his spear ready.

Boy and beast stared at each other.

David wasn't scared. He had already taken on a full pack of wolves and prevailed. This one didn't look half as scary as what he had faced before and he had a steely and set look to his face as he braced his spear.

Back in the woods, Sarah was clutching at Ben's arm so tightly it hurt. She was terrified of what she was watching, but it didn't occur to her to simply drop her pouch so she wouldn't need to see what happened.

The wolf lowered the front of its body, its head now low to the snow and let out a long snarl. Ben and Sarah could see it gather itself and then leap at David. The boy's aim with the spear was true and the tip entered the centre of the wolf's chest, its own momentum driving the weapon in deep.

There was a spine-chilling howl and the wolf fell, the spear lodged firmly in its flesh. The twins saw that David didn't hesitate. He drew his hunting knife and dropped on the animal, slitting its throat with one flash of the sharp blade. The slash put an end to the wolf's noises, but now they could hear David panting from his exertions and from the delayed reaction to the attack. Bright red blood stained the white snow from the beast's wounds.

From his position - half-lying on the wolf and half on the snow - they saw David look up at the sky. Amazingly, he had a smile on his face and they heard one word escape his lips.

"Thanks," he said.

Ben opened his eyes and broke the link. He and Sarah collapsed to the ground as the emotional strain hit them almost like a physical blow. They hugged each other and Ben could hear his twin sniffle against his chest for a few minutes until at last she quietened and then spoke.

"I'm really proud of you. You hit the wolf, didn't you?" she asked.

Ben nodded and she raised her head to see what he was doing. There was an adoring look in her red-rimmed eyes and he could feel her love for him.

"Will he make it?"

"I'll continue to keep an eye on him. If you get a chance you could replicate some hi-energy bars and I'll try to get them to him."

Eventually the cold got to them and they stood up, picked up the saplings they had cut and made their way back to the warmth of the cave.

The other two sets of twins stopped talking when Ben and Sarah returned. The pair could feel all eyes on them and they wondered what was up. It didn't take long for them to find out.

"We know something's going on. When are you going to share it with us? You've both been too quiet and keep slipping away. What are you up to? What's happening with David?" Adam demanded.

Ben sighed. The wolf attack was still very fresh in his memory and he didn't really want to think about it so soon after the event. He could see that the others weren't going to let it go however, and he resigned himself to having to go over the details again.

"David has turned back for his own cave. There's a lot of snow along his route and it's touch and go whether he survives the journey. He's already been attacked by a wolf and I think he's near total exhaustion."

"It serves the little shit right! I hope the wolf hurt him bad, it would be a pity if he didn't suffer before he died," barked Adam.

"Adam! You take that back! You're being mean and small-minded - this is someone's life you're talking about. If anyone should feel bitter about David, it should be me. I'm the one he attacked, but I still wouldn't wish any harm to come to him," snapped Hannah.

"Is he hurt?" asked Elizabeth.

"No, he killed the wolf with his spear, but he really is tired though. Walking through snow that deep isn't easy and the cold must be sapping his strength too. I think he's still got more than a day of walking before he makes it to his cave."

Adam wore a grin that told a story. Hannah caught his expression and punched him hard on the shoulder.

"Adam, I'm warning you! Stop it. There are only seven of us - probably we're the only intelligent lifeforms on this planet. You shouldn't be in such a rush to see our numbers cut by nearly fifteen percent. If you can't grow up and start thinking with more compassion then perhaps you should sleep by yourself tonight?"

Sarah tried to change the subject to lessen the tension that was growing in the cave. She pointed to the pile of saplings that she and Ben had gathered from the woods.

"Look, we've cut some saplings and we're hoping we can make some snowshoes."

Each of the youngsters thought for a moment to conjure up an image of what snowshoes were from their inherited memories. Thomas in particular wore a sceptical expression and he voiced what several of the others were thinking.

"They look kind of a clumsy. Are you sure we'll actually be able to walk with them on?"

"If they worked for our ancestors, why shouldn't they work for us?" Ben asked. "They help spread your weight so you don't sink into the snow. It might take us a while to get used to how to walk with them, but I'd rather that than face the prospect of being cooped up in this cave for months."

It was clear that the twins hadn't really thought about that. If the snow continued to fall it could mean they were all but trapped in their cave. Depending on how long it lasted, that could mean months of virtual captivity. Suddenly Ben and Sarah's idea for snowshoes didn't sound quite so outlandish.