“Jason?” I called out, pushing the door open and letting Sitka run inside first, announcing Fennec’s arrival by barking.
He walked out of the kitchen, nodding at Fennec and then looking at me. “I put your bag next to the bed.”
I nodded and squeezed Fennec’s hand before letting go of it to go grab my duffle bag.
“Everything all right up there?” I heard Jason ask.
“Yeah, we’re all good,” Fen replied. “Papa wants to know if you have enough firewood for the winter, or if you want us to bring you some later this week.”
“I’m good. You guys keep that wood for yourself. You need it more than I do.”
I walked back to Fennec, letting him take my bag and pull the short straps over his shoulders to carry it up the mountain.
“We can go now. Thank you for dinner and breakfast, Jason. And the ride,” I told him with a smile.
“Welcome. If you ever need to revisit reality, let me know. I’m heading back to Fairbanks around Thanksgiving.”
I nodded.
Though, living with Papa was my reality.
No need for me to go back to society and follow all those stupid rules.
The forest was my home, and out there, we made our own rules.
We said goodbye to Jason and Sitka, who then barked at us as her owner held her back while we walked along the dirt road Fennec had come from.
He nudged my side with his elbow, grinning at me. “Congrats on graduating. I knew you’d make it. Mama must be proud of you,” he said.
“She isn’t happy about me being here,” I confessed, but he shrugged, letting me know that he didn’t care about that.
“Mama doesn’t know what she’s missing. She should’ve stayed with Papa and raised us both in the forest. It’s where we’re supposed to be.”
His opinion on Mama often changed.
One day he loved her unconditionally, the other he cursed her for not staying with Papa.
Though, Papa never urged her to live in the wilderness, which showed how much he cared about her.
They met when they were our age, but they couldn’t have been more different.
Despite their choices, they were still together, and no matter the distance or little communication, our parents would never split.
“I’m here now, and I’ve been waiting for this day ever since you left last year,” I told him with a smile.
He laughed softly, reaching out his hand to rub the back of my head the way Mama so often did.
“I’m happy to have you back, Ves. I love you, sweet girl.”
“I love you too,” I replied, thinking about how lucky I was to have a brother who cared about and protected me so much.
4
There were things people didn’t need to know about.
Things most people would be disgusted by, feeling their stomachs turn by just the thought of the things we did in the forest.
And I wasn’t just talking about the hunting.
It’s been one whole year since I left Fairbanks to live with Papa, to live by my own rules and live the way I was supposed to ever since I was old enough to think for myself.
No matter how well I fit into society, or how many friends I made in high school, that town was not where I was supposed to be.
Having Vespyr with us now brought back so many memories.
Sick and twisted memories.
Not sure if she remembered them, or if she ever felt as if certain things we did were wrong, but one thing was for sure: our love for each other and the strong bond between us would never break.
We’ve been close ever since we were babies, and no matter how hard other students made school for her, I was always there to protect her.
She wasn’t weak, not at all, but it was my duty to be right by her side at all times.
We’d been walking for almost an hour, following the river up to our camp.
When I looked back to make sure she was keeping up with me, I smiled and stopped to place my hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.
“Seems longer the older we get, huh?”
She laughed softly, making those gray eyes shine brightly. “Not really. I’m just taking in my surroundings. I missed this place.”
“Do you remember every single part of it?” I asked.
“Mostly. I would’ve known the way up to the camp, but Jason wouldn’t let me leave on my own.”
“I know you would’ve made it. Though, Papa wouldn’t have been happy about that either.”
She gave me a quick nod, and after a while, she smiled. “I remember that one time we spent winter break with Papa, and we would run down to the river and break the ice to see if we could catch fish. I never managed to break the ice, but you always did,” she told me.
“I remember. And then I always let you tell Papa that you broke it,” I said with a grin.
She chuckled. “You had to, or else I wouldn’t have talked to you for the rest of the day.”
She was stubborn, but not in a way that bothered anyone. Maybe it was determination rather than stubbornness.
Whatever it was, Vespyr was her own person, and I was proud of her for everything she had done and achieved in life.
“Come on. It’s only ten more minutes and we’re finally home.”
She smiled, leaning against my side before starting to walk ahead of me, moving her feet quickly to reach our destination faster.
*
“Papa!” Vespyr called as she saw him kneeling by his tent, fixing the hole either a squirrel or hare bit into a few nights ago when we were out hunting.
“Vespyr, my sweetheart!” Papa replied, grinning widely and getting up to let her run into his arms.
Their bond sometimes seemed stronger than the one I had with her, which was practically impossible, but since they were so much alike, there was no denying that they had their own special connection.
Just like Mama and I did.
“Look at you! All grown up and graduated,” he said, kissing Vespyr’s forehead and holding her at arm-lengths after hugging her tight.
“So proud of you, sweetheart. Mama doing okay?”
Ves nodded, then shrugged with a frown on her face. “I tried to convince her to come, but she didn’t want to. I really would’ve wanted her here with us. I know she misses you.”
Even with that thick beard covering most of his face, I could see his jaw clench.
“I miss her too,” was all he said to that matter before smiling at Vespyr again.
The hate I had felt months ago because of him still lingered in my chest, and with all those fallouts we’ve had in the past months, I was starting to feel things toward him I never felt before.
None of those feelings were positive, but I hoped to keep them to myself so Vespyr wouldn’t suspect anything.
Being here was her dream, and I wouldn’t ruin it for her.
“Fennec and I went hunting last night,” Papa said, nodding toward the already field dressed caribou.
It was wandering around our camp for days, but before we went after it, it had disappeared.
It couldn’t have gone far, and sure enough, we found it by the river not too far away from camp.
It was an easy hunt. Still, it always made me feel good to know that even without Papa, I would be able to survive out here.
“Oh, my! That’s a big one!” Vespyr called out as she walked toward our dinner.