Manigan gestured to a knife and she tried but she lacked the strength to cut it

The Walrus Mutterer: Episode 68

As Rian arrived, Manigan lifted his hand and cut Kino off midexpletive. “Mother Earth, Father Sea and all the spirits are watching. We must make clear our separation from those people. “We’ll have to try to do the Old Gentleman the honour he deserves as swiftly as we can and go. I have said the sacred words.

“There’s more ceremony to be done but we can’t do it here with that going on.”

He gestured behind him to the sea. “I’ll not leave the body to be wasted.

“Some of it can stay for the birds and crabs but we’ll take what we can.”

He turned to Rian. “It’ll be hard work. I would normally spend three days here and work with a fire, but we cannot. Not now.”

Rian took in the carcass. It was huge, far bigger than a cow. Its monstrous body was covered in thick leather which appeared cured.

It was latticed with scars, a record of the old warrior’s life: warts and parasites, injuries and battles. It lay half on its side.

A gaping wound in its neck pooled blood. Manigan had already made a slit down one side of its body.

“Can you skin an animal?” he asked her. “It’s like a cow, only with more fat.”

She nodded.

Attacking

“Don’t worry if it’s not well done,” he reassured her. “Do the best you can.”

He held one of the strange-shaped blades and showed her how to use it to prise the skin off, little by little.

She took the blade and tried it herself.

“It’s like a pig.”

“Maybe, I’ve never skinned a pig.”

Kino had taken a saw and was attacking the base of the neck, cutting the huge head off.

Manigan went around to the front of the animal and worked on the belly skin as Rian worked towards the spine.

Blood was added to the fishy-cow smell; it was almost overpowering.

Her back was turned to the boats but she could hear them still splashing and swearing at the walruses. In front of her, Manigan looked out anxiously as he laboured.

She reached a flipper and before she could ask he said, “Keep it on. Can you cut the bone?” He gestured to a knife and she tried but she lacked the strength to cut it.

He told her to stand back and took a short-handled axe and snapped the bone. She carried on skinning.

Once Manigan had peeled back the belly skin, he cut open the stomach which was filled with halfdigested clams.

He let the juices flow into the sand, then parcelled up the solids. Now the animal smelled of the deep ocean.

“For the ice people, this is the greatest delicacy.” He grinned at her as she grimaced, then went back to his butchery.

Kino was still hacking at the neck. The tusks were bloody and half-buried in sand.

After removing the heart, Manigan set about the groin of the walrus and cut out its member.

Rian found herself blushing as he handled it, her mind conjuring images of him naked. She had to force herself back to her task.

The hide was coming away from the body with what seemed remarkable ease as if the animal was willingly shrugging its skin off.

Manigan cut through the bones above the rear flippers so they came attached to the skin.

As she pulled the skin away from the tail he cut chunks of meat off it, shoving them unceremoniously into a hessian sack.

Gory

With a grunt, Kino completed the severing of the head and fell back onto the sand.

“Take it to the boat,” Manigan said. “Will you manage on your own?”

“Aye.” Kino got to his feet and hoisted the massive, gory head up by the tusks onto his back.

He staggered off. Where he got the strength, Rian could not imagine.

He was transformed from the bleary drunk of their earlier journey as if the walrus-killing woke a different man inside him, all wiry strength and passion.

Manigan saw Rian watching him with amazement. “Kino lives only for the hunt and the drink. You get used to him.”

Before long, Badger was striding towards them, grumbling. “Won’t leave the head. Crazy man, that’s what he is.”

“He’s what he is,” Manigan gave him a benign smile. “We need you anyway.

“Get your muscles over here, flop him over. Are you ready?” Rian got out of the way so they could push the big body over.

As the men rolled it, she punched away at the skin, which tore off with satisfying rips.

“You’re good at that,” Manigan said.

“I should offer you a share. Make you one of the crew.

“Handy skills even if you are a bit of a weakling,” he laughed. “We’d soon toughen her up, wouldn’t we Badger?”

She couldn’t understand how such a gruesome task as this could make him so cheerful.

As she pulled the hide free of the carcass there was a shout from the shore at the end of the spit.

She looked round and saw a man gesturing. There was only one boat visible.

She couldn’t tell which it was, but it rocked as its crew struggled with ropes and a thrashing walrus almost as big as the vessel.

Floundering

Men were floundering in the water, which foamed red on the shore.

“Don’t look,” Manigan chopped away at the flesh on the back. “Roll the hide up.”

Badger eased the hide out from under the body and helped Rian to fold and roll it into a huge bundle, then tied a rope around and across it.

He said not a word, but his frown was deep and anxious.

Manigan stopped chopping and a huge chunk of fatty meat slid from the body.

He held the hessian sack open and deftly handled the slab of flesh into it, then slung it over his shoulder and stood up.

“Can you manage that?” He pointed to the other sack into which he’d put the other body parts.

She nodded.

“And your tools.” He kicked the long knife towards her. It rattled against the skinning tool. “Let’s go.” She grabbed the sack and knives.

Badger had pulled the hide bundle onto his back and was looking round.

There was another shout from the shore, and this time it was a clear “Help!”

Rian looked round at the man but Manigan’s voice was fierce.

“Go.”

More tomorrow.

The Walrus Mutterer (£8.99 print) is the first in Mandy Haggith’s Stone Stories trilogy. The second, The Amber Seeker (£8.99 print/£4.99 ebook) is out now. Both from Saraband Publishing https://saraband.net/