“Honey, please try to relax. Nobody’s gonna think any less of you if you don’t come in first today.” My mother did her best to reassure me, but I knew she didn’t even believe her own words. To me, to my family, winning was everything. I knew that, and my mother knew that.
“Thanks, mom. I’ll try.” I forced a smile.
“And, please be safe.” She pulled me into a hug, and followed me to the door. “I love you.”
“I love you too mom.” I said, as I continued through the door.
Every year, Black Bear Lodge holds the Junior Elk Hunt, where one child from each family competes. Whoever brings in the biggest buck is awarded a decent sized check, but honestly the whole thing is just for show. Most of the families couldn’t care less about the money, the biggest award is the ability to say that their kid single handedly brought down the biggest buck in Fairbanks, as all three of my older brothers had in the previous years. This year was my chance.
As I made my way down the snowy drive, the Alaskan air hit me with a bitter sting. I was hoping by leaving early I would have time to sneak in some practice shooting, but it looks like the weather was going to hold me up anyway. I opened the Jeep door allowing Rose, my bright eyed Akita, to jump in the passenger side. Then, I secured the rifle I was given on my seventeenth birthday, and all of my gear in the back. As I drove, I could feel the tires slipping on the layer of black ice that had formed on the road. Oh great, hunting in a blizzard. That’ll be fun. I thought, as I nervously gripped the wheel tighter, afraid of losing control. The snow was so blinding, I almost missed my turn. My tires slid as I attempted a sudden turn to the right. Judging by the Lodge’s crowded lot, it looked like most of the other junior hunters decided to show up early too. Guess I won’t be practicing after all.
I grabbed my phone, my gear, and my rifle and headed for the lodge. Nothing could express how nervous I was right now, I just hoped my fear didn’t show. It was a lot of pressure being the little sister of three previous champs. I couldn’t be the one to let our family name be stripped of the crown. I had to win, no matter the cost.
“Ariel!” I heard a familiar voice shriek, as I was signing in at the front desk.
I looked up to be greeted by the overly perky girl that I’ve known since birth. “Hey, Winter. It’s been forever. How’ve you been?” I tried to sound as happy to see her as she was to see me, but the girl honestly annoyed me.
“I’ve been good. Better now though, since I get to see my best friend!” She smiled, and I couldn’t tell if she was serious. Best friend? I thought.
“Good to see you, too.” Please go away now. “What are you doing here?” Then I remembered, her brother’s probably in the tournament.
“I’m hunting today.” She said, as if it should’ve been obvious. Hunting? I couldn’t imagine that girl picking up a rifle, let alone shooting one.
“That’s great. See you out there.” I said, trying to break the conversation.
“Okay, see you too.” She said gleefully, and to my relief, wandered away to talk to another group of people, that I didn’t recognize. Considering I’ve grown up with most of these competitors, it was surprising how many I actually didn’t know.
I finished signing the needed papers, and waited at the gathering area. As more people gathered, I could tell that Rose was getting antsy, and I hoped she could keep her cool just a little longer, at least until we could leave. She obviously couldn’t, as soon as a group of people decided to stand near us, she started to spin around and bark, as if she were the most attention seeking dog on earth.
“Rose, quiet!” I said, keeping my voice low to avoid any more attention, but she continued her whining.
“Do you actually think you stand a chance at getting anything today, with that dog’s barking?” One of the guys in the group standing next to me asked.
“She’s just not used to being around so many people.” I tugged on her collar, signaling her to sit. She obeyed, but continued to whine until our hunting guide came out, and the noise quieted down.
Our hunting guide’s purpose was to give a few quick announcements, and go over the safety guidelines. He kept things brief, as there weren’t many rules to the tournament, except that anyone who didn’t turn in by eight o’clock tonight would be disqualified and forfeit their claim. That gave us a little over twelve hours to hunt. The hardest part was choosing a starting location. I knew that there were some good shaded valleys west of the lodge, but I assumed that everyone else knew that too. So, instead I decided that Rose and I would head north.
After the hunters were dismissed, Rose and I were among the first to leave. I wanted to get her as far from people as possible, so she wouldn’t be tempted to bark. As planned, we headed north, and the snow flurries soon transitioned to a steady snow fall, which prompted Rose to stop and bite at the snowflakes every few seconds. I stopped for a minute to watch Rose play in the snow, and I noticed how quickly the snow was filling in her tracks. I suddenly realized how fast we were gonna lose our trail. The last thing I wanted was to get lost in this kind of weather. I grabbed the roll of neon pink duct tape from my bag and stuck a long strip to the trunk of the nearest tree. It probably won’t stick for long, not with the blizzard like winds, but it made me feel a little more secure knowing that I at least attempted to mark my path. 
A few miles into the forest, I decided that we’d stop by the stream and try to call the elk in. I took out my grunt call, tossed my bag aside, and crouched behind shrubs and branches sticking up through the snow. The pounding wind made it hard for me to catch my breath. I was glad when Rose crawled up next to me, partly shielding me from the cold. I put an arm around Rose, pulling her closer, and I blew the elk call again. I wasn’t sure if it was an elk, or the echo of my own call, but this time the call was repeated back. I raised my rifle and scoped the area. I didn’t see anything, but still continued to call. Every call was repeated back, and I was getting anxious. I scanned the horizon once more, and this time I saw it, a beautiful buck with a full crown of antlers. 
  I slowly raised my rifle, and steadied my aim. I was about to pull the trigger, and Rose lost it. She started running in circles, barking, growly, and having an absolute fit. The buck immediately turned and ran out of sight.
“Rose!” I yelled, angrily. “Hush up!” She stopped and looked at me briefly, then continued her frantic fit.
“Rose, sit!” I commanded, and when she refused, I reached for her collar. She pulled away, and growled at the sky.
I stepped back, out of fear of her sudden aggression. “Rose.” I said softly this time, looking her in the eye. She went silent, but I heard a roaring sound. The roar grew louder, and all of sudden the Earth below me shook, throwing me to the ground. I landed next to a fallen branch and rolled onto my stomach, covering my head. I could feel the violent pulses through the earth as trees were uprooted and branches slammed to the ground. I closed my eyes for what felt like hours. It was as if time had slowed to a crawl.
When the shaking stopped and the horror died down, I opened my eyes to a changed world. The forest was unrecognizable. I tried to stand but struggled to find my balance.
“Rose!” I called, frantically searching for my gear, or any signs of familiarity. “Rose! Hear girl!” I continued to call. All I heard was silence.
I did a quick visual sweep of the ground, and to my relief spotted dog tracks past some of the wreckage. I followed the tracks for a short distance before they became invisible due to the blowing snow. Based on their path, it looked like Rose escaped the quakes rage. I started calling for Rose again. If she was alive and near, I knew she’d call back.
“Rose! Where are you?” I waited for a reply. Nothing. “Rose!” Still nothing. “Rose! Please girl!” I cried out for her. Please be okay.
I turned in every direction searching for any signs of life, and something caught my attention. Off in the distance I saw a small flash of bright green. I couldn’t make out what I was seeing, but without hesitation I started running towards it. As I got closer, I could hear a faint whimpering, and I quickened my pace. When I was only a few yards away, Rose started barking for me, but she didn’t move. She was lying on the ground next to a girl partially buried in the snow, wearing a familiar lime green coat. I crouched down beside the girl, and when I went to check her pulse I realized it was Winter.
“Winter!” I gasped, and to my surprise she reacted.
“Ariel?” Her voice was faint and shaky. 
“Are you hurt?” I asked trying to sound calm.
“My ankle.”
“Can you move it?” I asked, trying to lift her up out of the snow with little success. 
“Not without pain. Do you know how we’re getting out of here?” She paused. “Or where we are?”
“Um, no. Not necessarily.” For a second I actually forgot that we were kind of lost. “Here let me help you try to get up.” Winter took my hand and slowly tried to stand, but I could tell it hurt her. “Do you think you can walk, or is the pain too bad?” I asked.
She took a deep breath. “It’s not too bad. If you help me, I should be fine.” She threw one arm around me, and placed her other hand on Rose’s head to balance herself. “Where are we going?”
“I came from that way.” I said pointing back towards the largest area of fallen trees and rubble. “If we head back that way, we might be able to find our way back to the stream.”
  I tried my best to help Winter keep her balance as we slowly headed back. It was hard to get Rose to slow down. When I started to recognize some of our surroundings, I assumed we were around the area where my gear was lost. I stopped for a moment, to try to remember my path.
“What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?” Winter asked.
“I think this is where I was when the quake happened. The stream shouldn’t be far.” I looked around, and thought I remembered coming from the east. I let Winter regain her balance, and we kept moving. The snow had started again, and visibility was decreasing. Every time I thought I knew where we were, I was wrong. “Ugh, this is so hopeless.” I thought. No matter how hard I tried, nothing looked familiar.
“Ariel, what’s that?” Winter asked, pointing towards a tree.
  Couldn’t believe it. “That’s it! That’s the tree I marked. The lodge is only about a mile from there.”
“And, you actually know how to get there?” She raised an eyebrow.
I laughed. “Yeah, I actually do.”