Finding Home (2 page)

“
I could devour a thick
T-bone myself,” Nat replied.

“
When we head in to trade
next month, I promise you will have the biggest steak you can eat,”
Nathan said.

“
Something to look forward
to, Nat said as she cleared the dishes and walked Gyp to the door.
We will check on the animals and be right back,” she said as she
opened the door and walked out.

Nathan smiled to himself and thought
how lucky he was to have such a strong young woman for a daughter.
Sure he had always longed for a son when he was younger, but now he
doubted that he could be as proud of anyone as he was with Nat. He
waited for Nat and Gyp to return and then he doused the lights and
they both retired for the evening to rest up for the big day
ahead.

Nat awoke first and put fresh wood on
the fire before taking Gyp outside. She watched the puppy pounce on
leaves that blew on the ground in front of her, Nat’s laughter
breaking the silence of the deep woods. The seasons were beginning
to change, the brilliant color of the leaves that were rapidly
falling from the trees and the brisk chill in the air would soon
give way to snowflakes and long winter nights. Nat would be glad to
make it through the passes to Seattle ahead of the winter storms
and take shelter somewhere less desolate. For the past few years
she and her father had spent the winter in a small rented out cabin
just south of Seattle where they had planned for the coming year
and caught up with fellow trappers sharing trends in the trading
market and news of the bloody war.

Nat returned to the cabin and set the
coffee kettle on the fire. She cleaned her rifle and loaded it
while she waited for Nathan to stir. He walked into the kitchen
just as she was pouring the strong steaming liquid into their mugs.
“Morning,” he said.

“
Good morning, did you have
trouble not sleeping on the ground last night,” Nat
teased?

“
When you get my age, it
takes a while to adjust,” her dad tossed back as he picked up his
mug.

“
I’ll keep that in mind,”
Nat said as she continued packing her bag for the mornings
hunt.

They made small talk while they drank
their coffee and then Nat stood and stretched one last time. “I
better get moving if I am going to get any meat today she said. See
you when you get back tonight Nat said and then she picked up Gyp.
Sorry my friend but today you will have to stay inside, she told
the small pup as she placed a warm blanket in the wood bin and
placed the pup inside. ”

She kissed her dad on the forehead and
picked up her bag and rifle.

“
Good luck today Nat,”
Nathan said as her watched her out the door.

Nat laced her arms through the straps
of her pack and shouldered her rifle. She walked through the woods
with a deadly silence as she looked for signs of wildlife. She had
walked for nearly half an hour when she heard a buzzing sound
echoing through the cool morning air. Her keen ears led her to the
trunk of an old tree that was now home to a swarm of honey
bees.

Approaching carefully, Nat caught a
glimpse of a large comb overflowing with honey. Honey for biscuits
would be a pleasant change for both she and her father so Nat
propped her rifle next to the tree and lowered her pack. She took
out a small strip of worn out cloth and wrapped it around a long
stick. She would have to work quickly to harvest the honey without
getting stung, but the sweetness was just too promising to pass up.
Nat removed a jar from her pack and slowly spun the lid from its
lips and took one of her remaining few matches and struck it
careful not to waste the precious fire. She lit the rag which
burned slowly fueled by the animal fat and oils creating a plume of
smoke which Nat placed into the hive. The bees buzzed angrily, but
fled the hive just as Nathan had taught her they would.

Nat worked quickly to cut off a large
section of comb and slip it into the jar and then dipped the jar
into the honey until it was filled to the rim. She wiped the excess
from the outer rim of the jar with her finger and then raised it to
her lips. The sugary taste locked her jaws momentarily as they
adjusted to the taste and she quickly replaced the lid and tucked
her prize into her pack.

She extinguished the cloth with damp
leaves from the ground and picked up her rifle to move on before
the angry bees returned. With a huge smile gracing her face Nat
continued into the woods making a mental note of where the honey
tree was located for future visits.

Another mile into the forest Nat came
across fresh tracks where a deer had crossed earlier and Nat hoped
he would be heading down to the small river that was a few minutes’
walk further into the woods. She crept quietly down to the river’s
edge and waited in frozen silence for her prey. Nat watched as
several rabbits hopped to the river’s edge for a quick drink and
then darted back into the undergrowth when they heard a larger
animal approach.

Nat watched as a huge buck stepped
confidently from the concealment of the forest to the river’s edge.
She calmly raised the rifle and had the buck square in her sights.
A fine specimen indeed and one that would provide meat for Nat and
her father for many days she thought as her finger twitched on the
trigger. Nat waited until the buck lowered his head to drink and
then squeezed the trigger firmly. The shot rang true striking the
buck in the heart and dropping him immediately.

Nat took the rope from her pack and
walked to where the buck laid dead. She laid her hand on his neck
and she could feel the warmth as it left his body in the cool
morning. “Thank you for your sacrifice,” she whispered to the
animal, and then she tied the rope around his back hooves. Nat
carried the animal to the nearest tree and using the rope hoisted
his body upward until his body was off the ground
entirely.

Nat despised the next part of the
ritual, but took the knife from her belt and slowly drew a line
across the buck’s stretched throat to bleed him and then made the
deep incision down his belly to disembowel the beast and prepare
his carcass for transport. This unpleasant task done, Nat walked to
the river bank to wash her knife and hands before making her way
back to the cabin where she would bring Quincy back to carry the
buck home for her.

She gathered her goods and made her way
back to the cabin. She left her pack on the porch and peeked inside
the door to find Gyp soundly asleep in the wood bin and she quietly
closed the door. Removing the tether from Quincy’s back legs, Nat
led the mule back to the river’s edge to retrieve the buck. Quincy
allowed Nat to strap the buck across his back and then they walked
back to the cabin.

Nat strung the buck up into a tree once
again when they reached the cabin and she began the task of
skinning the buck with her sharp knife. She carefully placed the
hide on the tanning wall on the end of the cabin and then began to
carve the buck. She cut a large roast from the hind quarter and
carried it into the cabin where she skewered it onto the spit and
placed it over the flames for roasting.

Gyp watched her from the wood bin with
sleepy eyes and then wagged her whole body when Nat reached down to
pick her up and carry her outside. Gyp trotted along beside Nat and
sat watching her as Nat carved the rest of the meat and carried it
into a small smoke house to prepare for curing. Gyp watched her
intently as Nat coated the meat with salt, rubbing it deeply into
the tender meat before hanging it from the rafters by string and
lighting the fire in the smoke house. The process would take days
so Nat scoured the woods surrounding the cabin for firewood to keep
the fire stoked.

As the afternoon sun faded, Nat
finished her chores and cleaned up at the river’s edge before she
walked back into the cabin. She pulled the jar of honey from her
pack and placed it on the table. The roast in the fire smelled
heavenly as Nat rolled out fresh biscuits and placed them on the
hearth. She checked the fire in the smokehouse and was playing
outside with Gyp when she heard her father ride up.

“
That is the most heavenly
smell” Nathan said as he dismounted and walked toward
Nat.

“
I was lucky this morning
and got a nice buck,” Nat said as she walked her dad around to the
tanning wall and then led him into the smoke house.

Nathan was very impressed with his
daughter’s success. “I would say you were very fortunate,” Nathan
said as he placed his arm around Nat.

“
I have a roast cooking and
there is plenty of back strap to make jerky and yes before you
asked I saved the heart and liver too,” Nat replied.

Nat knew that Nathan enjoyed making
stew from the deer’s heart and if they could find some wild onions
or potatoes he would fry the liver as a special treat. Nathan
taught Nat well how to use every part of an animal’s body so
nothing would go to waste.

Nat helped her father care for his
horse and together they walked into the cabin, Gyp bouncing merrily
along behind them.

“
I swear she has grown since
this morning,” Nathan said as he scooped Gyp up in his rough
hands.

“
She slept most of the
morning so she’s been full of herself this afternoon, Nat said as
Nathan scratched behind the pup’s ears.

They walked into the house together and
Nat started setting the table while Nathan checked the roast on the
spit. “This looks fantastic,” Nathan said as he took his knife and
sliced off several pieces of the fragrant roasted meat and carried
them to the table.

Nathan sat down at the table and spied
the jar of honey sitting next to the biscuits. “My, my you did have
a good days hunt,” he said as he lifted the jar holding the golden
honey, spinning the lid off and pouring a small amount onto his
plate.

“
I thought we could use a
treat,” Nat said, her glowing smile lighting up the
room.

“
Indeed, you have prepared
us a feast,” Nathan said as he returned Nat’s warm
smile.

During their meal they discussed plans
for spending a couple of weeks in the cabin before moving on toward
Seattle to do their trading and settle down for the winter. Both
Nathan and his daughter were eager to make the trip and return to
civilization if even for a brief respite.

Later that evening, Nat dreamed of
soaking in a hot bath and buying a new pair of dungarees and work
shirt which would replace her buckskins which could use a good
airing out.

****

Nat sat back against the wall of the
cave and closed her eyes. Her hand instinctively went to her neck
where she located a leather thong and traced it down her neck until
she touched the large bear claw nestled under her shirt.

****

The days passed quickly at the cabin
and two days before they would pack and hit the trail, her Father
went out ahead of her to check traps. Nat saddled Hardy an hour
later and followed her father’s trail into the woods. Today’s catch
would be the last and they would pack and head out at first light
for the long ride into Seattle.

Hardy’s nostrils flared as they rode
deeper into the woods and his muscles twitched with every sound.
Hardy could smell something in the forest that had his every nerve
on edge and his anxiety was slowly transferring to Nat. She patted
his neck in an effort to calm him but even her reassuring words
could not prevent the lather of sweat breaking out across his
body.

A rifle shot rang out in the woods from
the direction her father would be trapping and suddenly the
relatively calm forest broke out in a riot of sounds. Nat drove her
heels into Hardy’s flanks spurring him to a full gallop as she
recognized the bellow of a large bear and heard her father shouting
at the beast. Nat reached a clearing and could only watch as Nathan
got off another rifle shot, striking the bear squarely in the chest
as he charged, but not slowing his advance. Nathan fumbled to
reload as the bear, a full grown grizzly reared onto his hind legs
only three feet away from him.

Nat watched in horror as the bear
advanced on her father, sharp claws striking out at him while rabid
foam flew through the air as the beast roared his anger which
echoed throughout the forest. She raised her rifle to take aim as
the bear raked a large paw across Nathan’s face and neck slicing
through his skin like a knife through warm butter. Nat squeezed the
trigger and her shot hit the bear behind its left ear driving the
bullet deep into his brain, but the bear did not fall. She ejected
the shell and reloaded preparing for another shot as she saw Nathan
fall to the ground. Her next shot struck the bear straight in the
heart and the bear finally faltered and fell beside
Nathan.

Hardy slid to a stop ten feet away and
Nat jumped off his back still carefully eyeing the bear as she
rushed to her father’s side. The bear twitched and Nat shot him
once again then kneeled down next to her father.