Helen was the first to get a hit.  She yanked back on her pole without a word and began reeling with enthusiasm.  A minute later she was holding a trout that looked close to two pounds.   She didn’t tease Allistor, just dropped the fish on a stringer, tied one end to a sapling, and tossed the fish into the shallow water.

A few minutes later a splash downstream indicated Fuzzy had made his move.  He’d disappeared under the water for a moment, but his head emerged with a small fish in it.  Allistor was too far away to see clearly what it was.   The cub crawled back up onto the spur and plopped down on his belly to eat.

Helen had caught another fish before Allistor finally got a bite.  When he reeled his catch in, it was smaller, but still a healthy pound and a half.    They spent an hour at the bridge, fishing quietly and just enjoying the morning.   When they were done, Fuzzy had caught and eaten three fish, and they had another ten on the stringer.  Helen was going to grab a large cooler from the back of the truck, but Allistor stopped her.  “I’d rather not be smelling fish all trip.  I’ll store them in the ring.”   He did just that, happy to see that they were similar enough to stack in one storage slot.

“I’ve got to get me one of those!” Helen eyed the ring as each fish disappeared.  “Will they stay fresh in there?  We didn’t even gut them.”

Allistor nodded. “It says time doesn’t pass inside whatever void they’re stored in.  So when we take them out they’ll be just as fresh as when they went in.”

Calling Fuzzy back, Allistor engaged him in a game of tag, running him about the gravel area and into the tall grass in an attempt to dry him off.   “Don’t want to be smelling wet bear the whole trip, either.”

When Fuzzy was reasonably dry, they loaded themselves back in the truck and kept going.  If they kept a decent speed, they could be in Cheyenne well before dark.  After the sunshine and relaxation of fishing, Allistor found himself dozing off.   Fuzzy was snoring happily in the back seat.  The third time Allistor’s chin hit his chest and he jerked himself awake, Helen said, “It’s okay; grab a nap.”

Almost as soon as she said it, though, she hit the brakes and slowed quickly.  Allistor looked ahead and saw a fallen tree across the road about fifty yards ahead.  Opening his door, he said, “No worries.  You can stay here, I’ll go move the tree.  Won’t take but a few seconds.”

As his feet hit the pavement, Helen said, “That’s not a tree.”