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“They can easily get into a damn cabin,” Fennec muttered.

“What do you suggest then?” Papa asked, trying to sound nice but his rough voice was more harsh than gentle.

“I suggest you build another treehouse.”

“’Cause bears can’t climb,” Papa said, his voice filled with sarcasm.

Fennec rolled his eyes. “We’re in the wild, Papa. No matter what you’re gonna do to protect yourself, it’s never going to be enough. Animals aren’t stupid. But a treehouse sounds safer than anything down on the ground.”

I had to agree with Fen on this one.

“I’ll build a cabin,” Papa said after a long pause, and with a smile, he nudged my shoulder. “Gonna help me?”

I smiled back and nodded. “Of course! But only if you help me build a garden.”

“Are you sure that’s what you wanna do? It’s even easier for animals to get to the garden than to us.”

That’s true, but I shrugged. “At least I’ll have something to do when I get bored.”

He nodded at me and continued to eat his fish while I did the same.

“How many foxes have you killed while I was away?” I asked. It was a trick question, but I needed to know if they kept their secret.

I hadn’t found any foxtails laying around the camp, but that didn’t mean they didn’t kill any.

“None. Haven’t seen any around either, to be honest. It’s been a while,” Papa said with a frown.

“Have you seen any?” I asked Fennec, but he shook his head.

“None.”

“Strange. Do you think they moved away? Two years ago, there was a family around here, wasn’t there?”

“There was. And normally they don’t move away out of the blue. Unless they had a change of mind. Never know with wild animals,” Papa said with a shrug.

“I hope they’re okay. I’m sure I’ll see them again. I always do when I’m here. Even if it’s just one of them.”

I was optimistic.

They were my spirit animal, although I was nowhere near as smart as they were.

Well, maybe not in school, but out here, I definitely knew more than any other student at Fairbanks High.

9

There was tension in the air, and I could even feel it from up here with Fennec next to me and Papa in the tent.

Something must’ve happened because it couldn’t have been Fennec’s hormones making him act like this.

I understood that you oftentimes got annoyed by the person you’re around a lot, but Papa and Fen had always gotten along, no matter how long they’ve been alone.

I stared up at the wooden ceiling where branches of trees outside created relaxing sounds, making it incredibly easy to fall asleep, but Fennec’s silence bothered me.

Turning my head, I looked at his face as he stared up, his eyes open and his lips slightly parted.

He was breathing through his nose though, and his chest rose and fell slowly, not showing any signs of unsettlement.

As calm as Fennec was, it made me wonder if he felt any type of regret for talking to Papa the way he did at dinner.

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