*wraps Isaac in a hug* It will get better soon I promise!

Chapter 35: The Bear

A few weeks went by rather uneventfully in their new camp. Annabelle and John recovered well from their injuries, though Abigail was still forcing John to take it easy. Which was fine, since John was spending a lot of time playing with Jack. Jack did get a mild cold (though didn't they all) from the mountains. He bounced back fast, as kids do, and now he was running around Horseshoe Overlook without a care in the world.

The same couldn't be said for Isaac, however. And Hosea was getting worried.

Hosea understood, of course. There were moments where he, too, wanted nothing more than to gallop back to Blackwater, find Arthur, and deliver him to that boy in one piece, but they couldn't. And there was only so long he could tell Isaac that no news was good news. No hangings reported in the paper, no arrests. But that didn't make things better.

Charles reported to him earlier that Isaac wouldn't go hunting with him anymore. Now that the shock of Colter and desperate need for food had worn off, Isaac just stayed in bed all day. Wouldn't go near Boadicea, either. Hosea needed a way to bring Isaac back, and all he could think about was what Arthur did for him when he lost Bessie.

Not that Isaac had lost Arthur. He couldn't think about that. Especially not after what Trelawny said to them. Dutch's favorite magician had shown up seemingly out of nowhere again, bringing news from Blackwater.

"What did Trelawny find?" Hosea had asked Dutch after he saw the man.

"Apparently, some bounty hunters found a grave for Mac Callander. I don't think they disturbed it too much, just checked to make sure a body was in there and then reburied him," Dutch said.

"Shit," Hosea said, shaking his head. "Wait, but if someone buried him…"

"Exactly. Arthur, or Sean. Or both."

"They're alive out there!"

"I hope so," Dutch said. "I put on of our Tacitus Kilgore ads in the newspaper before I left town, so hopefully Arthur will see it. We just have to wait for him."

The vague information didn't change Isaac's mood much, and Hosea couldn't blame him for not being ecstatic over speculations. Which led Hosea to distracting Isaac for a few days. "What's going on, son?" he asked Isaac, barging into his tent.

"Nothing," Isaac said, not looking up from the loose thread he was playing with.

"Want to go hunting?" Hosea asked. "I saw a huge bear."

"Not really."

"One of the biggest I ever saw," Hosea continued. "I reckon nearly a thousand pounds. Come on, it will get us out of camp for a bit."

"I'm okay."

Hosea grimaced, trying to come up with… something. "It's up by this lake in the mountains. Beautiful country. Bessie and I were up this way once, you know?"

"Really?" Isaac asked, perking up a little. Hosea didn't bring up Bessie too much anymore, so this new information must have intrigued him.

"A long time ago now, but I still remember," Hosea said. "It might take a day or two. Come on! It will be fun, getting out of here for a bit."

"What if Pa comes back?"

"We only just put the ad in the paper. Hell, it probably hasn't even printed yet! Come on, let's surprise him with a bear pelt when he gets back! Go on, tack up Boadicea."

Isaac shrunk back into himself. "I don't know. I know I rode her in Colter, but… she's Pa's."

"Well, I've got this big bastard of a Shire I've been meaning to offload for a while," Hosea said, thinking fast. "Stole him from somebody who harassed me on the road. Let's take him to Valentine! If you like him, you can keep him. If not, you can sell him and buy a horse that you want."

"You don't mind if I take him?" Isaac asked.

"Not at all! I've got Silver, after all. Don't need two horses."

"Alright."

"Great! Get your saddle on him, and let's go!"

Hosea approached Dutch as Isaac switched the saddles. "You two heading out?" Dutch asked.

"Yeah, I figured I'd distract him for a little," Hosea said. "Three days at the most, I'd say."

"You look after him, Hosea. Don't want Arthur mad at us when he gets back," Dutch said with a grin.

Hosea rolled his eyes at him, and returned to Isaac. "You ready?"

"He seems mean," Isaac said about the Shire as he saddled him. "He ain't gonna throw me, is he?"

"No, he's an angel! If I'm near him," Hosea said. "Okay, see if you can get your leg over that brute. A bit taller than you're used to, isn't he? Alright, let's head into town."

Isaac carefully directed the giant Shire to follow Hosea and Silver Dollar. The Shire plodded along after them. "So, we're going to Valentine?"

"Yes. It's on the way, sort of. Besides, I need some supplies if we're going to lure out that bear. You still have that money your pa gave you, right?" Arthur had given Isaac a couple hundred dollars in case he found a horse he wanted while Arthur was out of camp.

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't have papers for that big bastard, so you might have to pay a little extra for a new horse. If you aren't keeping him, that is."

"Shouldn't I give that to the camp? We need it, don't we?"

"The camp will be fine," Hosea said. "Once I unload these Cornwall bonds, we'll be set for a while. Don't worry. Your pa wants you to buy a horse with that money anyway. Who would you rather listen to? Him, or Dutch?"

Isaac laughed a little. "I guess it is my pa's money."

"Exactly," Hosea said as they arrived at the stable. "Now, go in there and see what you can find."

Hosea grabbed some berries and fish from the market, giving Isaac some space for shopping. But it didn't take too long, and when he got back, Isaac was standing next to the last stall, staring at a chocolate roan Dutch Warmblood. The horse was chewing on his sleeve, and Isaac was laughing while trying to push his head away.

"What do you think?" Hosea asked him. "Is that the one?"

"I don't know."

"But you like him."

"Yeah, but Uncle Hosea, he's four hundred and fifty dollars," Isaac said in a hushed voice.

"Well, how much are you getting for this brute?" Hosea asked, referring to the Shire.

"Uh…"

"He's in luck," the stable owner said. "I've got a feller who's been looking for a decent workhorse for a while. I can give you sixty for him."

"See?" Hosea said. "Now he's three hundred ninety dollars. Sort of."

"It's still a lot of money, Hosea."

"And your father gave you that money for a reason. He wants you to have a horse you'll love, so don't feel bad about it, alright? That horse looks strong, and pretty young, too, so you'll have him for a number of years. Seems worth it to me."

Maybe if Hosea was alone, he'd try to negotiate the price down. But he didn't want Isaac to become discouraged, and as Isaac continued to contemplate, the stable owner said, "You know, you seem like a good, smart man. How about I knock fifty dollars off the price."

Isaac looked to Hosea. Hosea nudged him towards the horse. "Yeah, okay."

"You're buying him?"

"Yes, I'll buy him."

"Wonderful!" Hosea said, relieved. He patted Isaac on the back as the kid shakily removed the money from his bag. "You made a good choice, I think. He's a wonderful animal."

"I only sell the best," the stable owner said. "Now, do you have a name for him?"

"Not yet," Isaac said.

"Well, make sure you think of a good one. I won't put anything on the papers just yet. Now, will you be needing new tack?"

"My saddle is fine, thanks."

"Alright, well have a new grooming brush, on me, and some treats. Have a good day, son," the stable owner said.

Isaac mounted up, and the Warmblood behaved nicely for him. "Alright, follow me," Hosea said. "It's been a few years, but I think I still remember how to get there."

"How far is it?"

"Quite a ride. Back up in the mountains."

"Really?"

"Yes, but the area we're going to shouldn't be buried in snow."

"I've never hunted a grizzly bear before," Isaac said. "Pa avoided them. We'd run into wolves and cougars sometimes, but that was more them finding us."

"Fortunately for you, Isaac, you are with a bear hunting expert!" Hosea said. "I was practically weaned on bear meat. Black bear, mostly."

"Aren't they more skittish?" Isaac asked.

"Yes. Loud noises will scare them off. Except when there are cubs around."

Hosea was glad to see Isaac opening up a little more, asking questions and becoming excited again. He knew this distraction would work wonders. He filled the ride over to O'Creagh's Run with stories from his youth, and just as they were overlooking the lake, the sun began to slip under the horizon, and they had to camp for the night.

The next morning, Hosea rose early, made himself a pot of coffee, and shook Isaac awake. "You ready?"

"I think so. How are we doing this?"

"We'll go down to the lake, see if we can pick up some tracks. Can you mix this bait for me? Fish and berries. Bears have a sweet tooth."

"Sure."

Hosea smiled as Isaac jumped to the task. He was glad to see a spark back in Isaac's eyes. "Some folk like to shoot from the trees. Me? I prefer shooting from the ground. More dangerous, sure, but we have a better chance of getting a good shot in. And if he bolts, we can start right after him."

"Alright, done," Isaac said.

"Good. Let's pack up and get going." They mounted up and headed towards the lake. Hosea breathed in the mountain air, reminiscing about his time with Bessie. "I almost built a little cabin in these mountains with Bessie," he told Isaac. "Years ago."

"Really?"

"Yes. We loved the forests, the lakes, all the wildlife. But it turned out it was too quiet for us. Well, for me anyway. So, we came back to the Dutch and your pa. That was almost twenty years ago now."

"Was she okay with that?" Isaac asked.

"It wasn't easy. I think there were days when Bessie wished we'd stayed in the mountains, but we made it work. But she wouldn't have traded spending time with Arthur, John, and you for anything, I don't think. Oh, let's stop here, see if our bear has been by the water. How's that horse treating you, by the way?"

"He's good."

"Got a name, yet?"

"No."

They got off their horses and inspected the shoreline. Hosea leaned closer, looking for dung, paw prints, fish bones… anything recent.

"There's some paw marks, Uncle Hosea," Isaac said. "Big ones. Going this way."

"Good, lead the way," Hosea said, readying his rifle.

A little deeper into the woods, they found a half-eaten fish, then bear shit a little later. But the trail suddenly disappeared, and both Hosea and Isaac were left scratching their heads.

"Did we lose him?" Isaac asked.

"For now. Normally, I'd say let's split up, but I don't think your pa would appreciate that," Hosea said. "Let's bait here."

"Alright."

"Stick the bait by those boulders up ahead, and then we'll hide back here," Hosea said.

Isaac placed the rag of fish and berries on the ground, breaking it open a little with his knife to help the scent escape. "This thing really going to be a thousand pounds?"

"More or less. Big scar down his face. Hey, did that bait look okay to you?"

"I think so. I haven't used much bait before."

"Ready with your gun there?"

Isaac steadied the rifle against his shoulder. "I'm good."

Hosea looked at the rag, sitting near a giant boulder. "Maybe we should check that bait real quick. I want this to go right."

"Okay."

Hosea ran towards the bait, crouching down and inspecting it with his knife. Isaac joined him.

And then footsteps approached them. Heavy footsteps. A low, rumbling growl echoed off the rocks. Hosea and Isaac both looked up at the gigantic bear. "Oh, god," Hosea whispered.

"Hosea…"

"Get back!" he said, reaching for Isaac's arm. But he missed. In his desperation to get away from the monster, he took one step too far, and missed Isaac's arm, the poor teenager still frozen in front of him.

The bear charged, pouncing on Isaac, large paws with sharp claws knocking him on his back.

"Shit! Isaac!" Hosea shouted, lifting his rifle. His hands shook. He couldn't be sure of his aim! He had to be sure, because what if he missed? What if he hit Isaac?

The bear roared in Isaac's face, drool dropping from its jowls. In his panic, Hosea fumbled with the rifle. But Isaac moved, perhaps on instinct or adrenaline, extracting his knife and stabbing it into the beast's neck.

With a scream, the bear reared back. Isaac extracted the knife, blood pouring down on him, and stabbed its neck again and again. The bear let out a roar, stumbling back a few steps, then collapsed.

"Isaac! You alright?" Hosea asked, dropping his rifle and rushing to Isaac's side. Isaac was covered in blood, but he was clutching a gash above his hip. "Come on, I need to check this out. Say something, please?"

Isaac's breathing was rapid and shallow, his eyes glazed and staring blankly ahead.

"Come on, kid, why don't we sit up quick. Let's get to the lake, wash this off. You're going to be okay, you hear me?"

"Hosea?"

"You're alright. Get up now. Lean on me, that's it." Hosea guided Isaac away from the downed monster, sitting him against a rock near the shore. "Let's take a look at this, okay? Clean you up. I'm sorry, Isaac. This is my fault, I'm sorry!"

He peeled back the coat and shirt, taking in the scratches. They were long across his side and bleeding, but they didn't seem too deep. "Alright, we can fix this, okay? Your pa might kill me for giving you scars, but you are going to be fine. I promise. You think you can keep pressure on this while I boil some water? I'll be right here, I promise."

Isaac nodded, taking the offered cloth and pressing it against his wounds.

"Good. Good job, Isaac. Alright, let me just… find something to boil water in," Hosea said, glancing around. He didn't have a pot to boil the water. There was a cabin on the edge of the lake, with smoke coming out of the chimney, a cremello gold Dutch Warmblood hitched outside. Should he risk it? One look at Isaac's pale face had Hosea squeezing his shoulder and saying, "I'm going to get some help, okay? You going to be alright just sitting here for a minute?"

Isaac nodded again, so Hosea moved. He ran to the house and pounded on the door, glancing back over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure Isaac was still sitting up.

"Hold on, give me a minute," a muffled voice came through the door. An older man yanked the door open, with shoulder length gray hair and a beige canvas hat, but Hosea's eye immediately went to the wooden leg on his left side. Just like Arthur. "Can I help you?"

"We were hunting, and a bear got my grandson!" Hosea said. "I don't think it's too bad, but do you have any medical supplies?"

"I do, of course!" the man said, springing to action. He grabbed a rifle and followed Hosea outside. "You get him?"

"What?"

"The bear? It was that one-eyed monster, wasn't it? He's been taunting me for years. Put two bullets in him, and he still wouldn't die!"

"Isaac got him. With a knife," Hosea said, his voice shaking.

"Huh, never thought to do that," the man said. "I'm Hamish, by the way."

"Hosea."

"Good to meet you."

Isaac was blinking heavily when they got back to him. Hosea shook his shoulder and said, "Hey, kid, let's get you up and get you to that cabin, alright?"

"Yeah…"

Hamish whistled when he took in the downed bear. "Damn! The kid did that?"

"Come on," Hosea said, helping Isaac to his feet.

They got back to the cabin quickly. Hamish started boiling some water while Hosea pulled Isaac's jacket off and started checking for other injuries. There was a lighter scratch near his shoulder, but it wasn't as bad. "Alright, Isaac, we're going to clean you up and stitch up these scratches, but everything is going to be fine."

"Hosea…"

"Yeah, kid?"

Isaac went silent again, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Hamish came over while Hosea bandaged him up, squeezing Isaac's shoulder. "I have to thank you, kid. That bear has been tormenting me for who knows how long! Put a few bullets in him myself. You did real good."

Isaac's eyes shifted, taking in Hamish's wooden leg. His eyes widened.

"Oh, you noticed my leg, huh?" Hamish said, taking it in stride. "Don't worry, it doesn't slow me down. And it wasn't because of that bear!"

And Isaac started to cry.

"Isaac, hey, you okay?" Hosea asked.

"Not the reaction I usually get," Hamish muttered, confused.

"Isaac?"

"I want my pa," he sobbed.

Hosea shifted onto the bed, wrapping an arm around Isaac's shoulders. "I know, son. I know."

"I want Pa!"

Hamish went to the door. "I'm going to start skinning that bear for you."

Hosea waved him off before turning all his attention to Isaac. "I know you want your pa, Isaac. I want him back, too, and we're working on it. It's going to be okay."

"You don't know that! It's been weeks!"

"Hey, son? Isaac?"

"Where is he?"

"Isaac, I… I don't know," Hosea said. "I'm scared, too. But we're going to look after you until we know, I promise. I'm sorry I got you hurt, but I'll make it better, okay?"

"I want him back."

"Alright, I know, I know," Hosea said, pulling him into a tighter hug and rubbing his back. "Let it out. It's okay."

Isaac cried into Hosea's chest for a while, slowly quieting, his head drooping.

"Alright, how about I clean up these wounds and let you rest a bit. Sound good?"

"Yeah."

Hosea finished dealing with the scratches while Isaac started to doze, physically and emotionally worn out. "I think I'll check on Hamish, see if he's done skinning that bear. I think your pa will want to see that pelt. If he ever forgives me for giving you a scar."

Isaac smiled sleepily, his eyes drifting shut. Hosea tucked him in, then went outside to help Hamish with the bear.

Maybe he was getting a little old for hunting and robberies.

"He alright?" Hamish asked when Hosea joined him.

"He will be, I think," Hosea said. "He… his father, Arthur, has a wooden leg, too. And he's been missing for a few weeks now. It's been difficult for all of us, but Isaac… it's been hard."

"Poor kid," Hamish said.

"I've been trying to help him, but… Arthur's my son. Not by blood, but I've raised him since he was fourteen."

"I'm sorry," Hamish said. "But we'll take care of him. Fix up those scratches, then work on the rest."

"Thank you," Hosea said. "I think you and Arthur would get along."

"You'll have to bring him by sometime," Hamish said, and Hosea nodded, letting in a spark of hope. When Arthur got back, not if, Hosea would tell him all about Hamish and send him over to O'Creagh's Run.

He just hoped it would happen soon.