Location: Fairly distant. It takes at least a century to travel there from Earth (543).
Description: It has frozen air, and is covered in ice and snow. It has four main ice fields (523) and many crystalline ice cities. Wanderer lived one life term on this planet.
Indigenous Species: Bears and Claw Beasts
BEARS:
Physical Description: The Bears have thick, white fur and four hearts in order to keep warm on this snowy planet. They have an egg pocket in the center of their body, between their two hottest hearts (524). They are warm blooded, and have six ‘double jointed’ hands, that can curl in both directions. One side of their hands is soft, like human skin, but the other side is sharp and similar to razors. The sharp, ice-cutting sides of their hands are about “as long as [a] human forearm” (525). Bears can see a different range of colors than humans do, and their planet’s ice is full of a rainbow of those colors. They have approximately the mass of a buffalo.
Additional Information: A Bear’s lifespan is longer than that of a human. Physically, the Bear species are the most similar to humans out of all of the species Wanderer has lived as, because they are somewhat like mammals. They are warm-blooded, and like humans have a need for social interactions and artistic creativity. They can dream, but not as vividly as humans do. Wanderer refers to the clans of Bears she lived among as ‘herdmembers’ (452). They use their unique hands to sculpt beautiful crystal ice cities. The Bears are often attacked by Claw Beasts, a large predatory species that also inhabits the planet.
CLAW BEASTS:
Physical Description: Claw Beasts have about the same mass as a blue whale. They have huge paws, double spines, tails, and thick white fur. Their hide is very thick, and they have at least three legs on both sides of their bodies. Claw Beasts also have appendages that are ‘huge, stone-like pincers’ (524). They are described by Wanderer as ‘hideous’ (525). Their blood, when it exits their body, is a very bright color that is not on the Earth’s color spectrum.
Additional Information: Claw Beasts ambush their prey by burying themselves in the snow, and then jump up and attack. They are not very intelligent, and slow moving. They are not sentient beings (526).
