Chapter 9: Water Swallows

At a mere twenty-four years old, Tulugaak’s thick eyebrows gave his brown eyes the look of a bushy entrance into a cold dark void of wrath and anger. Yet kindness and meekness abounded in his heart, especially for his younger brothers and sisters. However, when necessity demanded action, Tulugaak had instant access to the mean side of life.

But he had never experienced a swamp. Not that he was a stranger to dark waters. A pale, ragged scar traced across his brown cheek and lower lip testified to an early and violent encounter with an aggressive leopard seal.

Before the quakes and lava arrived, the ice had extended above the ocean. Now the heat had turned ice into rivers, lakes, and muddy wetland. But nothing compared to this foul-smelling black water. Stifling heat hovered like a sweaty fur overcoat, and tangled vegetation, roots, and stumps cluttered every footstep. Dark shadowy trees choked out the sky, dripped with strings of green and gray grasses, and sucked up