Weaver's POV
5 days later
Denali National preserve, Alaska
I woke up to my alarm blasting in my ear from my earbuds causing me to bolt upright as I repeatedly hit snooze before sighing, I pushed Emma back and forth as she groaned trying to stay asleep "Come on em, we've got an hour to get to our vantage before sun rise" she yawned as she sat up "What?" I repeated "Get dressed, we've got an hour before sunrise and we have to be to our vantage point before sun rise" she nodded groggily "what're our options to get him?" I sighed "same as yesterday, spot, stalk, ruck him out" she nodded as she put on her camo and got her rifle. I unzipped the tent and climbed out starting a fire and making some coffee, by the time Emma emerged I had the coffee done and was pouring a cup for her "here, it'll help you wake up for the hike" she replied looking up "thanks, it's amazing out here" I chuckled before replying "yeah, it is pretty nice to get away for a little bit" she nodded before asking "how do you know we'll get him?" I got a far off look in my eye "He attacked my father when I was young, every year we come out here to try to get him, to get closure I guess, anyway every year we see him but he's an elusive one. We never see him where we can get a clear shot" she sighed "well I guess we should get hiking, it's a long walk" I nodded as I took one last sip before using my coffee to put out the fire and walking over grabbing my rucksack and Savage arms 111 long range hunter
before sitting next to Emma, who was checking her gear, "got everything?" She smiled before saluting "yes mentor" I lifted my fist to which she responded by pressing the back of her hand against mine "let's go, we'll get him this year" she replied "together?" I smiled as I bumped her shoulder before standing "together" she stood and we started up the game trail. It was a quiet walk both of us keeping our eyes open for any sign, about 30 meters from the camp I crouched and touched the ground before recalling my hand and whisper yelling "Emma, come here" she moved next to me "oui? What is it?" I motioned broadly infront of us "do you see it?" She looked around until her eyes landed on the tracks "whoa" I nodded while smiling "we had a visitor" she gave me a look "why are you smiling? This track is huge" I replied "because he's still here, we have a chance to bag him" she sighed as I stood and started following the tracks in the damp mud towards the berry fields. After a quarter mile and 10 minutes later, the ground hardened and the sign of the old bear all but vanished I sighed quietly "Well that was pointless, Emma, let's get to that vantage. I've wasted too much time as it is" she chuckled quietly "how does it feel to be so wasteful?" I shook my head with a small smile "oh shut up, I was hoping we'd catch him slipping" she replied "did yo-" I cut her off as I looked around "Do you hear that?" I shouldered my rifle and listened as the bushes 40 meters away were getting broken as something big was moving through them, "come on, let's get out of here this isn't a good place to get into it with a bear" she nodded and started walking out the same way we entered with me right behind her, I kept scanning the edge of the brush trying to spot whatever it was moving through then until suddenly a young Moose calf burst through the undergrowth about 35 meters away. I tapped Emma's shoulder and didn't say anything as she turned and saw the little moose looking around as his mother walked out after him, we paused and watched the two for a couple minutes before we slung our rifles over our shoulders and headed to the overlook and setting up our observation station on top of this large hill. I sat down using my bag as a backrest while I looked over the Alaskan bush for the silver coat of the Old Bear, I heard Emma next to me quietly "this place is gorgeous"
I nodded as I looked over and saw her staring up the valley "I grew up around here, I'd spend all summer exploring this place" she asked sounding entranced "what was it like?" I replied scouring the land with binoculars "brutal, Alaska has a way of teaching you just how weak you are. Did I ever tell you the way I got taught that?" She shook her head "no, I don't think you did" I let my binos hand from their cord as I looked at her "when I was young my father was invincible to me, I never saw him hurt or complaining or tired but one day we went hunting. It all changed that day, we typically hunted moose or caribou but that day my father decided we were going to hunt a bear, if we got it it was a huge payday since that's a couple months we didn't have to buy food. We went hunting and stumbled upon a moose carcass, classic bear sign all over it so dad was pretty confident, we found the beer in a nearby reed field and my father took the shot. Unfortunately my father was using a 30-30 and the round wasn't powerful enough to make it through all the fat and bone in the way, the bear charged and mauled him. Now I was freaking out since there's a bear meters away attacking my father and did what I felt was right and started peppering the bears face, I must've gotten lucky since the bear started screaming and rubbing at his face while my father and I got out" she asked "so those marks across the side of your dad's head were...?" I nodded as I looked through my binoculars again "the scars of the past, speaking of the past, hello" she turned back to her own binoculars "where? I don't see anything?" I spoke "see the lake?" She nodded "Go left of that, by the cat's-tail" she looked at me "cat's-tail?" I sighed before asking "ever seen a corn dog?" She nodded "Yeah why?" I spoke "see the plants that look like they have corn dogs on 'em?" She scanned "yeah, oh I see it. Is it the one we're after?" I replied "no, the one we're looking for has a patch of silver fur on his shoulders." She groaned quietly as she threw herself back "I thought we had him, it would've been great" I spoke "Em, that rarely happens and if it does it takes the fun out of it" she sat up "I guess, hey, why do you hunt?" I replied somewhat distractedly "because of the teachings the Inuit and my father gave me" she asked "what were they?" I spoke "the way to stay connected to the world is to fall back to your instincts, my father always said "if you want to stay connected to the world, you have to take part in the cycles"" she nodded as she spoke slowly "so you stay connected by taking part of the life cycle" I nodded as I spoke "I'm connected to every animal I've hunted, when I eat the meat gathered from them, part of their soul entwines with mine." I heard a short "huh" I glanced over before I went back to watching the valley as the sun rose above the mountain peaks bathing everything is golden light. A couple hours later, Emma asked "when are we leaving?" I cocked an eyebrow "what? Giving up so soon?" She shook her head no as she defended herself "I just want to know how long we have to bag this bear" I replied with a chuckle "we leave at 4" she checked her watch "9 hours" I sighed "it's gonna be a long wait, I doubt he'll give us a chance" I heard Emma "what's that?" I glanced over "what's what?" She pointed "halfway up the mountain on the other side, what's that?" I lifted my binoculars and scoured the hillside "holy shit" she looked at me "is it him?" I nodded "he's a pretty good hike away, fuck"
she replied "but we see him we could go and walk to him" I shook my head no "he'd be long gone, see what he's doing?" She looked through her binos again "he's walking and stopping repeatedly, what's he doing?" I spoke "foraging, if we went for our little hike he'd either hear us or he'd be hundreds of yards away. We just have to hope he comes closer" she leaned against me "I hope he does, he's gorgeous though" I nodded "Yeah, he's even prettier up close." She looked up at the sky as some geese flew over honking, this went on for hours as we watch Silver Back foraging as he came closer, the urge to go and try to get close was painfully difficult to resist as we just sat there, "can't he just walk his fat ass over here? Why don't he constantly do this?" Emma looked at me "that would take the fun out of it" I spoke annoyance clearly present "he's a prick, that's why, he's an asshole" I checked my watch "3:30" Emma sat up "come on we have to go pack up camp" I stood and turned only to glance back at him one more time "I'll get you next year" Emma called "come on Weaver, we have to go" I chuckled "coming, hey for the next date: why don't we go to France? You can show me around your stomping grounds and I can meet your family" she smiled before replying while increasingly getting more excited "that sounds good, j'ai le petit restaurant parfait pour t'amener, oh et nous pouvons aller à Paris, ooh je peux t'amener en normandie(I've got the perfect little restaurant to bring you to, oh and we can go to Paris, ooh I can bring you to Normandy)" I chuckled as I replied "Emma, calme-toi, je sais que tu es excité mais dieu tu parles un mile par minute(Emma, calm down, I know you're excited but god you are speaking a mile a minute)" she froze before speaking sounding incredibly sad "désolé, c'est juste excitant d'aller à des dates spéciales(sorry, it's just exciting to go on special dates)" I turned "Emma, it's okay. I was just struggling to understand you" she looked up "I know" I asked "you need a hug?" She nodded silently while holding her arm like she was embarrassed about it "come here" she came over and walked into my chest as my arms wrapped around her tightly "better?" She spoke, her words muffled "oui, extrêmement(yes, extremely)" I chuckled as I released her "almost there" we reached the camp and started disassembling everything and packing it up before putting it in the bed of the truck. I got in the drivers seat and started the truck as Emma climbed in and looked out the window, I tapped her arm with my free hand after I got onto the dirt road and showed her my hand she looked at it before she gripped it and interlocked our fingers "How'd you like hunting?" She replied "it's frustrating but fun, we saw so many animals but didn't get a shot at the one we were there for, but I saw so many animals I never thought I'd see in person so" I nodded "I know the feeling, I hated the first couple trips" she chuckled before glancing at our hands "merci(thanks), for bringing me and teaching me everything" I laughed "no problem, hopefully I've got a new hunting partner" she nodded before she spoke "oui(yes), I think you do" I sighed in relief "well Dad's gone enjoy the story" she nodded as we fell into a comfortable silence watching the wilderness pass.