American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

Kodiak Island Fish and Game Bureau.

This unassuming red brick building is also the main branch of the Alaskan Hunters Guild on the island.

The fate of all the hunters on the island is determined by the rules and people in this building.

Su Wei turned off the engine and got out of the car.

The heavy winter boots sank into the ankle-deep snow with a dull "plop".

He pulled down his goggles, shutting out the cold air, and strode toward the heavy windproof door.

The moment I opened the door, a wave of warmth hit me.

The hall was quiet.

The only sounds were the ticking of the old-fashioned wall clock and the intermittent ringing of the telephone from the distant office.

A few men sat scattered on rows of plastic seats, most of them wearing heavy, oil-stained work clothes. They looked tired and anxious, clearly having been trapped by the blizzard for many days.

A huge Kodiak brown bear specimen hangs on the wall, standing upright with its glassy eyes indifferently looking down at the visitors.

The other wall features huge photographs of various wild animals, from humpback whales leaping from the sea to brown bears confronting each other in the forest, each one brimming with primal, wild tension.

Su Wei took off his goggles and gloves and walked straight to the front desk.

Behind the reception desk sat a middle-aged woman who was engrossed in organizing documents, her blonde hair neatly styled in a bun at the back of her head.

Her name tag read: Sarah.

"Good morning," Su Wei said.

Sarah looked up, her gaze lingering for a second on Suwei's professional outdoor gear before she quickly regained her professional demeanor.

Good morning, sir.

"How can I help you?"

"I'm here to take the professional hunter qualification exam," Su Wei said succinctly.

Sarah stopped writing and typed a few words on the computer.

"Has your amateur hunter license been registered for a full year?"

"This is a strict rule."

"It's full," Suwei replied.

The original owner obtained her license at the urging of her friends, and a little over a year had passed.

Sarah nodded and pulled out a form from the side.

"The exam is divided into theory and practical application."

"There's a theory test at 10:00 AM today. It's 9:35 now, you still have time."

She spoke rapidly as she introduced the information.

"Based on the theory, we will arrange a practical test for you, taking into account the weather and the examiner's availability."

"The registration fee is $360, cash or check only."

Without hesitation, Su Wei pulled out four crisp one-hundred-dollar bills from the waterproof bag in his pocket and handed them over.

Sarah took the money, expertly checked the bills, and then gave her forty dollars in change and a printed receipt.

"Alright, Mr. Suwei."

"Please wait over there. Someone will guide you into the examination room at 9:50."

She pointed to a door in the corner of the hall.

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

Su Wei took the receipt and found an empty seat by the window.

Outside the window, everything was still a vast expanse of white.

He leaned back against the cold chair and relaxed completely.

Su Wei was not worried about theoretical knowledge.

Although the original owner had little interest in hunting itself, she did it in order to pass the exam.

They still memorized those thick books of regulations, animal behavior, and gun safety rules until they knew them by heart.

Those memories have now become his assets.

All he needs to do now is wait.

Waiting for the exam to begin, waiting to receive that crucial license, and then... heading into the mountains.

Just as Su Wei was looking down at his phone to check the recent weather, the door to the Fisheries and Hunting Bureau was suddenly pushed open again.

"Bang!"

"Sarah! I'm here!"

"Register me!"

"I'm going to get that damn certificate today!"

A loud, deafening male voice instantly shattered the silence of the hall.

Su Wei paused, then looked up.

A young man wrapped in a heavy parka strode in. He was tall and strong, with the healthy bronze skin typical of Aleutian Islands natives, and looked like an energetic young brown bear.

He took off his snow-soaked hat and excitedly shouted to the front desk.

"Hey Sarah! Guess what?"

"A few days ago, right when the blizzard was at its worst, my dad and I took down a huge monster!"

He was famous for his animated gestures and spittle flying everywhere.

"A fully grown black-tailed deer!"

"Right on the hillside in our backyard!"

"That guy is as strong as a calf!"

"I took it down with one shot!"

"My dad says my marksmanship is so good now that even a professional hunter couldn't find fault with it!"

Sarah, who clearly knew him well, sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"Alright, Aruk, keep your voice down."

"This is the Fishing and Hunting Bureau, not your private bonfire party."

"Get the registration form yourself, and have the money ready."

The young man named Aruk chuckled, seemingly unconcerned, and was about to pick up the form when he turned his head and saw Suwei sitting by the window.

His smile froze instantly.

Aruk stared blankly at Suvi, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

He rubbed his face and blinked his bright black eyes hard.

A few seconds later, he rushed over in one stride.

"Soviet Union?!"

He practically yelled it out.

"Is it really you, kid?!"

Su Wei stood up, and fragments of memories belonging to the original owner of the body quickly surfaced and pieced together in his brain, finally settling on the face in front of him that was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.

Aruk Cash.

The original owner's childhood friend and best brother.

A pure-blooded Arutik, a native Kodiak islander.

He was the one who dragged Su Wei along to register for the amateur hunter's license back then.

Aruk rushed up to Suvi, looked him up and down, and then punched him on the shoulder with a light but firm punch.

"You bastard!"

"He went back to Kodiak and didn't contact me?!"

His words were filled with the joy of reunion, but even more so with annoyance at being ignored by his friends.

"I heard from the people in town that you inherited your father's land and went to live alone in the mountains."

I've been trying to call you but can't get through!

"I thought you'd been carried off by a bear!"

Oops.

The thought flashed through Su Wei's mind.

Since he came into this world, he has been constantly facing survival crises.

First, he focused on filling his stomach, then on Emily, and then on repairing the snowmobile; his mind was filled with the thought of making money to survive.

He simply didn't have the time or the inclination to sort out the original owner's interpersonal relationships.

Contact a friend?

This idea had never even crossed his mind.

Facing Aruk's eyes, which seemed to say "You're not being fair," Suvi felt a long-lost sense of apology.

"I'm sorry, Aruk," he apologized sincerely.

"I had only been back for a short time when this damn blizzard hit, and the signal dropped."

"Besides... I had a lot of things to do and forgot about it for a while."

Upon hearing Suwei's explanation, Aruk's anger quickly dissipated.

He was a typical Arutik man, his emotions came and went quickly.

He patted Su Wei's shoulder hard, then opened his arms and gave him a big bear hug.

"It's good to be back, brother!"

Aruk's voice lowered, trembling slightly.

"I'm so sorry about your parents."

"I was out at sea on a ship at that time, and I only found out about the news when I got back."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be with you."

The hug was tight, carrying the comfort and strength that comes with brotherhood.

Suwei's body stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and reached out to pat Aruk on the back.

The other person's sadness is genuine.

This concern, untainted by any self-interest and purely out of friendship, softened his heart, which had been hardened by the wilderness and debt.

"It's all in the past," Su Wei said softly.

Aruk released him and returned to his usual carefree demeanor, though his eyes were a little red.

"It's good that you can pull yourself together!"

"Let's go sign up together. We have to get our professional hunter certification today, no matter what!"

"Then we'll go into the mountains together to hunt the King of Kodiak!"

The King of Kodiak, also known as the Kodiak brown bear.

"Alright, gentlemen."

Sarah at the front desk interrupted their reminiscing by raising her voice.

"Those who are going to take the exam, you can go in now."

Aruk waved excitedly.

"They're here!"

"Come on, Suwei, watch me ace those theory problems!"

As he spoke, he strode towards the examination hall.

Su Wei followed.

After taking a couple of steps, Aruk suddenly felt something was wrong. He abruptly stopped, turned around, and looked at Suvi with an extremely surprised expression.

"Wait, you...you're here to take the exam too?"

"Otherwise what?" Su Wei retorted.

"You?! You're taking the professional hunter exam?!"

Aruk's shout instantly rose eight octaves, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall.

He strode back to Su Wei, pointed at him, and looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Did I hear that right?"

"Don't you hate these things the most?"

"If I hadn't dragged you out of bed back then, you wouldn't even have bothered to take the amateur hunter certification exam!"

"You told me your biggest wish in life is to stay in the city, drinking Coke and playing video games!"

Aruk stared at Suvi, his face full of confusion and bewilderment.

The Suwei he remembered was a typical urban youth who kept his distance from hunting and wilderness, and even had some aversion to them.

But the person in front of me, although he has the same face, seems to have completely changed.

That composure, that calmness, and the lingering, weathered air about him when he came in—the kind of air only someone who spends years outdoors possesses.

All of this was so unfamiliar.

Su Wei looked at his childhood friend, who was in shock, and simply met his gaze calmly.

He offered no explanation.

Some things cannot be explained, nor do they need to be explained.

He simply spoke.

"People change, Aruk."

After saying that, he walked past Aluk, who was still standing there in a daze, and went straight to the door leading to the examination room.

Aruk stood there, watching Suwei's retreating figure, his mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he said nothing.

He scratched his head and quickly followed.

When the two stood side by side at the entrance of the examination hall, Aruk couldn't help but lean close to Suvi's ear and whisper something in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"What on earth triggered you, buddy?"