Summary

This unnamed section begins the novel by putting the readers into the first person narration of an unknown narrator. The narrator and another unnamed character are walking through the snow to their traplines by a stand of willows. The other character is named Elijah as the unknown narrator mentions that Elijah walks in his tracks. The narrator then notices the sun rising. The narrator notes that he breaks through the crust on top of the snow with every step and notes that it was too cold last night. He hears Elijah's steps behind him as they are too heavy. The narrator notes that they are the same age, 12 winters old. The trees crack with the cold and it sounds like dying. Elijah asks the narrator if he thinks that they have caught anything in their snares. The narrator looks back at Elijah and tells...