Trails by Warren Troy

Author:Warren Troy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Publication Consultants

Episode

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19

IT HAD BEN ABOUT A MONTH SINCE I HELPED ANDY LARSEN fix his snow machine, and he hadn’t come to visit me yet. I figured he was absorbed in his ongoing house-building project and had forgotten to come by, as he said he might, so I decided to take him up on his open invitation to visit. It would be good to chew the fat with him, but I also wanted to get a better look at that fancy structure he was continually enlarging.

I had recently taken a barren cow moose that was standing right out on the tundra next to my old cabin. I still needed some meat and had waited for the right moose, but it had never materialized. Since I was a full-time homesteader needing meat, I jumped at the opportunity, knowing there was no season for cow moose. I had learned this was accepted homesteader behavior unless somebody complained.

Lucy had been fascinated with the whole process. Though she ran off when I took my shot, she soon returned to watch me take care of the moose, sometimes a little too closely. It’s kind of hard to dress out a moose when a furry head and busy nose keep poking right in the middle of everything.

The smells when I opened the animal really got her going. She seemed to get excited and nervous at the same time. Lucy seemed to know this was an important event.

After getting the meat processed, bagged, and in the cache, I decided to take Andy a hind quarter. It would be good to see him again. I knew Lucy would be happy to see Luke, too. They had become good friends. He had actually come visiting several times since he and Lucy had met. They would run and romp around together out on the tundra for a long hour or two before coming back to rest right outside the cabin, licking the snow off each other, and finally curling up for a nap. When I would call Lucy into the cabin for the night, Luke would stay outside for a while, probably hoping Lucy would come out again. I’d open the door and tell him, “Luke, Lucy is staying in now, so go home and come back another time.” I swear I could see the disappointment on his face, as if he knew just what I was saying. He’d walk slowly away, tail hanging down, until, a short distance from the cabin, he’d start running for home.

A few days after I took the moose, Lucy and I went on a leisurely run to Andy’s place to take him the hind quarter. The weather was crisp and clear, making for a pleasant run. Just before we entered Andy’s trail, Lucy started running faster, dashing into the woods eager to see her friend.

I pulled up in front of Larsen’s house, noticing that the small upper room Andy had mentioned was finished. Luke and Lucy were on the deck, nuzzling each other. Suddenly, They ran off through the trees, happily chasing each other.

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