Ilatsiak - 46 - A New Beginning

The need to take advantage of the spring seal hunt prevented David from spending more time searching for the whereabouts of his former ship-mates. Intead, he kept his ears open for any news that visiting hunters might bring in to the camp from time to time. There was little to be had, in fact. It was like the ships had disappeared into the ice and their crews along with them. The west coast was not an area favourite by people as the hunting was poor in the heavy ice which prevailed there. Instead, most people kept to the eastern and southern shores when ice was thinner and smoother and seals were plentiful. David thought less and less of their fate, the more the days went by and he kept busy hunting and caching food.
Things took a turn a few weeks later when David and Agayuq met up with Qayaq and her family. Hunting that winter had been good for them and well supplied with items to trade and stoies to tell, they had made the crossing over the sea ice to King William Island earlier than usual. Qayaq’s mother, Assita had heard that her mother was ailing and that was another reason for travelling to the island early. Agayuq laughed when he heard that rumour. “Your mother’s never been better, Assita! She’s sick because you never visit!” They all enjoyed the joke as they ended their hunt for the day and got ready to return to their camp of snow houses on the shore a few miles away.
Along the way, Qayaq and David got re-acquainted, telling each other all the stories of things that had happened while they had been apart. When Agayuq over-heard David mentioning the stories of the ships and the crew, he quietly came up with a plan. Later that evening while out tending to a dog with a sore leg, he brought up his idea quietly to Kavaayuq. Together they both saw the advantages in it and agreed to it. When Kavaayuq and family returned to the mainland in a couple of weeks, David would go with them as Qayaq’s husband. Kavaayuq had not promised her to anyone as yet and Assita was getting anxious that she marry. Agayuq wanted David away from the ships. If they left, he might change his mind and leave with them. Agayuq and Maneejaq didn’t want that to happen, so getting him far away and married to Qaya was the perfect solution for both families!
Almost exactly three weeks later, David found himself driving a sled alongside of Kavaayuq. Agayuq had given him four dogs and his old sled. Kavaayuq had given his daughter. A new life was beginning, an exiting one with someone he cared about. He’d spend the spring on the mainland and then return for the mid-summer fishing season and caribou hunt with Agayuq and Maneeyaq’s family. At least that was the plan...