The Coldest of Days, Warmest of Sights

Ice now covered the inner bay, and the deepening cold kept most of the giants out of the woodlands and moors, so Nubbin patrols were more frequent just before dawn and at twilight.  On this day Hantar and the trophers came upon a large flock of snow buntings or cheyws, as they called them.  Their song, which the little people reveled in, includes a ‘cheyw’ sound, but also consists of a warbling, throaty long rattle, and buzz.   These birds of the arctic were highly regarded by the Nubbins, for they flew to the coldest of regions to nest, and their plumage of white in great flights of many birds was said to be like blowing snow itself.  The birds are not seen every winter, so this appearance pleased the members of the patrol, and they stopped for a long while watching and listening to the birds as they fed on seeds left by the grasses in areas where the snow had been blown off atop the moors.  Every now and then a bird would hop up to grab at the seed left on a grass stem, and this made the little men laugh.

Then a marsh hawk startled the flock and they took off in unison, turning in flight all at one time, as if one of them directed, ‘Now!’  The hawk buzzed the patrol, Hantar waved at the gray hunter, and the men headed west to the top of the bluff.  From here they marched south to the marsh and crossed the dunes to the beach.  Seals, or as they called them, Otari, were up on the beach.  The patrol walked amongst the animals, which grunted when their heads were patted, a feat that no human would have gotten away with; for like all animals, the seals recognized the natural spirit of the little men, and thus were pleased to be touched by them. The patrol continued down the beach collecting sea weed that had washed up in the previous storm.  This particular species was known by them as dulsa.* Red in color. it was used by the Nubbins to make a hearty soup.

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*This word dulsa, similar to dulse, a red seaweed used by the Vikings and Celts for centuries in various dishes, would lead one to believe this spelling must be of that origin.