The campfire flickered all night, and the captives tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Early the next morning, even before dawn, the camp became busy again. It was December, during the winter season, and the daylight on the Kamchatka Peninsula had already shortened to less than eight hours. Even when the sky brightened, the thick clouds were always dim, heralding the impending blizzard.
"Chief Divine protect us! We must head south as soon as possible, we must leave today!..."
