Ninety Degrees Out
Chapter Thirty Five

“Dad, how many mountain men live up this old forestry track?” Hakan guided his mount along the line of donkeys strung together behind the chuck wagon. His father’s long fringed buckskin jacket covered the back of his saddle, and his beat up cowboy hat sat low on his forehead.

“At least a half dozen. Most of them are veterans, pretty crusty as I recall. There’s a few abandoned cabins as well. Most of them are up valleys where natural springs feed the creeks coming down to meet the Susitna River. It’s wild country, and I’m sure if there’s anyone up there, they’re not going to be friendly to outsiders.” Dasan pulled his hat off and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand before settling it back down over his eyebrows.

“Should we send anyone up to check on them? They’re off grid and I assume the troopers knew where they were, but now?” Hakan knew a few of them himself. He sent enough hunting parties up some of the valleys, and he knew which ones were friendly to inadvertent intruders.

“Can we settle any of our community along the way between the Ranch and the Homestead?” Alicia saw the negative shakes, and continued, “think about it. If we have people settle along the way, there’s a place to stop for anyone travelling alone. We should have rest stops every twenty or so miles along the way. Especially if they’re only a few yards off the road.”

“She’s got a point. We can bring it up at the next town hall meeting,” Chay said. “I mean even survival cairns with an Inuksuk would be great.”

“Speaking of rest stop, I think we could use one. There’s a creek crossing up another mile or so according to the GPS. Let’s call a break and get everyone off the horses.” Dasan Stargazer suggested. “I’m going to bring that up. We’ll see if there are enough rocks around on the way up, and perhaps put one or two together on our way back. We’ll need to be careful how we store things, but it should be doable.”

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Alicia rode back toward the supply wagon at the end of the donkeys. Arimina waved at her from under a canopy the driver rigged for shade.

“We’re stopping soon, Ari.”

“Great, Mommy. Blue wants to get out of the wagon. I think she needs to pee. I do too.”

“Where’s Jazz?” Alicia looked up and down the straggling line of riders. Spotting Chay up toward the front, she scanned the ditches for the distinctive ruff of the Malawolf.

“He was here a few minutes ago. He keeps running back and forth the between Mr. Chay and us. I think Blue might be able to walk this afternoon.”

“We’ll give her the medicine Dr. Anya gave us for her when we stop. Then we’ll see how she does when we let her down. Are you hungry?”

“A little. Is someone going to cook?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. There’s a lot of people to feed, but most of us brought snacks. Do you have any trail mix left?”

“She shared it with me, Miss.” The driver grinned. “She’s a great girl you have there. Took good care of the husky. There’s a bridge up there, looks like Hakan is calling a stop.”

A shrill whistle sounded down from the head of the line. It seemed Chay was fighting to control his horse as he went across the bridge. Bingo was rearing and bucking, out of character for the wise Appaloosa. Chay leaned down against the gelding’s neck, urging him to run. The horse whirled again, heading out the other side, stretching his legs into a blur as terror drove him to flee.

Alicia dismounted, handing her reins to the wagon driver. “Terry, keep Dolly down here. I don’t want her going berserk. Arimina, don’t follow me. I have to see what’s going on under the bridge. You keep Blue with you.”

All heads turned toward the bridge as a baying howl went up. She recognized Jazz’s yips and barks as she tore up the gravel roadway. There had to be a bear in the creek. It was the same as what she remembered when Ursa first left her den with the cubs.

Stopping at the chuckwagon, Eliza handed her the tranq gun. “Loaded? Like I told you?” The gray haired cook nodded.

She worked her way between spooked horses, as riders dismounted and brought their anxious equines under control. Treading carefully, she didn’t want to slip and fall down the creek bank into the rapids under the bridge, she peered between the bushes.

One side of her brain catalogued the behavior of the giant polar bear, the other calculated her shot. She hated the idea of having to tranquilize the majestic white fisher. Who knew they were adapting to the heat? Patches of black skin showed through glistening white fur, as his five inch claws reached through the frothing foam off a small set of falls in the the creek. She could make out the red back of a Coho salmon in bright breeding color as it struggled up stream. Another unexpected change spawning routine. Mental note on that one, to get people out catching fish. They needed to get protein wherever it turned up.

Settling down on a boulder behind cover, she sighed as the breeze ruffled her hair. The bear was up wind of her. It must have been movement that spooked Bingo because the wind was quartering away from the bridge and the road.

She jerked, glad she wasn’t on the trigger, when a hand dropped on her shoulder.

“Gorgeous, isn’t he?” Hakan dropped to his knees beside her.

“I’m going to tranquilize him. No need to kill him, he’s just trying to survive like the rest of us. It’s good to see them adapting,” she whispered. Raising the gun to her shoulder she took aim again.

“Wait for him to catch a fish and get out of the water. We don’t want him to drown by accident.”

She nodded. “When he’s down, get everyone across the bridge and well down across the meadow on the other side. I’m sure he’ll finish his meal and go back to fishing. He’s pretty skinny.” She noted his underweight condition. “I wish I had my notebook with me. Or even my laptop.”

“Ever the zoologist? I’ll get our people across as soon as you have him down.”

The bear slapped the water with his right paw. A two foot long salmon appeared in a rainbow of water, as he snapped his jaws shut, lumbering over to the other side of the creek. Settling down to eat with the wriggling prey between his paws, he tore the head off the deep red fish.

Alicia took her shot. The red flag of her dart fluttered in the breeze when it buried itself in the polar bears rear end.

“Go Hakan!”

“Nice shot.” He scrambled up the bank yelling, “Everyone on your horses. Get over the bridge. We don’t know how long the bear will be down. Get into the woods on the far side and wait there.”

Alicia scrambled down to the creek. Picking her way across, she squished up to the bear. Wet boots were the least of her problems. He was snoring. His fish under a protective claw, his lips quivered with each breath. She ran a quick hand through the fur beside the dart. God the bear was emaciated. Desperation must have taught him how to fish. He would be out for longer than she estimated. Good. Time to get everyone well away. Regretfully she continued up the steep bank, to replace Chay waiting for her.

“Good job, champ!” He reached down to take the gun from her.

“I’ll replace Dolly. Is Bingo okay?”

“A bit winded. It took me a bit to get him to stop running.”

“Get the gun back to Eliza, will you? I’ll catch up with you as soon as I replace my horse.”

“No problem. I think the supply wagon is coming across the bridge now.” Chay nudged Bingo’s heaving ribs and his horse walked toward the supply wagon as it rumbled over the wooden deck. Alicia watched as he stopped to talk to Terry and took Dolly’s reins. She knew what the campfire talk would be tonight. Arimina would have a hundred questions.