Chase Season
Fall is here now and I’m hearing the traffic going up and down Stone Coal Gap Road, I’m also hearing the dogs barking in the back of the trucks. I know we can’t be crossing the roads like we have been, or the dogs will get our scent and chase us. I still have nightmares of when the hounds almost caught me, I had to go up a tree to keep from being caught, and tore to pieces by the hounds. I’m larger now, and can I fight them off, but with their numbers, they will chase me up a tree, and have me treed. I’m concerned for all my friends and family even Maverick. Afterall he is my blood brother. I guess I’m most concerned for Lucy and James since they live across the road from us. Also, my new blood brother Tom, which also is across the road. I know we can’t check on each other without crossing the road, and leaving scent for the dogs.
I’m actually thinking that late one night, about slipping across the road, Sophia and Oliver has each other in their den. If I stay with Tom, I can watch over him, also keep an eye on Lucy and James. This is a hard decision but I feel as though I need to tell Sophia and Oliver, that I am moving in with Tom. I hope when doing this, the hounds don’t pick my scent up. While telling Sophia and Oliver, Sophia begins to cry saying we will have an empty nest. Oliver tells her, we knew this day was coming, and Ben is an amazing bear. He always has others bears, in his mind and wants to help them out. Sophia says yeah, I know but it’s going to be hard having an empty nest.
I Tell Sophia that tonight, well after dark I’ll slip across the road, and go tell Tom my plans, I don’t even know yet, if he will want me to stay with him. But if I’m on that side of road, I can go back and forth between Tom’s and Lucy’s. Sophia gives me her blessing, she said at least it’s just chase season, and not kill season, if the dogs should get on his track. I will just have to sit there until the hunters come, and pull the dogs off the tree, then I can go on my merry way. Speaking of merry I’ve done great with my depression; I haven’t had to use any marijuana. Been a few days since I’ve seen Tom, I hope he is doing well. Sophia says she is going to fix some of her berry cobblers, I can take 2 to lucy and 2 to Tom. She said they almost out of honey to sweeting them. She told me to keep my eyes open for a bee hive.
Well, it’s a couple hours after dark now, so I head on down the mountain, I cross over the road, and head up to Lucy’s and James’s place. She said she was very surprised seeing me, why am I taking a chance of the hounds getting onto my scent. I tell her I waited until after dark, so the hunters have gone home, and my scent should not be very strong by morning. She is questioning me of my depression, I tell her it has been doing great. I tell her been a few weeks since I have been using any marijuana. I tell her I am still mad at myself, about Luna but at least she is happy, so, I’ve accepted them being mates. Maverick had it so hard so, I’m glad he has her to keep him happy. Then Lucy tells me her and James have been fishing with fishing rods, it is so relaxing. They had gotten them 2 fishing rods, and maybe in the spring, we can go to the pond. I tell Lucy was great talking to them, but guess he better head on over to Tom’s. She said that can wait it’s been a long time, since they have spent the night together. James said yes, blood brother I miss you. So, I decided to spend the night.
The next morning, I get up and ready to head on over to Tom’s. Lucy said I can go after breakfast, she been teaching a James to cook, he will fix some deer tenderloins and eggs. We can sit here and catch up on old times. I say well looks like the honeymoon is over, you now have time for me. Not over she says we know we have our lifetime together; family is important, we enjoy everyone when they come and visit. James said breakfast is on and we can dig in. I tell Lucy hey you getting him trained well. I almost forgot, I have 2 berry cobblers that Sophia fixed. I asked Lucy if she have found any bee hives so we can get some honey, we are almost out. Lucy says nope I haven’t seen any hives, but I’ll keep my eyes open.
I tell them bye and start the trip to Tom’s; I hadn’t gone anywhere till I hear a truck, right where I crossed the road I hear the dogs all open up. I hear the hunters saying, we have a track that crossed the road here. Oh no it was still scent there. Then I’m think oh no my scent goes right to Lucy’s den. I must do something so the only thing I knew to do, was run down, and meet the dogs head on, then take off away from Lucy’s den. They will follow me, instead going to Lucy’s den. I go down and I see 5 hounds I smacked one of them good. Damn that felt good smacking that damn dog, I then take off running away from Lucy’s den. I remembering that Oliver has always said, go up into all the rocks, whenever you get chased by the hounds, because they can’t climb the rocks, the way us bears can. I headed to the steepest rocks I could find. I am scampering up though the rocks. The dogs not too far behind, but as I’m climbing the rocks I can tell they have fallen well behind. I hear a couple voices down on the road, I’ve heard before. I hear one say hey Dale looks like the bear, is trying to lose the dogs in those rocks again. Then Dale responds back, Yes Rob, it sure does. The bears love those rocks and have the advantage over our dogs. I then hear what sounds like one the dogs, making a different bark. It sounded like it has fallen off the rocks. But he is ok, he now barking just a little, as he goes back down the mountain. The rest of the dogs are following. I survived this one, and I know I’m going have to be more careful. I can’t cross the roads anymore.
I then head towards Tom’s; I hope I don’t run across any more hounds today. I’m now right outside of Tom’s den; I haven’t heard anymore hounds. As I go inside, he isn’t there I hope he is ok. The den looks good, and nothing tells me anything is wrong. I’m tired so I go in and take a little bear nap. I then wake up and hear Tom say, welcome blood brother. I said hello, I have you 2 berry cobblers, that Sophia made for you. He said yum yum yummy. I didn’t think I would see you any more, until after chase season. I tell him that if he didn’t mind, I would like to stay with him, until after chase season. He was thrilled, I said I was going back to get my stuff, but the hounds had chased him, I don,t feel like I should cross the road again. Don’t worry I have any and everything you may need here. I even got a deer bag of marijuana form Ceasar, just before chase season came in. I took him 2 large does for it. I didn’t want him, to just give it to me this time. He told me I was not ready to come off it. But I,m weaned down to an average of only 1 or 2 cigarettes a day now. I tell him that was great.
I ask what else has he been doing since I last saw him, well I’ve been looking for a sow, but no luck so far. Tom then said we got this whole mountain range that we can stay on, without crossing any roads. We can go hunting for a sow together. I was happy with this; with any luck we can find us 2 beautiful sows. For the next 2 days we were out all day long, looking for an available sow. None seems to be around. Tom said you know the last 2 days I haven’t even smoked one cigarette, just having a good friend around, helps with this depression stuff. He said he owed me so much. You being my blood brother is all the payment I need.
On the way back to our den I happen to see the largest bee hive I have ever seen. I tell Tom, that Sophia is almost out of honey. He said he has several 5-gallon buckets; we can harvest all this honey for her tomorrow. We get a good night’s sleep and plan on harvesting the honey, in the morning and then go sow hunting some again.
We have harvested almost 7, 5-gallon buckets of honey, when we started hearing hounds, sound like they are chasing a bear, it is coming towards us. We see a 3-year-old sow cross just above us, and the hounds just a little behind. I tell Tom, I’m going up there, I’m going to get the hounds chasing me. Tom said not without him. I said Well let’s go rescue this damsel in distress. We get up to where she had crossed, we waited for the hounds, we both was swiping at them making them fly through the air, this felt so good. Then we went off running together, with the hounds chasing us. We are going to fix those hounds and teach them a lesson; we will climb up this tree here that’s leaning into the other tree at a 45 degree angle. We will set at the intersection of the 2 trees, and once all the dogs have climbed up this leaning tree, and they are 50 feet up in the air, we will then slide down the other tree. That’s what we did and oh wow did it work well. The dogs now sounding totally different, not their big loud mouth bawling barks, it’s more of a whimpering now. Tom said let’s go over on the next ridge, we will watch when the hunters find their dogs. The first one that sees them yells out, y’all got to see this, all our hounds are 50 feet up in the damn tree. Myself and Tom get a huge laugh out of this. We decide we would walk just below the hunters so they can see us. The dogs can’t chase us now, we let out just a slight growl when we were below them. I tell Tom, lets go find that damsel in distress now. Wasn’t long until we found the sow, she was so appreciative, that we had helped her out. She spent the night with us tonight.
The next morning, we had breakfast, we found out her name was Sue. This here is Tom and I’m Benjiman [Ben]. She said I am glad to meet Y’all, thanks again for helping me. We asked her where she lived and she said, “she lived 3 mountain ranges over from here, she has been all alone since losing her mother and father almost a year ago. We tell her she is welcome to stay with us, and she said that just sounds perfect. I have been very lonely!
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Dale Thacker Aurthor 
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