"What was it like not knowing where your spouse was during the harsh blizzard of '74?" Asked the news reporter with a white face. She was attempting not to shiver in front of the camera.

     "Well what do you expect in mean ole Alaska? She favors no one. I just knew i couldn't let her see me panic. Because then she would just unleash her worst." The figure answered darkly. They were covered head to toe in the furs of their native lands' beasts.

    "You are truly brave for what you have done, Narraway. And we all are grieving your loss with you; it must be hard." The reporter sympathized.

    Narraway seemed untouched by the comment.

    The reporter faced the man holding the camera which was close to freezing. "This is Alaskan Frontier News Reporter, Shannon Oakley, bringing you the latest news of the Alaskan hero who was found frozen barely alive by Bear Lake Tuesday morning. Their story is truly heartbreaking, and it teaches us all the dangers of the wilderness." Her seriousness slowly fades into a faint smile. She continues, "Going back to Michael Schloss, how is the weather looking, Mike?"

    Narraway, distracted, walks away from the cameras. The situation was unsettling, and it brought back the horrors of what seemed like a nightmare. Because out there, somewhere, is a lost soul that died alone. It could have been prevented. There could have been hope. Alaska claimed another victim with its unforgiving terror.

   "Good morning, folks. It's Michael Schloss with your local weather report. The temperature is rapidly decreasing to twenty below as winter is starting here on the Alaskan Frontier. Wind speed is up to fifteen miles per hour with fifty percent cloud cover. We ask that everybody prepares for bad weather that is coming over the Kenai Penninsula. It looks like there's a blizzard coming later this week as the temperature slowly rises to ten degrees. The-" the voice on the radio fizzled out as static broke the report.

  Amelia tugged on the antennae, readjusting its position to hear the rest. "Honey! There's news of a blizzard after this cold front comes through. Maybe you should wait till next month to hunt," the short thirty-two year old husky woman called. She wore an over sized sweater stolen from her husband, Elijah Narraway; it was snug and covered with blue polar bears. Threads hung lose from the spots that the dog chewed.

  Elijah shuffled into the kitchen while sipping his coffee. "I disagree. We need food." His native Alaskan dark brown hair stuck up from not combing it after he awoke to bitter coldness.

  "What about the-," Amelia tried.

  "We need meat. I'm sick of Ramen Noodles." Elijah softly interupted.

  His wife sighed. "It's 1974 not 1874. We can survive without risking our life for hunting. And for your information, I like the Ramen Noodles." She smirked. "We can get fat on noodles and wait till the spring for us to fly to the nearest town to pick up packaged meats."

  "Okay, so maybe we can survive on packaged food, but it's a tradition, Amy. I enjoy the outdoors, it's in my blood. My ancestors didn't have the advantages we have today, I know, but they enjoyed going out and receiving nature's gifts." Elijah slipped his red cap over his hair.

  Amelia took his hand, "But I'm sure they would be grateful to have our advantages and thoughtful enough to keep their family safe. I don't wanna let you go in unpredictable weather and lose you. I like you and wanna keep you." She said with a quiet charismatic laugh. Then she looked to his round brown eyes, "I wanna have a family. I mean, I want us to start our family." She squeezed his hand.

  Elijah leaned over the table, "Amelia Narraway, how did I get blessed with you?" He grinned. "I will think about it, love." His scratchy beard tickled her face as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

  His wife smiled.

  Elijah and Amelia Narraway have been married for a couple of years and lived by themselves accompanied by a half wolf dog named Bunny. Their small but sturdy cabin lay close to the Kenai Bay on the Kenai Peninsula. The fishing is great in the spring and summer when the rivers are abundant with rainbow trout. But the winters were harsh, and it was often necessary to annually hunt for moose and bear to provide fresh meat.

  Elijah Narraway came from a long line of Alaskan natives known as the Iñupiat. They were dependent on hunting and the tradition was carried on through generations and into Elijah's family even though his family was not strict on perserving the Inuit culture. He met Amelia when he worked for the Kenuit Airlines as a co-pilot. She was travel savvy and a free spirit deciding to put off college. She had gotten on the wrong plane but it hadn't bothered her a bit.

  The short, big blue eyed, flirtatious girl from Minnesota stole Elijah Narraway's heart the moment she asked him for help. The matter of getting lost had found a start of a beautiful relationship.

  Amelia and Elijah moved in with Mr. Narraway in his last years after Elijah's mother died. After he died in 1972, they inherited his small cabin that was built for a family. Life in the cabin wasn't simple, but the Narraway's managed it with a positive mindset and an adventurous attitude.

  The nearest town was twenty miles away reachable by airplane, which was also inherited from Mr. Narraway. The neighbors, the Campbell family, were a couple miles away. But they only lived in Kenai during the warmer seasons. They owned a resort in California and were served in their large LA house. They didn't face the struggles and hardships the Narraways had in the Alaskan Frontier. But the Narraways paid no attention to them.

  Elijah's lifetime friend was his dog, Bunny. She was a clumsy and hyper wolf mutt. Her fur coat was hazel with white specks. Her face resembled a wolf except for her green golden eyes. She befriended Amelia immediately and stays with her while Elijah is away hunting.

  Amelia didn't mind lonely Alaska with her husband and furry canine. But she longed for family of their own. She never became homesick but holding onto family memories was bittersweet and taking a toll on her meek soul.

  Amelia Taylor Narraway grew up in a little town in Minnesota. Compared to where she resided in with her husband, her hometown was large. But she knew all of her neighbors and grew up being playmates with the neighbors' kids. She was used to being a part of something at all times; people were always in her life. Moving into Alaska was different and had an impact on Amelia. Not only did she have to get used to the season long darkness in a cold, wild land, but she had to get used to the lack of the noises of kids playing outside, cars passing by, and other aspects of busy life.

  Amelia never complained though. She was adventurous after all. She enjoyed fishing with Elijah, whale watching on the Kenai Bay, and hearing wolf cries at night. Her husband taught her how to cook, though she contains no talent of the task. She can now skin an animal to use its meat for stews and use its fur for warmth. Living in Alaska had made her tougher and stronger, giving her its land's resources to live on. No one would have guessed she was from a suburban area most of her life.

  But wanted to be something more...a mother.

  Elijah couldn't sleep. What Amy said earlier poked around in his brain. He strives to make her happy but he also wants them to have a healthy life. Elijah believes he works to keep her alive; if they're to start a family, he has to do what it best.

  He rolled over in bed to face her. She was so beautiful when she was asleep. Her soft black curls fell perfectly into place over her shoulders. Her part of their comforter blanket was tightly wound against her small body making her look at peace beneath the rolling waves of sleep and dreams. It's a wonder how she remains sane and positive by herself while he's gone outdoors.

  Elijah pulled her close to his body to shelter the heat. It was starting to get colder out; in the morning he needs to gather wood for the winter that is around the corner. Regrets of procrastinating his autumn tasks were settling inside his brain when Bunny let out a low growl.

  "Go to sleep, Bunny," Elijah mumbled. "Nothing is wrong."

  As if in immediate protest, his dog barked at the air. Amelia stirred. Elijah sat up. There was, in fact, something lumbering on the other side of the wall. 

   Bunny bounded to the shut door and scratched at it. "Amy, hand me my gun." Elijah whispered quickly. Amelia threw the covers off the bed and reached for the old twenty two guage shotgun in the corner of their room. She ripped open the box of ammo and carefully loaded the arm for her husband. Without glancing awat from the door frame, Elijah reached for his gun and slowly climbed out of bed.

Amelia followed, quietly in step with her husband as she grasped the flashlight from under the mattress. 

  Outside the door something was tearing noisily around the kitchen. Elijah and Amelia listened to bags getting ripped open. "There goes the Ramen Noodles," Elijah scoffed. He cracked the door open slightly to peek at the intruder; his eyes widened at the sight. "How did you get in?" He said aloud as he pulled up his gun. Amelia dropped the flashlight and covered her ears. 

  The butt of the gun kicked hard at Elijah's shoulder as he clenched the trigger. From behind the door, the intruder grunted and glass shattered. Elijah groaned, "Three o'clock in the morning. There's a bear in my kitchen. I shoot at it and miss and hit my favorite coffee mug! What can be worse than that!?"

 Amelia slipped by through her husband and looked at the scene, "Well, the Ramen Noodles are gone..and so is the rest of the food. Except for the canned fruit." She sighed and pushed her hair back in frustration. 

 Elijah's pine green coffee mug that Amelia had given him when they first dated was lying in smithereens and scattered shards across the wooden floor. Ramen Noodles packages were gone, there was no evidence they existed. The cupboard they were stored in was wide open, the door hanging by its hinges. The ice box was mostly empty, and melted ice puddles lined the edges along the bottom. But the cans on the counter contained untouched peaches and pears. 

  Bunny sniffed the remains of food left in the tracks of the intruder. Evidence of the break in everywhere. Somehow the large bear had managed to barge through the front door without any major damage to the house. "The grizzlies are moving." Elijah concluded with a sigh as he watched the female grizzly out the front window. Her heavy body swayed as she fled into the fog. 

  Amelia stared at Elijah with sleepy eyes. Small drops gathered in the clouds of the milky pools in the crevices of her clear face. Her arms shivered as the bitter breeze made her white night gown drift. Elijah shut the door behind her and locked it tightly before he gathered his little wife into his arms. No word had to be said. They both shared the same fear and concern. 

  Elijah Narraway carried Amelia back to their room with a silent gaze of comfort. Her fingers tightened around his arm as if she were touching him for the last time. 

  Amelia cowered in fear in the corner of her dreams as she envisioned grizzly bears clawing their way out of the frozen ground. Their large hefty paws pounded the frost as they made their way towards the frightened woman. She attempted to scream for help but nothing escaped her mouth. All feeling left her arms and legs as she tried to move. 

  The bear closest to her raised her massive head and opened her mouth. Her yellow fangs were stained with blood and dripping with drew as her lips curled back. The eyes were so black they burned into Amelia's mind. It was getting closer and closer with terrifying rumbling noises escaping its body. Amelia shut her eyes and tried to yell again. 

  "Amelia! Wake up!" The bear seemed to call out. In confusion Amelia was startled and jolted awake. 

  Her forehead was sweaty and her husband was staring at her in horror. She was screaming in her sleep again. Her nightmares often were vivid causing her to react extremely. "Dont go." Amelia persuaded.

  "Amy, we have no food now to last us the season." Elijah said sternly.

  Amelia understood the necessity of him leaving. But the fear she had for him was real now; he was not safe in the woods alone. "Let me go along with you," she said quietly.

  Elijah shook his head, "You gotta stay behind with Bunny." He got out of bed and stretched his arms. "It is too dangerous for you and for the dog." 

  Amelia got up to make the coffee. The mess was left on the floor from last night. She placed the kettle on the stove and started to clean up the wrecked packages. "Guess we will have fruit for breakfast," she joked. "And I don't know what to give you for the hunt, honestly."

  "I can take care of that. The land is never scarce of food," Elijah said as he wiped the floor with a rag. 

  Amelia finished throwing away the chewed up wrappers and dismantled noodles.  She glanced out the frosted window at the grey sky. The sun wasn't quite up yet and the thin clouds blanketed the horizon. There was no snow yet on the ground; it was too cold for precipitation. No bears outside. She sighed and watched her steam touch the glass. The reflection of her husband coming up behind her was faint but visible in the window. He threw his arms around her neck in a hug. "I will be fine. We do this every year. And you will be fine." He said to her. "We got this. Then I will come home with food to put on the table...I come home to you. And I promise we can throw our own little party."

    Amelia smiled. She reached for her Polaroid camera on the shelve above the window. It went with her wherever she went. She took photos of everyone and everything she encountered and hung the gallery on the walls. "Put your lucky hat on."

   "Why?" Elijah scoffed.

   "Just do it." Amelia excitedly said. He picked up his red cap from the kitchen chair behind him and slid it over his messy hair. It was called lucky because everything good happened to him when he was wearing it. When he was a kid, he fell through the ice while playing chase with his older brothers. The oldest, Jake, tried to rescue him, but the dark waters hid little Elijah. In desperation the rest of the brothers looked for him under the ice and his red cap was visible under the ice. His life got saved that day and he has kept the red hat since. 

   Amelia snapped a picture of her husband. She shook the Polaroid photo and his bright bearded face started to appear. She took a pin out of the drawer beside her and tacked the photo up on the wall next to their wedding picture. She used a pen to label it November 1974: Promise. 

  Elijah chuckled, " Gimme the camera, Amy." She handed him the camera and he snapped a picture of his wife next to the frosted window. He labeled her photo as the same. The couple kissed and carried on with the chores for the day before Elijah left.
  

 He was dressed up in his thick overalls and plaid shirts of five layers. His gloves and socks were woolly and he wore his lucky hat. He wore his fur boots and carried his travelling bag full with his sleeping bag, water canteens, extra socks, and ammo. His shotgun was slung behind his back. The photo of Amelia was in his pocket closest to his heart. 

  If he required anything else, the wild would supply him. He felt prepared and ready for the hunt. It would take maybe a week or two, but he was up for any challenge that Alaska spat at him. 

  Amelia passed out on the bed from working all day and he almost felt guilty leaving without saying an audible good bye. But he had to leave before sundown. Elijah kissed her soft cheek and left a note on the night stand that read: I love you. He pat the dog on her furry head and told her to protect his wife. She wagged her tail in response. The house seemed quiet as he walked to the front door, but outside was much more silent. He closed the wooden door behind him and stepped out into the cold. The frozen ground crunched beneath his feet and the air nipped at his eyes. Elijah slid his neck sleeve over his face up to the bridge of his nose then he looked behind him at the little lonely cabin. 

  The wood was neatly stacked up beside the house from this morning. The door was more secured, because the old rusty hinges were replaced. Everything looked in place and ready for winter. Elijah sent a quick prayer that his wife would remain strong while he was gone. For a couple of years he's been doing this, leaving her behind for hunting. He would love to take her with him, to not be alone. But he did not trust the ways of the land they lived in during the winter months. He almost regretted choosing to stay in Kenai when he could have been like the rest of his brothers. Jake and Chad were both married but living in the cities of Alaska with good supportive jobs. Rodney was in a different state going to some big university getting good education. And Elijah... Elijah was trying to do the best for Amelia on the barren, cold land in Alaska with no current job and living on Ramen Noodles or bear meat. 

   Elijah questioned whether he was a good husband or not.

  A slight breeze picked up. Everything outside the cabin looked still and dead, but Elijah knew once he got closer to the trees things would get lively. He would have to keep all of his senses alert to keep him alive. One stupid move can put him life threatening danger out there in the frigid atmosphere.

  He was not the only inhabitant of Kenai. Wolves, elk, caribou, moose, and bears were the bigger beasts of the land. And in the waters there lived killer whales. They often can be served as a good food source, but they are also harmful to humans. Any of the creatures are capable of taking a man’s life if they felt they were in danger or if they were starving, which is usually the case when they attack.

  Elijah’s ancestors believed they all had spirits and that they were connected with the land; humans were to try to live in harmony and in the never ending circle of Alaska. When something is killed for food, it must be thanked for provision. Any natives must not harm animals for enjoyment for it was wrong to hurt a friend or a brother. The life cycle must not be disrupted for unnecessary reasons.

  Elijah and Amelia Narraway knew their place in the land and they did not attempt to bother Mother Nature. As one of the only families dwelling in the wilderness of Kenai, their job was to preserve and protect the land and the rest of its residents.

  A grouse cried aloud from the depths of the trees and multiple appeared and ruffled from the bushes. Elijah got startled and stepped back. He watched them climb into the air swiftly as he moved up his shotgun to his shoulder and pulled the trigger. One of the closer grouse fell to the ground without a sound or movement of the wings.

  A few feathers floated down in front of Elijah’s face. He caught one and looked up to the sky. Gratitude swelled in his heart as he picked up the dead, limp bird. It was his dinner for later in the evening. And it was a small promise for good hunting possibly before the blizzard rolls in. Elijah would just have to beat the cold weather that hit the nights.

  There were a few large moose tracks dwindling in between the trees and down the tiny slopes going towards the direction of Bear River in the north. He could either follow them or go a different direction in hopes to find brown bears. If he followed the moose there was a good chance that wolves were following the animals for their own food. The moose was finding unfrozen water. Before Elijah could choose what to do he wanted to find a small stream and get water himself; he steadily walked along the line of trees in search of the source.

  There really was nothing that was not covered in frost. There was no snow yet because it was too cold, but it was just as bad sometimes. Most of the animals in the forest hid from it and burrowed in their homes.

  Elijah stopped a second to look at how far he had travelled. He glanced behind him at his cabin; it seemed smaller than ever. He could pinch his tiny house in between his pointer finger and his thumb. Amused, he dropped his hand and watched the slow, grey smoke billow from the cabin’s chimney. He felt the warmth as he imagined how alive the fire was. Then he returned to reality and shivered. He turned back around and continued along his usual hunting path.

 Elijah slid his bulky brown canteen out of his bag as he approached the small frozen stream. He held the water container close to his warm chest and untwisted the cold cap. The stream was definitely frozen, but not too much so he can gain what he needed from it. He carefully smashed the surface and watched the water flow beneath the hole he made. The canteen lowered to the opening and the very cold water swiftly filled it to the brim. He pulled it back up and took a sip. The briskness of it shook his bones but woke him up inside. He put the cap back on his canteen and dropped it back in his bag. Then he retrieved his second canteen and repeated the small task. Now that his supply of water was full, he could decide on what to do for the rest of the day.

  He recalled his past memories of abundant hunting in Kenai with his beloved father. It was his father who taught him all he knew about the life outside the cabin and how to treat it. Mr. Narraway taught Elijah how to properly hunt and to how prepare it for food when he was twelve years old; all of his sons were taught the same way that he learned from his father and grandfather. The way of the Inuits was passed down from generation to generation and though it has had some adjustments it remained the same.