The author wrote this piece as a homage to Mathieu André. It tells the story of an old man who knew he was going to die soon. The old man reflects on his life, his friends and parents, the way he felt whenever he saw a caribou. He knew he had to see another caribou before dying, to pay his respects to the animal world. He leaves his house and goes out into the cold night, but even in the forest he felt a sadness, that he might not get to see a caribou. His legs give and he collapses in the snow and starts to cry. The Creator hears the man’s cry, his love for nature, for the animals, especially for the caribou. Just as he is about to die, the old man hears a voice, offering him to be the master of the caribou; he accepts and becomes a caribou. The old man’s beard had turned white with frost; this is perhaps why the caribou is white above the mouth.
