American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 138 The Bourne Mountain Guard Dog
After a long while, the grand spectacle by the lake slowly came to an end.

Lin Yu'an started the car and smoothly drove Emily back to her cabin.

He wrapped his heavy coat around Emily, who slept soundly in the back seat like a tired ragdoll cat.

For the first time ever, he lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and the pungent smoke rose and drifted out of the car window.

He looked at the bold and intelligent woman in the back seat, feeling unusually calm.

For him, the madness he just experienced was less of indulgence and more of a necessary act of taming the negative emotions that had been building up inside him.

He released it, saw it clearly, and then put it back in the cage.

As he helped Emily, whose legs were still a little weak, into the living room, a childish "woof woof" sound and two swaying figures immediately caught his attention.

In the corner in front of the fireplace, covered with a soft blanket, two furry little creatures were watching them curiously.

They have beautiful fur that is black, white and brown, and adorable square faces, making them look like two little bears that can move.

"Bern Mountain Dogs?" Lin Yu'an's eyes softened instantly. He crouched down and reached out his hands to the two puppies.

"um, yes."

Emily's voice was hoarse with fatigue as she walked to the bar, poured two glasses of warm water, and handed one to Lin Yu'an.

"I was late for the party today because I went to my friend's house in Fairbanks to pick them up. Her female dog had six puppies, and I picked the two strongest ones."

She sat on the sofa, gently stroking a small dog that had come close to her feet.

"After that incident, I decided to get two dogs. They are excellent guard dogs, intelligent, loyal, and big enough to scare away most trouble."

Lin Yu'an looked at the two puppies. They were not afraid of strangers at all, wagging their tails and jumping around happily.

One of the bolder ones had already started gently nibbling at his finger with its still-growing baby teeth, and it smelled like a little puppy.

The last vestiges of negative emotion in his heart were completely melted away at that moment.

Emily looked at Lin Yu'an's genuine expression of affection, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips. She hadn't expected this man to have such a tender side.

“You seem to really like them. I didn’t think you were the type of person who liked small animals.”

"I like it very much," Lin Yu'an said frankly.

“Then… I’ll give you one.” Emily made a decision that surprised Lin Yu’an.

"One will follow me, and the other will follow you, so they can see each other often in the future."

"And... I also hope there's something that, when you want to kill me, seeing it will make you stop wanting to kill me."

Lin Yu'an looked at her somewhat self-deprecating smile and did not refuse the gift that had special meaning.

He knew that this puppy would become the first legitimate emotional bond between them, apart from that dark secret.

"Okay." He nodded and picked up the more lively male puppy.

“We need to give them names,” Emily suggested.

Lin Yu'an thought for a moment, looked at the energetic little guy in his arms, and smiled, "It's so lively, let's name it Whiskey, in memory of the nice bottle of wine George had last night."

"whisky?"

Emily laughed, thinking the name was very fitting: "Then I'll name my little lady Honey, hoping her personality will be as sweet as honey."

Whiskey and honey—that's how the two names were decided.

"However, bloodline alone is not enough for them to become qualified guard dogs."

Emily became serious: "They need professional training to become qualified guard dogs."

“Weisman has a very skilled dog trainer named Ryan Anderson, who used to be a top trainer in the Los Angeles Police Department’s K-9 police dog unit.”

"Ace? Then what's he doing here?" Lin Yu'an asked curiously.

“I heard that he seemed to be tired of the rules and regulations in the city, and that seeing his police dogs, to whom he had devoted himself, die one by one while chasing criminals, caused him to have serious psychological problems, so he resigned and came back.”

Emily explained, "He felt that true partners should be running in the mountains and forests, not chasing criminals in concrete jungles; partners should not be tools."

"In short, he has a lot of experience in training large working dogs. You can go and learn from him. By the way... ask him how to train Honey for me too."

Lin Yu'an kept the name and his story in his heart.

Lin Yu'an did not leave that night.

Emily's bedroom was spacious and comfortable. He took a refreshing hot bath, washing away the fatigue of the past few days and the scent of perfume on his body.

When Lin Yu'an came out of the bathroom, he found Emily removing her makeup in front of the mirror.

Nothing more happened between them. Instead, they lay together and chatted like old friends who had known each other for many years.

Emily recounted her experiences growing up on a farm in Ohio, her love for animals, and how she eventually chose to come to Alaska to open a veterinary clinic.

During the conversation, they also made some plans for the future.

Lin Yu-an said, "I will be going out frequently in the future, whether it's shopping in Fairbanks or hunting in the mountains."

"Could you please keep an eye on my greenhouse when I'm not around? For example, could you turn the vents on and off, or check the drip irrigation system?"

“Of course, no problem,” Emily readily agreed.

"In return, the training of Whiskey and Honey will be your responsibility from now on."

These two puppies brought the two of them closer together again.

Early the next morning, it was just dawn.

Emily had changed into a smart outfit; she was going to Fairbanks to pick up a pre-ordered batch of veterinary medicines from her supplier.

Before leaving, she insisted on driving Lin Yu'an and the two little ones back to the Wood Forest first.

The Subaru Outback drove quietly along the forest road.

In the back seat, Whiskey and Honey, two little furballs, were snuggled together, fast asleep, emitting soft snores. Their bodies swayed gently with the car's bumps, which was quite adorable. When the car slowly came to a stop in front of Lin Yu'an's wooden house, the quiet of the engine being turned off seemed to awaken them.

Whiskey was the first to open its sleepy eyes, wobbled to its feet, nudged the car window with its wet little nose, and curiously surveyed this brand new territory.

Lin Yu'an opened the car door, and the two little guys immediately jumped out of the car like two cannonballs, plunging headfirst into the grass that was ankle-deep.

Honey seemed more demure, cautiously sniffing the wildflowers on the ground.

Whiskey, on the other hand, is like a wild bull that has broken free of its reins, frolicking and rolling around on the grass, chasing its own tail, and occasionally letting out a tender but energetic "woof woof" sound.

"It seems they really like it here." Lin Yu'an leaned against the car door, a smile on his face.

"They just like any place where they can run."

Emily also got out of the car, walked to his side, and looked at the puppy playing in the morning light with tenderness in her eyes.

"Lin." She suddenly turned her head and called out to him softly.

Lin Yu'an turned around and met her clear blue eyes.

Emily tiptoed closer and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

The kiss was brief, lacking the passion of the previous night, but filled with a tender affection.

“Take good care of them, especially the whiskey, it’s so naughty,” she said earnestly, looking into his eyes.

"I will." Lin Yu'an nodded.

After seeing Emily off, Lin Yu'an looked at the two new family members beside him and felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

The huge wooden house suddenly felt less empty because of the arrival of these two little lives.

David and Mike won't be back for a few more days, so they'll use this time to visit the legendary dog ​​trainer.

Instead of going directly to Ryan, he decided to first use old George, a local expert, as a go-between.

He found two spare leather cords and put temporary collars on Whiskey and Honey.

The two little ones were clearly intrigued and somewhat dissatisfied with the restraints, with Whiskey trying to bite the rope with his teeth.

Honey simply plopped down on the ground, staring at Lin Yu'an with her innocent big eyes, as if making a silent protest.

Lin Yu'an smiled and picked them up one by one, placing them in the spacious back seat of the Ford Expedition, and then drove to Old George's house.

When old George opened the door and saw Lin Yu'an and two adorable Bernese Mountain Dog puppies crawling out from his feet, he gaped in surprise.

"Lin! What happened... Did you and Emily rob the bear's kindergarten last night?" Old George burst into laughter.

He crouched down, letting the whiskey and honey lick his calloused hands.

“It was given to me by Emily.”

Lin Yu'an explained with a smile, and handed Honey to Old George as well: "This is my little sister, named Honey, she belongs to Emily. The one in my arms is my brother, named Whiskey, he'll be with me from now on."

"Whiskey and honey?"

Old George smiled knowingly and said, "Great name! It sounds like a perfect night!"

Lin Yu'an explained his purpose simply: "I heard there is a dog trainer in town named Ryan Anderson, and I want to learn from him how to train these two little guys so that they can become excellent guard dogs in the future."

"Ryan?"

"You've come to the right person! That kid is a real expert."

"He helped train several of the town's best hunting dogs, including Patton's black bear hunting dog that could track half a mountain range."

"However, Lin, you should know that you can't use hunting dogs to chase large animals in Alaska. It's fine if it's just a guard dog accompanying you on a hunt."

"Thank you for reminding me, George, I understand."

George nodded, went inside, and picked up the old-fashioned satellite phone.

"Wait, I'll give him a call. He's a nice guy, just a bit... withdrawn, and doesn't like strangers showing up at his door."

"Ever since he resigned from the Los Angeles Police Department, he's been spending more time with his pack of dogs than with people."

"He now mainly earns his income by training dogs for people, and he has many clients in Fairbanks."

"But you don't need to worry about the fees; he doesn't charge any fees for helping community residents."

"If you want to thank him, you can bring him some trout, and he will make it into dog food to feed the puppies."

Old George dialed the phone and spoke to the other party in a familiar tone, like an elder speaking to a younger person, briefly introducing Lin Yu'an's situation.

He specifically mentioned his heroic fight against the gunman in the supermarket, knowing that Ryan, a former police officer, would naturally feel a sense of goodwill towards him.

"Yes, that's the Chinese kid. He's incredibly skilled... Hmm, he's with me right now, with two Bernese Mountain Dog puppies. He wants to learn from you... Hahaha, I knew you'd be interested!"

After hanging up the phone, Old George gave Lin Yu'an an OK sign: "It's all settled. He wants you to go there now; he's waiting for you at his training ground."

Having received permission, Lin Yu'an thanked old George again.

He recaptured the two puppies that were already playing wildly in the living room and put them back in the car.

Then, following the address given by old George, he drove his Ford Conqueror towards the other end of the town of Wiesman.

Ryan Anderson chose a very open meadow surrounded on three sides by tall spruce trees.

Far from the hustle and bustle, this place feels like an isolated, independent kingdom.

When Lin Yu'an's car entered the long gravel road, the first thing he saw was a huge professional training ground surrounded by tall barbed wire.

On a very open meadow, we finally saw a neatly arranged wooden house.

There, he met Ryan Anderson, a former top K-9 police dog handler for the Los Angeles Police Department, for the first time.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)