by Sarah Davis
His mental connection strengthened, and Penny now felt the constant feather-like brush against her consciousness. He had a growing curiosity, and she acclimated easily, unless his desires spiked. Then it was like a mosquito buzzing her head.
Fjord’s feeding schedule was rigid due to the little bear’s own internal clock. Penny was unable to alter it enough to free her time to attend wrestling and self-defense classes. Because she was able to fit in a fitness routine and still hang out with Noah, the lack of the other activities didn’t bother her. She heard about the new teacher who had moved into town a few months earlier as Noah drove her to self-defense class for the first time in several weeks. Marie Felter. She filled a vacant position at the high school, and everyone in the class seemed to know her well enough. They were very friendly toward the outgoing female, especially the males. Even the six-year-old in the self-defense class clung to her instead of his usual place by Penny.
Of course, as soon as Penny saw her, she understood the infatuation. Marie was a fit young woman with long blond locks. Her eyes were a brilliant green, and her skin pale with a perfect rosy blush on her cheeks. Her smile was easy and frequent. Penny couldn’t help but like her—until she saw how much Noah seemed to like her. Then Penny wondered if it was worth liking this girl.
Really, Pen? I thought you and Noah were just, uh, you know…friends? chided Lucy.
Penny sighed. Fine, I’ll go with my first impression.
Oh, we both know you suck at female relationships, present company and mom excluded. If you made her shorter, added tattoos, changed her hair color to brown and eyes to blue, she could be like Rainy. Ms. Summers, I mean.
Ah, sure. That might work, Penny replied with more than a hint of sarcasm. Lucy was referring to Penny’s almost-enthrallment with her Family and Consumer Science teacher in high school. She was cool, everyone had a crush on her, even the women. She rode motocross and could decorate a five-tier wedding cake. Not skills that usually coexisted together.
Noah approached her and asked if she would mind pairing up with Marie. During a brief introduction, Penny learned Marie participated in multiple self-defense classes at her previous residence in Colorado, so Penny didn’t need to dwell on too basic of moves. They practiced behind grabs, choke holds, and weapon deflection moves. After twenty minutes, Noah called for the pairs to switch. Noah asked Penny to spar with him for a demonstration.
He told the class that the key to deflection and escape is to repeatedly perform maneuvers so that they become instinctual. Practicing under stress will help with focus so that you are more apt to keep a level head if attacked. He offered a competition to members, seeing if they would like to spar on occasion with unknown attack moves. They all enthusiastically agreed.
“No situation will be the same—but you should learn some basic moves that can help. Being attacked by a person is less likely to happen here in Utqiaġvik than, say, being attacked by a walrus. But we live in a cold, dangerous world and walruses are moving close to our community. Being aware of surroundings is good on many different levels. So, enough talking. Penny and I will show you some techniques and moves that utilize objects in your surrounding environment.”
Penny stood in the center of the mat. The others sat or stood around them in a circle. Towels, water bottles, and shoes scattered around them. Noah disappeared from her view. He approached her from behind and placed a choke hold on her, pointing his finger in her back like a weapon. Penny quickly extricated herself from his grip by lunging forward and down, throwing him to the ground. Before she could strike him, he rolled up and attacked again. Again and again he attacked, and she returned with a defensive move and sometimes counterattacks. She grabbed discarded towels to temporarily bind his wrists, a shoe she used to strike at his temple, a soft plastic water bottle opened and the contents sprayed in his face. They moved quickly around the mat, as if dancing a dangerous duel that could result in one’s injury or perhaps death, if at a different place and time.
Although they both held back any injury-causing blows, Penny was certain she would suffer some bruises from the demonstration, as would Noah. He was dripping wet thanks to her water attack. His glossy curls hung heavily, weighed down by the moisture and fell into his eyes
Both were breathing heavily as they finished, and Noah threw an arm around Penny’s shoulders.
He then announced with a smile, “Penny here, as I said before, is not as advanced in training as I, but she uses everything she can to defend and attack, like when she picked up Frank’s shoe and flung it at me. That is an important thing to keep in mind. Anything can be used as a weapon. How many things in this room can we use? Please, start naming them.”
As they did, Noah and Penny were given a chance to catch their breath. Noah squeezed her shoulder, unknowingly sending a warm wave of goosebumps down her back and arms. He winked at her and whispered, “Great job, Momma Bear.” Then turned his attention back to the responding group.
Penny’s heart skipped several beats and, as she gazed after Noah, she caught Marie staring at her. Penny smiled, and Marie returned with a smile of her own.
They went through another twenty minutes of technique work with different partners before the group began to cool down. As they stretched, Marie sidled up next to Penny and asked where she had learned to fight like that.
“I’ve been in training since fourth grade,” Penny replied.
Marie and she chatted easily during cool-down, which had involved Marie asking Penny questions about why she moved to Alaska, what type of research she was involved in, how well she knew Noah.
As they readied themselves to leave, Marie asked Penny if she wanted to get together for lunch some weekend.
“There are a few single dads who think a single teacher would make a good step-mom, but I am not buying into that,” she said conspiratorially.
“I think I would enjoy lunch some time.” A thrill of joy at the possibility of a female friend coursed through Penny, who never really hung out with anyone other than Lucy and Liam. And now Noah. She kept in touch with a few girls from her class, but girl time was time at home with her mother or Lucy. Rita was fun to hang out with, but usually Bill was along, limiting any girl time.
I don’t know, Pen. She seems like she may not be the right kind of friend. Lucy’s pensive thought entered, tamping down Penny’s happiness.
Best to not make a judgment just yet. We just met her.
They exchanged numbers and promises to call.
In all your free time, Lucy commented.
You’re right. Probably won’t work out. She and Noah will begin dating, and I will be down two friends.
Oh, come on, don’t be so pessimistic.
Noah asked for a ride home with Penny following class since Army had dropped him off earlier.
“I was thinking about Marie,” Noah said after some time in shared comfortable silence. “You two seemed to hit it off well tonight.”
“She seemed nice. Outgoing.” Penny said as she swerved to avoid a rut.
That brought a chuckle from Noah. “Quite the opposite of you. Not the nice part, Penny. The outgoing part. You're like me, quiet, unsocial. The intelligent, attractive, quiet ones are intimidating for most people. But fortunately, I am not most people. So, you do not intimidate me. Marie, though, has been struggling here in Utqiaġvik. She is more of a social thing and hasn’t yet found her place in the community.”
“Do you know her quite well?” Penny asked, a sour bubble blossoming in her gut.
“Not really. I listen to the gossip.” He tapped his temple. "The quiet one who picks up useless info."
“You listen to gossip?” Penny said, feigning astonishment.
As he continued, Penny found her attention wandering back to a previous comment. Attractive. He called me attractive! Butterflies fluttered inside her, fanning the waves of jealousy away.
"I hate for you to only hang out with the research team. And I know Marie is new, but maybe the two of you will
hit it off."
Although Penny didn't care to hang out with other people beside the few she knew in Utqiaġvik, she recognized the fact that Noah continued to look out for her.
The sun began to peek over the horizon toward the end of January, which marked Fjord’s three-month rescue anniversary. His left ear, mostly a shriveled black tip, was more noticeable. Army complained to Penny that the cub had grown fat and needed exercise, just like Army. She found it hard to take offense. Fjord was plump, weighing in at nineteen pounds, and after her mother consulted with her colleagues, no changes were made to his feeding schedules since he measured in like cubs his age at zoos.
Penny considered options for taking Fjord outside for short romps in the snow now that he was walking. The yard would be fine for short outings, but the vacant research station a much better location, far away from prying eyes.
Romp and Roll
The door chimed when Penny entered the veterinary clinic. The familiar pet odors mixed with chemical disinfectants and the smell of ozone from her mother’s favorite air purifier wafted over Penny, inciting nostalgia from years spent assisting her mother. Although she never desired becoming a veterinarian, there was something comforting and respectful about the profession.
“Penny, so good to see you! Haven’t seen you, what, in a few months! You are just as lovely as ever,” called out Linda, who sat at the front desk overseeing an empty waiting room.
Penny blushed. “Good to see you, too. You’re sweet, but I think your eyes might need to be examined.”
“Don’t be so humble. Oh, do you have a puppy for your mom to check out? Is it one of Army’s?” Linda perked up even more, if that was possible. She had an obvious weakness for Army, fawning over him whenever he visited.
Fjord yawned inside her jacket. Well, not her jacket. Noah’s larger coat hugged the cub close to her, only the top of his white head visible. Fjord had just eaten and was ready to sleep.
“Um, no it isn’t Army’s. And he’s very shy. I’ll hold onto him, if you don’t mind. Where's mother?” Penny refrained from correcting Linda’s assumption. The cub was not something she was able to expose to those outside her circle.
“Oh, finishing up with a c-section. Here, do you want me to take him for you?” Linda rose and held her arms out.
Blue wound around Penny’s legs. “No, that’s fine. I can kennel him. Thanks, though.”
Linda smiled and resumed her position on the swivel chair. The phone rang, and she quickly answered, “Hello! Veterinary Clinic, Linda speaking. How can I help you?”
Penny took Fjord into the office Eelyn shared with Dr. Vincent and placed him in a small pet carrier stored beneath the long table that served as a desk for both veterinarians. It struck Penny that she and Dr. Vincent had never met. Then again, she only ever visited the clinic when her mother worked, and she worked when Dr. Vincent did not.
Fjord curled up in his blanket. Penny regarded Blue and mentally focused on him staying with the cub. Blue peered at the carrier and then at the door. He barked his displeasure. Penny imagined the great responsibility of looking over the cub. Blue cocked his head to the side and whined.
Just stay until I come back, she finally projected, leaving the puppy with her twenty-three-pound cub.
When Penny walked into the surgical room, Eelyn was closing the c-section. The copper tang of blood and surgical disinfectant scrub assaulted her. She held her anxiety in check and calmly entered.
“Hello, daughter of mine. How are you this afternoon? Did you enjoy the half-hour of sunshine today?” The sun rose above the horizon, but fog obscured the show that marked the end of the endless night and the promise of sunlight to come. Her attempt at humor aside, her mother looked unsettled, a long blood spatter on her left cheek. “Ah, would you mind helping Sam with the puppies?”
Sam was in the corner with a towel, massaging a pup. Penny grabbed a soft towel from a pile and one of the other puppies from the heating pad. Could have been Fjord’s very tiny twin – solid white with a black left ear.
A total of twelve puppies were delivered in all, but three lay still off to the side. The largest was puffy looking. As Penny inspected it, Sam informed her it had been the one stuck in the birth canal. Penny gently massaged the puppy until it showed more vitality; then she changed to a different pup.
“This one looks like your pup,” Sam said with a friendly smile. The creases around his eyes multiplied as he grinned at her.
“Umhmm,” she agreed.
Sam chatted about the surgery and easily filled up the silence while her mother finished up and moved the mother dog into the next room. He was chatty and fortunately didn’t seem to mind that Penny was not.
As they were transferring the lively puppies to their mother, Sam asked, “Eelyn, I’m going to grab some food. Want me to pick up your usual order at The FrostBite?”
Eelyn drug her hands through her hair. Penny could see her weariness from staying up late with Fjord last night only to be greeted with an early morning emergency.
“Sure, that would be great.”
Penny raised her eyebrows at her mother after Sam left. Eelyn pulled her daughter into the office and shut the door.
“Nothing going on, he’s being polite,” she said. “Where’s the bear?”
Penny pulled Fjord’s comatose form from the cramped carrier and helped her mother draw blood for tests.
“He and Rose aren’t dating anymore, right?”
“Penny, knock it off. It’s not like that.” Her mother answered in a clipped voice. “No one will ever replace your father.”
Trying a little more gently, “You don’t need a replacement. Or a fill-in. No one would judge you for dating.”
Staring absently at the opposite wall, Eelyn’s face fell suddenly. “No. I am not ready. Maybe someday.”
Eelyn finished up, and Penny gathered her charge once again, stuffing him inside her jacket. Fjord was almost too much to fit when he was sleeping; when struggling, he made it difficult to stay concealed.
“Ouch, dude. Watch the claws,” Penny shifted the cub around, trying to convey her desire for him to be still for just a few minutes longer. Once Noah picked her up and they set out for the research station, the cub would be freed to roam about.
A knock on the door startled them both, and Penny kept her back toward the door until she saw Noah standing there with a grin.
“Ready to go, Momma Bear?” Noah was a vision with his hands tucked in his jacket pockets and glossy curls framing his face. She stared at him; something was different, but she couldn’t put a finger on what. She realized she was staring and looked away only to return her gaze.
What was different? Was it because he wasn’t wearing a hat?
He shifted under her stare. “Um, is there something on my face?” He half-smirked and bent down to pet Blue, who was wagging his tail, vying for attention.
Penny closed her mouth. He didn’t have anything on his face. How could he be even better looking without the beard?
“Oh, Noah. You shaved!” Eelyn stated the obvious. “You're just as handsome under all that hair! How long has it been since you were clean-shaven?”
Rubbing his jaw, he squinted. “Years. I feel nekked.”
Penny ducked her face, heat rising on her neck; she stifled a giggle.
Blue sat in the back with Winter as they drove out, each dog looking out a window. Fjord sprawled on Penny’s lap, dozing. Penny felt as if she rode next to a stranger, catching herself doing a double take more than once. Noah seemed to mostly ignore her, although when their gazes connected, he smiled and gave her a wink.
Noah started shoveling snow from the front door of the building while Penny went inside to start the generator and turn lights on. She put Fjord in the wooden box Noah had built for the cub, a play pen of sorts. It had a warmer inside and heated up quickly, quicker than the open room. She eyed it with the bear walking around the cramped quarters. It wouldn’t work for too much longer. He chuffed and ro
se up on his hind legs, pawing at the sides. Winter jumped up against the outside and peered in at the bawling cub. He leaned down and licked Fjord’s face.
Just wait, buddy. Just a little longer. Down, Winter. You can play later. Penny shut the cover and continued with an inspection of the interior, Blue trailing her like a shadow.
Noah stomped his boots off when he entered, placing the shovel next to the door. “No issues outside. Everything look good in here?”
“Yep. I’m going to check on a few things while we are here, if that’s okay?” Penny turned off the lights in the back and sat at a desk in the front, pulling her computer from her backpack.
Once she finished her work, she pulled the polar bear hide leggings from her bag. They had been a Christmas gift from the Volkovs, made from the hide Noah removed from Fjord’s mother. They matched the pair Noah had donned, also a Christmas gift, but from another bear (one taken during an indigenous hunt).
Fjord’s first major outing was one part exciting and one part poignant. The snow was fluffy and deep in places, unlike around home where the dogs and vehicles trampled down the powdery fluff.
He was thriving, her little bear cub. Penny took pictures of Winter, Blue, and Noah playing with the cub. At first, Fjord walked like a cat with tape on its feet, picking up his paws high to shake the cold snow from his toes. Once he became used to the new sensation, he stuck his face into a snow drift - a long bout of sneezing followed. Noah offered to photograph Momma Bear and her clan. With her mind, she called both dogs in to sit on either side.
“If that isn’t spooky…” Noah huffed and took several. Then he turned around and leaned against Penny to capture a group picture. Of all the photos of Fjord, that picture would become the one she admired the most. Fjord’s front paws were raised toward the sky and his tongue poked out of his mouth. Winter nosed Noah’s flushed and smooth cheek, and Blue lifted his paw as if to high five the little cub.