“That’s good news. I can sell you a breeding pair of goats as soon as you get the pens repaired. I’ll give you a good price. They’ll be good for milk and cheese. And you can learn a shitload from Mother Earth News magazine. I’ll bring you over a stack.”

“Thank you,” Mama said.

“Geneva said Leni was a joy to work with. That’s good.” She patted Leni so hard she stumbled forward. “But, Cora, I’ve looked through your supplies. I hope you don’t mind. You don’t have nearly enough. How are your finances?”

“Things are tight.”

Large Marge nodded. Her face settled into grim lines. “Can you shoot?”

Mama laughed.

Large Marge didn’t smile. “I mean it, Cora. Can you shoot?”

“A gun?” Mama asked.

“Yeah. A gun,” Large Marge said.

Mama’s laughter died. “No.” She stubbed out her cigarette on a rock.

“Well. You aren’t the first cheechakos to come up here with a dream and a poor plan.”

“Cheechako?” Leni asked.

“Tenderfoot. Alaska isn’t about who you were when you headed this way. It’s about who you become. You are out here in the wild, girls. That isn’t some fable or fairy tale. It’s real. Hard. Winter will be here soon, and believe me, it’s not like any winter you’ve ever experienced. It will cull the herd, and fast. You need to know how to survive. You need to know how to shoot and kill to feed yourselves and keep yourselves safe. You are not the top of the food chain here.”

Natalie and Dad walked toward them. Natalie was carrying the chain saw and wiping her sweaty forehead with a bunched-up bandanna. She was such a small woman, barely taller than Leni; it seemed impossible that she could carry that heavy chain saw around.

At Mama’s side, she stopped, rested the rounded tip of the chain saw on the toe of her rubber boot. “Well. I got to feed my animals. I gave Ernt a good drawing for the cache.”

Geneva strode toward them. Black dirt colored her hair, her face, splattered across her shirtfront. “Leni has the right work attitude. Good for you, parents.”

Dad laid an arm along Mama’s shoulders. “I can’t thank you ladies enough,” he said.

“Yes. Your help means the world to us,” Mama said.

Natalie’s smile gave her an elfin look. “Our pleasure, Cora. You remember. Tonight you lock your door when you go to bed. Don’t come out till morning. If you need a chamber pot, get one from Large Marge at the Trading Post.”

Leni knew her mouth gaped just a little. They wanted her to pee in a bucket?