Winter in Eden

walking in the dark under the pale illumination of the stars until the pallid sun rose. They were strong and fit. And beginning to be afraid.
    "There is not much meat left," Ortnar said. "What do we do when it is gone?"
    "We will find the Paramutan before then."
    "And if we do not?"
    They looked at each other in silence for they both knew the answer to that question. Though neither wished to speak it aloud. They built the fire higher and stayed close to it, soaking in its warmth.
    The endless forest of giant firs came right down to the coast, to the sandy beaches at the shore. At times Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    as they walked they had to cut inland when the beach gave way to high cliffs with the waves breaking against them. The forest was silent and trackless, the snowdrifts beneath the trees were very deep and made the passage slow and tiring. Each time they worked their way back to the shore they looked eagerly in both directions, for some sign of habitation. Nothing. Just the barren coast and empty sea.
    The food was almost gone when the blizzard struck. They had no choice, they could only go on, leaning against the north wind, looking for shelter of some kind. They were numb, half frozen when they found the shallow cave at the foot of the cliffs, just above the beach.
    "There," Kerrick called out, shouting to be heard above the roaring of the wind, pointing out the dark opening barely visible through the driving snow. "We must get inside, out of the wind."
    "We'll need wood—a great deal of it. Leave what we carry inside, then get wood."
    They kicked through the drift that half-blocked the entrance, stumbling and falling. Away from the wind it seemed almost warm, although they knew the air was far below freezing.
    "We cannot lie here," Ortnar said, stumbling to his feet. He seized Kerrick's hand and helped him to rise, pushed him out ahead of him back into the storm.
    They hacked and chopped clumsily at the low branches, breaking off what they could with hands that were unable to close properly. Ortnar dropped his knife from his numb fingers and they wasted precious time digging through the drifts until they found it. With the last of their strength they dragged the wood back; it would have to do, they could not go back for more now. Kerrick fumbled out the firebox, but could not feel the stones inside until he had put his hands inside his furs to warm them against his body.
    The fire was finally lit and they built it high, huddled next to it gasping in the smoke yet feeling the life return to their numb bodies. It was dark outside now, the wind howling incessantly, while the snow drifted across the entrance so that they had to keep digging it free to allow the smoke to escape.
    "We are not the first ones to shelter here," Kerrick said, pointing to the low ceiling of rock where the outline of a greatdeer had been traced with a charred stick. Ortnar grunted and kicked at the ground next to the fire.
    "At least they did not leave their bones here."
    "And we might?" Kerrick said.
    In silent answer Ortnar pulled over his pack and shook out the remaining food. "This is all we have left, about the same in your pack. Not enough to get back with."
    "Then we must go forward. We will find the Paramutan. They must be here. Somewhere."
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    "We go forward only when the storm lets us."
    They took turns, one tending the fire, one getting wood. Darkness came quickly and Ortnar had difficulty in finding the cave with the last load of wood. The temperature had dropped sharply and there were white spots on his cheek that he rubbed with snow. They were both silent now because the time for talking was past. There was nothing more to be said. The storm continued for days to the count of a hunter's hand.
    One day for every finger—including the thumb. They went out only for wood, melted snow for water.
    And felt the first knife of hunger in their guts as they rationed out the remaining scraps of food.
    It was on the next day that there was the first break in the storm. The wind died down and the snow seemed to be thinning.
    "It is over," Kerrick said, hopefully. "We cannot be sure yet."
    They emerged into grim daylight. Snowflakes still drifted down from the dark gray sky. For a short while the falling snow thinned a little and they could see the waves breaking on the beach, running high up on the pebbled shore. The seas were heavy, foam-topped, dark.
    "There!" Kerrick shouted. "I saw something