He looked back once, spotting the faint shape of his ruined sled far behind him. A pang of loss shot through him, the realization that returning wouldn’t be simple now. The wind howled, the only witness to his decision to keep trailing the bear’s heavy footprints.
With each footfall on the treacherous ice, Nolan’s mind reeled with stories he had heard: of polar bears ripping tents open, of gruesome pirate raids, of wanderers lost forever beneath the snow. Now he was fresh out of fish, and a dread took root: would he be next?