Evelyn Ford, Ronan Kendrick, and Quincy finally managed to get the horses onto the deck after a tremendous effort. With Ronan there, the horses, though anxious, didn’t dare act out and stood obediently on the deck. The railings were already in place, but they still needed to build a pen.

Just then, Miles Vaughn and Wyatt Vaughn returned. Their haul was even greater—they had herded back ten horses.

"You guys are amazing."

Miles Vaughn chuckled. "Well, my family used to own a horse farm. When it comes to taming horses, I know a thing or two."

Evelyn Ford rubbed her chin. "In that case, these horses are your responsibility from now on."

Miles Vaughn’s expression was complicated. "Isn’t that the job for the Horses’ Fortune?"

It dawned on Wyatt Vaughn, and he burst out laughing. "Bro, Evelyn’s calling you the Horses’ Fortune!"

"Can we pick our horses now?" Quincy asked, rubbing his hands together as he started to look them over.

Evelyn Ford nodded. "You can, but you’ll also have to learn how to ride. Two people to a horse, and the rest will carry supplies."

"This is a standard fishing boat, so the deck isn’t very large. They’ll have to be packed in tight; there isn’t much room for them to move," Miles Vaughn said, a thought suddenly striking him. "We’ll also have to muck out their stalls. How do we solve that problem? Should we lay down some plastic sheeting on the floor?"

"Let’s lay down a layer of tarp. As for mucking out, we’ll all take turns."

Peter Owens and Officer Graham returned with leafy branches. After shaking off the snow, they could feed them to the horses.

The group went out again to cut down more trees and build a pen on the deck. The horses were herded inside, and to keep them from jumping around, they had to be tethered.

They still needed to prepare at least a month’s worth of leaves. Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick went into the mountains as well. The two of them cut down more trees—the ones here were very thick, perfect for firewood—and also stored a large amount of leaves in her space.

After resting for two days, the fishing boat set off again. With an additional sixteen horses on board, its speed slowed considerably.

Although they encountered more glaciers along the way, the waterway remained relatively clear.

Evelyn Ford collected half of the next layer of frozen fish and shrimp, leaving the rest for everyone to turn into dried fish for easy transport.

Three days into their journey, they hit a snag. A glacier blocked their path, and the water’s surface was covered in a thick layer of ice. Although Evelyn Ford had explosives in her space, she was helpless in the face of the endless frozen river.

"Take stock of all the food. I’m afraid we’ll have to leave on horseback."

"What about the boat? Are we abandoning it?" Quincy asked, looking at the fishing boat with a sense of loss.

Evelyn Ford scratched her ear. ’Abandon it? Impossible. I’m definitely taking it with me.’

"We have to abandon the ship. The water is completely frozen over, and the situation back in our country is likely grim."

Everyone fell silent at Taylor Vance’s words.

"There are a few small shipping containers in the storage hold. We can put the supplies in them, attach some wheels, and convert the containers into horse-drawn carts. That way, we can haul more."

Taylor Vance nodded. "Evelyn’s idea is feasible. There’s a forest nearby. Let’s go cut some wood to make wheels, saddles, and reins."

Everyone got busy. There was still a fair amount of diesel fuel left in the storage hold, which Evelyn collected. Only she, Ronan Kendrick, and Officer Graham knew the true state of the hold, so there was no need to worry about others noticing.

They now had sixteen horses. Ten would be used to pull supplies, and they had four small shipping containers.

To protect against moisture, all the supplies had to be wrapped in tarps: food, water, medicine, clothes, quilts, cookware... as well as the leaves for the horses and the firewood. Everything was packed and ready.

Three days later, the wheels were finished. They had even made more than ten spares. All the supplies had been loaded into the shipping containers, and they even cleared a spot for the six small animals and Wendy.

Two horses pulled each container, while the remaining two were used as pack animals to carry leaves and dry kindling.

Everyone was fully geared up, bundled tightly from head to toe. After watering and feeding the horses, it was time to set off again. Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick took up the rear, while Taylor Vance, with his excellent sense of direction, led the way.

"I really can’t bear to leave this boat. We can’t take it with us, and it’s such a waste." Quincy was on the verge of tears. They were short on everything, and abandoning a ship felt like tearing out his own heart.

Officer Graham went over and patted his shoulder. "You have to give some to get some. Besides, don’t we have the horses now?"

"It just feels like such a waste."

The horses set out. Once the group was a good distance away, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick turned back to collect the fishing boat into her space. Officer Graham was just ahead of them, providing cover, so no one noticed the two of them slip away.

Traveling on horseback was not easy. The first two days were especially agonizing, but it got better once they grew accustomed to it. The icy surface was difficult to traverse, so their pace was very slow. In the vast, white snowscape, their path was marked by a series of hoofprints and wheel tracks.

At night, their only option was to huddle around a fire for warmth. To prevent anyone from freezing to death in their sleep, they had to take turns keeping watch.

A journey that should have taken only eight days ended up dragging on for a whole month.

Evelyn Ford added salt to the horses’ drinking water. The long trek over mountains and ridges was a challenge for both humans and beasts.

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick rode Blackie. Evelyn had assigned Chestnut to pull one of the containers. The little guy had a bad temper and was very resistant at first, but after a few days, its disposition had been worn down, and it started to become docile and friendly.

They occasionally encountered elk or snow leopards on their journey. By now, even Wendy had started to participate in the hunts. Everyone’s marksmanship had become proficient.

Still, Evelyn Ford had equipped everyone with a gun, including Wendy. They had faced too many dangers on the road. Aside from natural disasters, most of the threats came from other humans. With weapons, others wouldn’t dare to provoke them, which made things relatively safer.

When they reached the border of Country E, they found nothing but endless glaciers. There were no forests and no rivers. They would have to start rationing their firewood.

There were far fewer survivors living here. A few scattered igloos could be seen standing on the ice.

"There may be no forests at the border, but there are plenty of mines. They can dig for coal to keep warm," Taylor Vance explained, clearing up their confusion. As a former high-ranking official, his store of knowledge surpassed everyone else present. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"That can’t be easy. But it looks like they’ve raised some animals, too. They look very strange—not like horses, but more like elephants."

Taylor Vance laughed heartily. "Those are Mammoths. They’re very difficult to tame. It would be great if we could run into some."

’Mammoths?’

Evelyn Ford searched her memory for what the creature looked like. It was very similar to an elephant, but with long fur. It lived in extremely cold regions, had a massive, sturdy build, and tusks even larger than an elephant’s. It was a very mysterious animal.

Evelyn found herself wanting one.

Above the glaciers, a few Snow Eagles flew past from time to time. Evelyn Ford had never imagined that after being swept from the south to another country by the ocean, they would circle all the way back to the Northeast.