The Final Journey Page #13

even though there is no light source for it.

As Isha watches, the shadow grows as if someone is

approaching her from behind.

IMMANNA (V.O.)

Isha...

Isha opens her eyes wide and turns, but there is nothing

behind her except the dark ice wall.

SUDDENLY, THE FIRE FADES AND EVERYTHING GOES DARK.

A small, pulsating blue light appears in the ice wall, as if

a heart is beating within it.

The light grows brighter, revealing a NUDE OLD WOMAN frozen

within the wall, curled like she is in a womb.

56.

Isha stands and backs away. By the strange blue light, she

notices Tato is gone.

IMMANNA (V.O.)

Isha...

BUMP! Hitting something, Isha turns, startled to find Tato

standing there, completely nude, WITH THE HEAD OF A WOLF!

The Tato-wolf’s mouth opens and speaks.

TATO-WOLF

Isha!

INT. CAVE - MORNING

Isha awakens with a start! Just a dream...

But Tato is gone!

TATO (O.S.)

Good morning, Isha...

Isha turns to find Tato, half-dressed, yawning as he

disappears into the corridor leading out of the cave.

Isha looks at the wall behind her. It glows now with the

normal light of day. Nobody frozen within it.

Isha shakes her head, trying to clear the dream.

She notices much of their snow pile in the corner has melted,

revealing animal skulls into which they have stored some of

the more delicate parts of the fox.

The skulls seem to stare at Isha accusingly.

EXT. CAVE - CONTINUOUS

In high-spirits, Tato urinates on the skull pyramid.

Seeing the only tracks visible outside are his own and

Isha’s, he smiles.

Tato finishes his business and spots a long spear inside the

cave. The spearhead Isha found is fastened to the top.

Next to it is a short stick with the fox-skull fastened on.

Tato grabs the spear in shock and hefts it in his hands. He

tries to wiggle the spearhead, amazed at how well it is made.

57.

He pulls it back and makes to throw it, but doesn’t. Just

getting a feel for it.

Tato grabs the fox-stick, impressed by its decorative

ptarmigan feathers. He waves it around in jovial fashion,

then tucks it into the pants.

He takes a few steps and spins, pulling out the fox-stick and

brandishing it beside the spear as if battling unseen foes.

Apparently victorious, Tato raises both arms high into the

air and HOWLS LIKE A TRIUMPHANT WOLF.

INSIDE THE CAVE:

Isha hears his yell and smiles.

EXT. CAVE - LATER - DAY

Tato exits wearing his parka and all his gear, including the

fox-skull stick tucked into his belt beside his knife. He

carries his new spear alongside his old one.

Isha waves him off.

Tato stops where he stopped yesterday and looks at his tracks

leading off to the right. He turns to the left, and stares in

the direction the bear tracks used to lead.

Tato glances back at Isha watching him from the cave.

He smiles at her with confidence and walks off to his left,

following the direction of the hidden bear tracks.

Isha looks a little worried about his new direction.

TUNDRA - LATER

Tato creeps along the fading incline of their ice-cave hill,

staying low, expecting a bear attack at any moment.

The incline eventually bends away to the left, revealing a

great open space stretching to the horizon.

From the area’s flatness, and the way it is ringed by small

shrubs and trees, it appears to be a great gulf, or lake of

some kind, frozen and covered with snow.

Tato walks to the edge of the ice, looking around, but there

is nothing of note in every direction.

58.

He checks the ice, which seems sturdy, and walks out onto it,

continuing to scan the area.

AFTER ONE HUNDRED YARDS, Tato stops, noticing far off to his

left, a protrusion of some kind, covered in snow and sticking

up from the otherwise smooth ice surface.

Tato looks around again then sets off for the oddity.

As he nears it, Tato sees the protrusion is actually a crater

where something large broke down through the ice.

Because of the snow, however, there are no tracks anywhere.

Tato stops ten feet away and uses his spears to check the ice

around the crater. It seems solid.

He keeps going but, within a few feet, gets on his stomach

and slides carefully to the crater.

He reaches down and wipes away snow from the center of the

crater, revealing a thin layer of new ice.

Tato clears away more snow and finds old frozen blood on one

side of the new ice. He also finds a few small chunks of

meat, which he chips off and sniffs.

Clearing away more snow, he uncovers a big polar bear track.

Tato looks around again, nervous, but there are no signs of a

bear in any direction.

He reveals more prints and blood heading off to the horizon.

Tato gets up, thinking. He marches off in the direction of

the bear, but stops after a few steps.

Tato looks anxious. He glances at the crater, back toward the

cave, then in the direction of the bear tracks.

At last, he stomps back to the crater and sets his spears and

pack down, not looking pleased with himself.

He straddles an ice chunk and kicks the thin ice in the

center of the crater until he breaks through.

INT. CAVE - LATER

The light is fading from the ice wall. Isha sits beside some

smoldering coals in almost total darkness, rubbing the pelt

of the first rabbit Tato caught, trying to dry it out.

Tears of pain drip from her eyes and she rubs and rubs.

59.

She finally SCREAMS OUT and drops the pelt. Her hands shake

uncontrollably and she stares at them in anger.

Isha SCREAMS AGAIN, lays her head back, and cries.

Coming back to herself, she realizes snowflakes are filtering

down through the hole above.

She sits up and looks with concern at the corridor leading

out of the cave just as Tato arrives back.

Exhausted, Tato holds a bundle of fresh kindling on one

shoulder. In his other hand, he holds a rope, which he pulls

forward to reveal a dead seal.

Isha explodes with relief, excitement, and pride for Tato.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Isha and Tato sit around a fire eating seal. In their storage

corner, fresh heaps of snow have been piled over the

remaining portions of seal meat.

The seal skin is stretched on a log beside the fox skin.

A life-sized hole has been drawn in the sand between them,

with bear tracks around it.

Tato hunches by the hole, aiming his spear at it.

He points at the hole, and with boyish energy, imitates a

seal popping up its head.

Isha laughs at Tato’s performance.

Tato pretends to throw his spear and stands in triumph.

Isha claps as Tato returns and sits proudly besides her.

Tato waves his fox-skull stick like a good luck talisman.

Isha nods, pleased he likes it.

Tato HOWLS LIKE A WOLF and Isha LAUGHS.

Encouraged, Tato crawls to her, sniffing again like he did

the night before.

Isha tries to keep a look of humor on her face, but things

get awkward as Tato sniffs his way up her body again and

stops once more at her breasts.

His sniffing degenerates to just staring at them.

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