Ninety Degrees Out

“Blue, sit!” Arimina’s shrill command had Jazz running back from the creek bed. He nipped Blue’s shoulder, stopping her before she could scramble through the bushes at the top of the steep hill leading down.

“Stay!” followed by a staccato two finger whistle from Chay had both dogs stopping in their tracks.

Chay swung down from Bingo’s back, leading the horse to the back of the supply wagon where he tied his reins through the gap between the rail and the box. Patting Bingo’s damp withers, he swung Arimina back up into the back of the wagon.

“Stay here for a minute Ari. I’ll bring Blue back. She’s doing better. You did a good job taking care of her.”

“What’s down there? She took of like she was chasing a squirrel, like when Jazz goes running into the woods at home.”

“A polar bear. Your mother had to put him to sleep because he was scaring all the horses.”

“Oh.” Ari looked thoughtful, like she was considering another question, then asked, “Can I see him?”

“No, we’re going to let him sleep while we get away from here. Give me a minute to get Jazz and Blue. I want them on the wagon with you until we get further into the woods. Jazz could get hurt. He doesn’t know about polar bears, just the grizzlies and Kodiaks.”

Chay snapped his fingers, and the two dogs trotted over to him. Rubbing their heads, he praised them and the lowered the gate on the back of the wagon. Patting the bottom, he said, “Up.”

To his surprise Blue made the leap herself, followed by Jazz. Slipping the fasteners back in place, he closed the rear of the wagon as Jazz put his paws up on the rail. His nostrils moving as he sniffed the air, he assumed guard duty.

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Alicia appeared from the Saskatoon berry bushes, with their delicate white blossoms. Bees buzzed around them diligently pollinating them. She made note of the food source. The berries were excellent in pemmican cakes and made great jam too. Unfortunately, the bears in the area would be competing with them. She wondered if the sleeping polar bear would become omnivorous like his huge brown cousins.

She put her left foot in the stirrup, took a single hop, and swung up onto Dolly’s back.

“Mommy! I want to see the bear.” Ari’s demand carried over the clop of horses walking into the forest.

She saw Chay shake his head, and realized her daughter was trying the age old trick. If one adult says no, then you ask the other one.

“No Ari, Chay is right. You can’t go down there to see him. I don’t know how long he’ll sleep, and we need to get everyone away from here before he wakes up.”

“But Mommy….”

Alicia reached down into the wagon and swung Ari up in front of her on the saddle. God she was getting heavy.

“No more. I’ll take you with me. If Jazz is standing like that, you know there’s something wrong. See how he’s sniffing. Did you hear him barking and howling? He doesn’t do that unless he sees a bear. And polar bears are nothing like a grizzly. You’ve read about both kinds. You know a starved polar bear is a big problem. Maybe worse because he’s so hungry.”

“Yes, but I really want to see him. I’ve never seen one, except at a zoo.”

“If he’s taken to fishing, he’ll stay by the creek. Speaking of which, Chay!” she called out.

“What?” he yelled back. He was walking Bingo up and down the line of riders as they made their way into the woods at the far edge of the meadow. “I need to cool him down. He worked up quite a lather.” Chay led his big appaloosa toward her.

“Remind Hakan the salmon are running. That’s what the bear was fishing for, and I don’t want him to forget. We need to let them know back at the ranch too. I’ll bet there are a few at Twig creek. We’re going to have to build a fish ladder so they can get back to the ocean once the eggs hatch. It’s going to be mixed up because there’s no cold snap.”

“Smoked salmon should keep, even in this heat. Good thinking.”

Ari twisted her neck so she could see Alicia’s face. “I still want to see the polar bear.”

“You might get to see him when we come back, but he’ll be a lot heavier then. And more dangerous. We have to careful because this creek will be his territory then.” She hoped her daughter would forget about it by the time they came back. They were going to be gone for at least three weeks.

“I wonder if he’ll find Ursa and the cubs?”

“Good question Ari. He might.” Alicia didn’t want to think about the fight that would ensue if the big male went after Ursa’s cubs. No reason to burden her daughter with the idea either.

“Can I ride with you for a while, Mommy?”

“Sure. Chay will stay with us too. It looks like Blue and Jazz are going to ride in the wagon though.”

“Believe me, Jazz will let us know if the bear decides to follow us. I think you’re right though. Filling his belly is his thing right now. That was one skinny bear.” Chay mounted his horse, settling into the saddle. “A very dangerous bear, Ari.”

“I still want to see him.”

“You’re out of luck, Arimina.” Chay’s stern tone had Alicia smiling. It was nice to have some help with a stubborn kid.

“If you keep it up, you’re going back in the wagon.”

Ari looked up at her, and her lower lip pouted. She open her mouth to argue, and Alicia shook her head. Her daughter turned to Chay and asked, “Can I ride with you then?”

“No, Bingo had a pretty hard run. Stay with your mother. If we have a chance and you behave, I’ll take you with me when we get back and I take Jazz to check on the bear.”

Alicia felt Arimina’s body slump into her belly. She nodded at Chay. She mouthed the words, “Thank you.” This battle was over.

Alicia kept looking back over her shoulder, eyes peeled for any flash of white fur. As they turned into the forest, she noticed Jazz drop into the wagon bed to lay stretched out on his side. Blue joined him under the tarp canopy, and she saw Terry pull the poles at the front forward adjusting the shade, so he wasn’t exposed to the glaring sunshine.

Alicia put Arimina’s hat back on her head and slanted hers to block the bright beams flickering through the trees. Pulling a bag of trail mix out of the pouch on her belt, she popped some in her mouth. It would be another hour before they stopped if she guessed right.

Her little girl’s head lolled a bit, as they continued up the road through dense Sitka spruce. The towering trees were close to a hundred feet tall, and rare this far north in Alaska. She shifted Ari’s head, so her arm supported it. Their early start had her nodding too. Could she ride and nap at the same time?