Page 7 of Raw

“Sure,” he said in his deep, raspy voice.

He was almost sixty, had no wife or kids, and was living his best life in Wiseman, away from big towns.

He often came to Fairbanks to get food for Sitka and himself, and to say hello to his old friends.

“Dianna told me that you’re leaving soon. Would you mind taking me with you so I can go to Papa’s? I’m going to live with him, just like Fennec.”

“Ah, you graduated last month, huh?”

“I did,” I said, not feeling as proud as I should.

“Sure can take you to Wiseman, but it’s gonna be a bit tight in the truck. I got a few things to take home, and Sitka’s with me as well.”

“I can squeeze in wherever there is space. I won’t take up much of it, I promise.”

He studied me for a moment, then looked at Mama sitting at the booth behind me, and with a quick nod, he looked back at me.

“All right. I’ll be leaving on Friday. Around lunchtime.”

I nodded and smiled brightly. “Thank you! I’ll be ready by then.”

Two days.

Only two more days and I’d be back with Papa and Fennec.

2

I hadn’t done much in the last two days other than excitedly repack my duffle bag and check the time every other minute.

It was lunchtime, and I had put my bag with warm clothes and three pairs of boots next to the front door, waiting for Jason to pull up with his truck.

“Why don’t you come sit and eat another bite? You only ate half the chicken wings I made for you,” Mama called from the kitchen.

“I’m too excited to eat. I had enough,” I told her, but for some reason, my feet dragged me into the kitchen where I sat down at the table.

“Two more wings,” she suggested, and I sighed at her nudging me to eat.

If I didn’t eat, she’d make me take them on the trip to Wiseman, where Sitka would definitely bother me about the smell of it, wanting me to give the wings to her.

Dogs shouldn’t eat cooked meat, because cooked bones were dangerous for them, so keeping them from her would be a pain in the ass.

I grabbed one wing and started eating it while my feet couldn’t stay still, making my knees shake and move up and down in quick motions.

“Did you pack everything? I won’t drive up there just to bring a shirt or pair of pants.”

“I packed everything.”

Clothes, shoes, toothbrush, and my notebook.

“What about shampoo?” Mama asked with a raised brow.

“Papa makes shampoo out of plants. I don’t need to bring mine.”

“I see,” she replied, trying to figure out if it was amusing or too strange.

I liked the way we had to find ways to clean ourselves in the forest, bathing and washing our clothes in the river, where we would also try and catch fish to either eat immediately or let them dry out to then snack on throughout the day.

Living in the middle of nowhere was exciting, and no day was like the other.

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