"There you go, you got it."

Jackson's encouragement puts a smile on my face. It took several tries to get the knack of it finally, but I now know how to set a wired noose trap.

"I did it!" I cheer as I step back and look at my handy work.

"Good job, now set several more around camp," Jackson directs. "Then head further east. You'll find a game trail that leads to that pond I told you about. You'll see some already set to check and reset if need be, but now that we have all this fishing wire, we'll set up a lot more."

"Do they catch stuff very often?"

"I've gone weeks without catching anything and days with tons of finds. It's a crap shoot, but the more we have set, the better the chance," Jackson says.

"Got it."

"When you get to the pond area, you'll see another game trail that heads northeast towards some rocky caves at the end of the creek. Don't go down that trail. I assume someone in the past hunted bears, and there's a bunch of old rusty bear traps along that trail. Stay as far from them as possible."

"I will, but..." I gulp nervously. "Bears?"

"Black bears, but they are well into hibernation this late into fall. We won't see any until spring."

"Are you sure?" I ask, feeling myself pale. I haven't had another nightmare about the wolves, but those images still rest on the edge of my brain, haunting me constantly.

"I know after the wolves how scary bears sound," he says softly. "But the wolves are savage, and the bears aren't like that. They get tons of food and aren't looking to eat something they wouldn't."

"Meaning us?"

"Exactly. I didn't want to make an enemy of them, so when I found that they seemed to stay in the northeast region, I stayed out of it. I don't even go harvest food there. Leave them full and happy so they don't want me, and that seems to work. I have only seen them here and there in the spring, mostly near that pond."

"They never tried to attack you?" I ask

"No. They have never bothered me. I once sat and watched a mom with her cubs munching on some wild berries at the pond while I fished."

"Seriously?" I can't see myself sitting and watching a bear. How is he so brave? 

"Yeah," he says. "If one ever does approach you, you never run though; act big and tall and yell, and that will run them off."

"Are you sure they already hibernated?"

"Yes, but Sam, you can just set traps near camp if you don't want to go to the pond. It's okay; I get it." He says it so kindly, and I know he won't mind, but I promised myself I'd be a good partner to him out here, and darn it, I will.

"I got it," I assure him, putting on a brave face.

"I want you to take this, just in case." He pulls out a weird-looking gun from his bag. "You won't need it, but we'll both feel better if you have it."

"What is this?"

"It's a flare gun. If you are ever in trouble, shoot this into the air, and I'll see the smoke signal and know you need me."

"What if you need my help? We should plan a way for you to signal me, too."

His eyes flicker in surprise. "I'll be fine. I know the woods."

"Either of us could get in trouble and need the other. Doesn't matter how long you have been here," I argue. "If you need my help, shoot your gun twice fast in a row. If I hear that, I'll know it's a distress signal."

"Sam..if I get in trouble, I'll get myself out of it. I'm not going drag you into it with me."

"You're so stubborn!"

"We don't have time to argue. I need to get moving, and so do you."

"Fine," I grumble, annoyed still as he stalks off.

"Stupid boys and their egos," I mutter as I get to work.

***

Jax was right. Setting up the snares took a lot longer than I thought it would. Several hours go by before I have enough set up near camp.

I then venture off deeper into the east woods. I find the game trail easily and begin to walk along it. Stopping every so often, I set a trap or check one, depending on the situation. I have my rifle tucked under my arm at the ready and the flare gun in my jeans pocket. My pulse picks up speed the further I get down that trail.

Please, no bears today, I beg Mother Nature silently. Even though Jax assured me, I'm still so nervous. I keep my eyes peeled to the ground as I walk for any remaining nuts or apples I can pick up. There aren't many. We have what we have; hopefully, it's enough for winter. We will get one more batch of kale next month, though, so at least there's that.

I finally reach a small clearing where the pond sits. It's tiny, with gross-looking murky water, and various little tracks are everywhere. I spot the game trail Jax warned me about, and sure enough, I see one of those massive metal bear traps and it looks scary as heck, with sharp teeth and rusty hinges. 

I decided to stay far away from that game trail and instead start setting up traps along the sides of the clearing where tall trees surround it. I see a nice thick pine and start setting up a snare when a bird makes a loud noise and suddenly dives down at me from nowhere!

"Shit!" I dodge just in time before it hits my head, which causes it to fly right into the tree behind me. It falls to the ground. I don't hesitate to grab my rifle and take aim to put it out of its misery quickly.

Whenever I kill an animal, I feel both a sense of remorse and gratitude, and I never take it lightly. I close my eyes, saying a silent thank you for this gift. I then bend down to scoop it up; it's a decent-sized duck. 

"It attacked me," I say with a furrowed brow. That isn't normal... was it protecting something?

I examine the tree I was setting a trap in, and find a nest with eggs in it. We should be able to eat these maybe even cook with them!

I need to keep them safe on the long walk home, though. I take my sweatshirt off, as I have a teeshirt under it, which I strip off next. I carefully wrap the eggs and the nest in my tee shirt set it to the side, and then slip the sweatshirt back on.

I stick my rifle under my armpit and the duck in my bag so both hands are free to hold the wrapped nest carefully. I am so excited I want to skip again, but I don't dare with the eggs. I assume these are much thinner and more breakable than the chicken eggs at home.

A duck and eggs! After being laid up last week, it feels so good to provide for us. I am beaming as I head back down the game trail towards home.

 I wonder how Jax did today? 

***

I find out as soon as I get close to the camp because I can see smoke and know he has a fire going. That has to mean he's getting the smoker ready for something. I have been torturing myself by walking slowly, in fear of stumbling and dropping this nest.

"Jax, come get this from me. My arms are about to fall off."

He's in front of me in seconds, looking confused as I slowly hand him the precious food. "It's a nest with duck eggs. Take it carefully."

"Sweet," he mumbles as he slowly takes it off my hands.

He walks to the outdoor table and carefully sets the nest next to his catches—three huge geese! I take the duck out of my bag and set it down next to them.

"This is a great haul!" Jackson declares a big grin on his face.

"I'll start a stew for one of them," I say.

"Let's use the duck for the stew while we process the geese. It's going to take a bit longer because this is the time of year I start rendering new fat. I'll show you how."

"That jar on your cabinet?" I guess, and he nods.

"We'll need to have at least three jars of fat before the season. When winter hits, we'll still hunt and check traps for small game and the occasional deer, but it's much harder to catch anything. Some days, it's too cold even to try," Jackson explains as he starts getting knives out on the table.

"That's why we need tons of smoked meat, right?"

"Yes, but also fat. When we smoke the meat, it turns it into jerky, and the protein is great but not enough to sustain us. We have to have a steady source of fat, too. I usually make a soup with animal fat, water, and smoked meat. It's not the tastiest thing in the world,  but it works."

"Now that it's getting colder, could we keep some meat outside for bone stews?"

"I wish," Jackson says with a sigh. "I've tried a few things. Hanging it from a tree close to my cabin, burying it, I even built this stand-thing that got knocked down. Lost the meat to another animal every time."

"That sucks." I frown as I start getting the duck ready for the stew. Once it's processed, I plop it into a pot with water and set it on the outdoor fire. It's cold today, but the blazing fire and hard work keep me warm in my sweatshirt.

"Just wait, Sam. You lose food you worked hard for, and it more than sucks. It's a fucking devastating feeling. Smoking, I've found, is the only way."

He works as he talks and I watch him as he processes the first goose. It doesn't take me long to see what to do, and I grab the next one, mimicking his actions as I start on it. 

"What if we could secure it somehow?" I ponder this as we work. "It could be like a box, like a smoker but smaller—and we could double-lid it so nothing can get in. We would even keep it on the roof. That way, we'd hear if something were up there trying to get into it."

Jackson looks up with wide eyes.  "That could work!"

"You think so?"

"I do! You're a genius. Sam!"

I am beaming at his compliment as I start thinking about how to put something like that together.

***

We made quick work of processing the geese, and are now sitting outside by the smoker. The air has gotten considerably chillier, and I may need to go in and grab a coat soon.

"This is one of the better stews," I comment as I slurp the rest of my jar. 

"Yeah, duck has a ton of flavor," Jackson agrees. "I've found turkey out here too, not in a while, but it's happened."

"Really? Any pigs ever?"

"No, too bad," he says. "Spring is the most active time. Everything out here is hungry, which means lots of animals to hunt, but we also have to be careful of the hungry animals out desperate for a meal." 

"Other things besides wolves and bears?"

"Foxes, bobcats, and cougars, then summer comes, and we have to watch for ticks and snakes. It's always something."

"Yeah," I sigh, mother nature is one hardcore chick, that's for sure.

Jackson looks up and jumps up suddenly. "Sam! Hurry, follow me!"

I see him looking at the sky as he heads towards the house, and I see a weird flashing light in the sky.

"What is?"

"Northern lights! Head up to the roof so you can see them."

I hustle to climb the roof, and he is right behind me. My mouth drops open as I look up at the sky. I've only seen this once camping, and it wasn't anywhere near this intense. There are greens, blues, and pink lights dancing across the sky. I can't take my eyes off it!

A strong wind chills me in my sweatshirt, and I hug my arms around myself, unwilling to miss even a second of this to get a jacket.

Jackson puts his arms around me from behind, pulling my body against his, and the warmth floods me instantly.

"Is this okay?" He whispers into my ear as he holds me, and my knees nearly buckle from the husky tone in his voice.

"It's perfect," I whisper.

I take my own hands and clasp them over his, which are wrapped so gently around my shoulders just above my breasts. It's all very innocent, but I can feel this energy brimming under the surface. It's only a matter of time before it wraps us up in its current.

"The first time I saw this, I was blown away. All I ever wanted was to share it with someone."

"It's the most beautiful thing ever," I whisper as a flash of pink ripples across the blues and greens flashing through the sky.

"No," Jackson says and then leans closer to my ear as he whispers. "You are."

My belly erupts with butterflies as a big grin takes over my face.

"Stop, I am not," I giggle.

"Are too," he argues. "Now, shh, enjoy it. This goes fast."

We both fall silent as we take in the beauty around us. His arms tighten around me, and I lean against his sturdy body. I feel so close to him in this moment, and I savor the feeling between us. I can't quite define it, but it's as incredible as the sky above us. 

https://youtu.be/mJsiYI1I8n0

Here is what the northern lights look like. This is over Alaska, but you get the gist of it. It's so pretty!!