winter in greenland

Chapter 1 Prologue

There is an endless ice field in front of you, and above the low mountains as far as you can see, the orange-red sunset hangs there precariously, trying to radiate the last light of summer to this land.Except for the low whimpering of the Greenland husky, there is silence in the ears, there is no wind, and even the air seems to be still.

This was their temporary foothold. After nearly a month of trekking, they finally approached one-third of the long journey on the last day of autumn.The huskies regained their strength after a short rest. Rogers, the leader, shook the hair on his back, raised a cloud of fine snow dust, walked up to August who was sitting not far away, and nuzzled him. , seems to be urging something.

Startled, August quickly stuffed something in the palm of his left hand back into the inside pocket of his jacket, patted Rogers on the head lightly, and stood up from the snow.

Dan has been leaning on the other side of the sled and watching. His hair has grown so fast that a few locks of curly hair have been exposed from the brim of the hat on his forehead, pressed to the eyebrows, and huddled in a mess.His scarf was pulled down to the bridge of his nose, and the edge was condensed with a thin layer of ice by the hot breath, making it difficult to see his eyes clearly.

Before August greeted him, he had already shaken the reins on his hands neatly and stood on the sled.

"We have to get to the Gustersville camp before dark." August finished briefly, took Rogers' rein, patted the snow foam on his trouser legs, and slowly ran away with the sled dogs stand up.

The afterglow of the setting sun coated them with a layer of golden silhouettes. The limbs of the huskies struggling to lift up in the snow brought up waves of snow foam, which mixed with the heat exhaled from their mouths, as if another snow fell on the ground. A field of fresh snow.

August's pace was not fast. After the sled dogs started to run, he slowed down a few steps, jumped lightly, and landed firmly on the sled board on the other side of Dan.

The ice crystals in the clouds at high latitudes reflect the sunlight that hits them above, and even though the sun has dipped below the horizon, the sky is still a brilliant golden orange.The intense color that almost burns people spreads from the junction of the distant mountains and the horizon all the way to the top of their heads, and then gradually turns gray with a sense of reluctance, and coats the thick lead gray clouds above their heads. A layer of flowing rainbow-like multicolored edges.

The speed of the sled dogs was not fast, but Dan seemed to be unable to bear the cold wind in front of him. He looked away from the front and pulled up the scarf, almost covering his eyes, and turned his head slightly.

August was keenly aware of his movements, turned his head and glanced at him, and within a second, he looked away as if nothing had happened, concentrating on controlling the rein in his hand.

Gersterswee is located in the northern part of a peninsula on the eastern edge of Greenland. August, driving the sled dogs, turned a corner before a low mountain range that had just entered the peninsula and stopped at a col.

A few remaining black wedges could be seen on the pure white snow, nailed into the hard ground below the snowdrift in different shades, these were the traces left by the last batch of "Sirius" patrol members.

As if smelling the familiar smell left in the air, as soon as August let go of the rein, Rogers led the other sled dogs to find a flat snow slope on the right side of the col, and nestled down comfortably.

Dan did not behave like a team member who participated in the patrol for the first time. He skillfully unloaded the tenting equipment from the sled, and before Auguste could speak, he took the toolbox and began to check the remaining wedges one by one: which ones? It is still usable, and which ones need to be reinforced again in case of a sudden gust of wind at night.

August looked at his back, and for a moment his lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just let out a silent breath, and began to put the equipment for tonight on the sled. unload.

By the time he cleared out a box of gear, Dan was already tying the tent ropes.He walked over silently and stood on the other side of Dan. The two seemed to be performing a strange pantomime. They didn't say a word but had a perfect understanding. They quickly set up a rectangular tent.

The half-person height of the tent was surrounded by a circle of leather felt for heat insulation. The two of them occupied each side of the tent. A small iron pot was placed on the alcohol stove, and a canned vegetable and two canned beef were placed beside it.

By the time August finished adjusting the radio, there was already a faint smell of vegetable stew in the tent.He raised his eyes and glanced at Dan. The other party still didn't have the slightest intention to speak, but silently filled a bowl of thick soup in a tin can and put it on the small table on his side. Start eating on the pillow of the sleeping bag.

After almost absent-mindedly notifying the headquarters of the location of his team, August turned off the radio, slightly turned on the wind lamps on some small tables, and picked up his own dinner.

On the other side, Dan had finished eating, and through the light August caught a glimpse of an inconspicuous bruise on the tiger's mouth on his right hand.

"What's going on?" He reached out and grabbed Dan's wrist. He was a little anxious for a moment, and a few drops of soup splashed onto his sleeping bag.

Dan frowned slightly, and pulled his hand back a bit: "I accidentally smashed it when I was driving the wedge."

August noticed his resistance, let go of his hand, and looked at him with some stern eyes: "Aren't you wearing gloves?"

Dan avoided his gaze without further explanation. "I'll pay attention next time. I'm sorry, Captain." His green eyes were glass-like in the flickering firelight.

August was inexplicably agitated: "There's no need to apologize to me for this kind of thing."

Dan was silent for a few seconds: "I see." Then he opened the sleeping bag: "I'm going out to see the dog."

Outside the tent, the sky was no longer as dazzling as it was at the beginning, the bright yellow of the sky was replaced by a layer of crimson red, the sky was much darker, and as far as the line of sight could see, the group of sled dogs nestled together turned into a dark mass .

Rogers smelled Dan, lazily raised his head in his direction and let out a howl, then rested his head on his front paws again.

Dan went to the group of dogs and squatted down, raised his hand and rubbed the one at his feet. It opened its squinted eyes, glanced at Dan, stuck out its tongue and licked his gloves, feeling uninterested. Withdrew his head.

There was a little smile in Dan's eyes, and he stretched out his hand and started scratching its chin until a comfortable growl came out of its throat, and then changed another object and continued scratching.

August also followed him at some point, standing behind him, with his arms crossed and half leaning against a pillar of the tent: "You actually like them very much."

At this time, the wind was already blowing on the snow field, and the monsoon carried the cold air from the ocean across the mountains to the plains. The cyclone close to the ground rolled up some scattered snow foam and slapped people's calves.August's voice was mixed with the sound of the wind, making it hard to hear clearly.

Dan stood up, and when he turned his head, the smile in his eyes had disappeared, and the expression on his face was light: "Maybe."

When passing by him, August raised his hand and held his shoulder: "Listen, Dan, you don't need to be so hostile to me. I admit that we may have had some misunderstandings before..."

Dan raised his head and interrupted him unceremoniously: "I have never held any hostility towards you. You are the captain of the patrol team, and I happened to be assigned to this team, that's all. Maybe my personality made you There have been some misunderstandings, but trust me, I respect your professionalism."

August was choked speechless by him, and before he could speak, Dan continued: "If I have to say that we had some misunderstanding before, it was just my unilateral thought that we had understood each other. Since you I denied this view at the beginning, and I also revised my understanding of our relationship. You are the officer, and I am a soldier, and I will obey any order you give unconditionally. I wonder if this can dispel your doubts?"

It was the first time Dan had looked him in the eye for the first time in almost a month.August discovered that those beautiful emerald-like eyes could be so indifferent, and he almost forgot the last time these eyes showed him a gentle smile.

While he was in a daze, Dan got under his hands and got into the tent.

I don't know how long it took, even Rogers noticed the abnormality of its master. It straightened up and faced August, with a low grunt from its throat.

August came back to his senses, walked up to it and squatted down halfway, rubbed its head, closed his eyes, and showed a bitter smile on his mouth.