24
Gunnar pounded the last of the stakes into the ice to secure the dogs to. The last week had been like living through the movie Groundhog Day. Wake up, take care of dogs, break camp, mush through scenery of constant white and variations of blue, make camp, feed dogs, sleep, and repeat. If it wasn’t for the evenings in the tent with Julie and Sunny, and the exhaustion, he’d likely go crazy. He guessed there was a lot to say for the monotony. It meant there had been no more emergencies.
The worst part was that there was never any time to get Julie alone. It wasn’t like he and Julie could make out with his sister in the tent, and it just hadn’t seemed like the right time when Julie was so upset about her dog. Gunnar snorted. This entire expedition was the worst time for a relationship. The best thing he could do was drop it until they got back to solid ground. Getting his mind to agree to that hadn’t happened yet.
The dogs paced on their lines. By the end of the day, they were normally ready to have dinner, bed down, and call it a night. Sure, they got excited when the soup pot came around, but they never acted up much while still hooked to the sled.
His lead dog, Rocky, whined and jumped over his partner, Bullwinkle. Farther down the line, Sylvester snarled at Minnie, who laid her ears back in return. Before Gunnar could get to them, they lunged for each other in a chaotic bid for it. Gunnar hollered and dashed to them, groaning in frustration and exhaustion when they finally calmed down.
They’d tangled themselves up on the line. Ripping off his mittens and stuffing them in his pocket, he grabbed one dog by the harness, unhooked her, and led her to her spot for the night. The cold froze his fingers as he snapped the clip onto her harness. If he could just get them unhooked from the sled, he could feed them, then untangle the line in the tent.
Julie’s scream ripped through the air, freezing his clammy skin. He rushed past the dogs toward the tent, his heart pounding in his throat. Had the tent caught on fire? He couldn’t see any smoke.
He skidded to a stop as the opening to the tent came into view. A polar bear had Julie’s foot in its mouth and was dragging her out of the tent.
“Hey!” he yelled, picking up a crate of supplies at his feet and tossing it at the bear.
The box hit the bear in the flank. It flinched, dropped Julie, and turned to Gunnar. Lunging for the sled, Gunnar grabbed the shotgun from the supplies. The bear charged, and Gunnar pumped a shell into the chamber, lifted the gun, and pulled the trigger. Click. Nothing.
The bear barreled down on Gunnar. The dogs barked chaotically behind him. Julie yelled from where she stumbled to her feet by the tent. He didn’t want to end up bear bait. Gunnar was out of options.
He braced his feet wide on the ice, flipped the shotgun in his hand, and swung with all his strength. The butt of the gun connected with the polar bear’s head with a loud crack. The bear tripped sideways, its front legs giving out. Gunnar had little time before the stunned bear shook it off. He prayed it would just run away, but he couldn’t count on that.
Quickly scanning the area for a weapon, he snatched the ax from the sled and backed away from the tent and dogs. If nothing else, he’d lead the predator away from everyone. The bear shook its head, focused its black glare on Gunnar, and huffed a threatening sound that made Gunnar brace for another charge.
Steam billowed from the bear’s nostrils as it stomped its front foot, throwing snow out behind it. The ax handle bit into his skin that burned from the cold, but he gripped it tighter, ignoring the pain. The bear’s muscles bunched, and everything else disappeared as Gunnar waited for it to lunge.
It charged, striding two steps before a boom shattered Gunnar’s focus and echoed across the ice. The bear deterrent bullet sparkled like firecrackers at the bear’s feet, then fizzled out. The bear flinched, roared a sound that liquified Gunnar’s bones, and charged again.
Gunnar stumbled backward, adjusting his sweaty grip on the ax. Three quick shots exploded into the air, slamming into the bear’s chest. It fell and huffed two labored breaths before it didn’t move again.
Gunnar’s knees gave out, and he collapsed onto the snow. He scanned the area to make sure the bear didn’t have a buddy, his survey stopping on Julie and Sunny. Julie held a smoking shotgun still trained on the animal as she made her way to Gunnar. Sunny shoved the bear deterrent launcher into her pocket with a huff and stomped over to the dogs.
Julie’s limp drew Gunnar’s attention. “You’re hurt.”
“It’s nothing.” She knelt in the snow next to him, her chest heaving as her gaze darted over him. “I thought he was going to get you.”
She leaned forward, resting her face against his neck, and he wrapped her in a hug. He’d almost lost her. He tightened his hold on her.
“When Sunny shot that sparkler, and it didn’t leave”—Julie pulled back, her head shaking as she turned to look at the bear—“I had to shoot it.”
“That bear was out to eat us.” Gunnar’s fingers burned from the cold when he flexed them, and he snatched his mittens from his pocket and stood. Mason, Clark, and Sunny all hurried to him and Julie. “We’ll have to move camp. Go another mile or so away just in case the kill draws more bears.”
Which meant it’d be dark by the time they got to a new location.
Mason whistled low, walking around the bear. “We heard the commotion, but by the time we got out of the tent, you all had finished with the excitement.”
“We need to break camp and get going.” Sunny stared at the sun low on the horizon. “No use standing around gawking.”
She gave Gunnar a quick side hug, then rushed to the tent.
“Man, my stomach is rubbing my backbone.” Clark rubbed his coat. “Guess dinner will have to wait.”
“Here.” Julie took an energy snack called a packaroon from where she always stashed a few inside her coat.
He caught it in the air with a toothy smile. “Thanks, Mom.”
Julie smiled and rolled her eyes. It was a silly joke, but it got Gunnar thinking. Julie would be an amazing mom. She would push her kids to find adventures, but also be there with them, with homemade donuts and tons of love. Could they have that together? Did he deserve to even think about it when he’d so carelessly thrown his last chance at it away?