If I were a moose, the first thing I would do after leaving my mother is say, "Oom!." Then I would run around and discover how good it feels to be on my own. I would check around and explore the vast wilderness all around me. Which is what I had to do because when I was one year old my mother abandoned me and my sister. While I was walking along the river I heard a big splash, then something slurping. I was very curious and also very scared, for I didn't know what dangers there might be from this creature. I crept over to the water's edge, looked down, and, to my surprise, sitting there eating a fish was a harmless old bear. I walked toward the bear and said, "Hello."

Although I'd heard that some bears are known to attack a moose, this guy was harmless because he was very old. You can tell when a bear or moose is very old because they move slower than a porcupine. The bear finally looked up at me and replied, "Hello." Then he asked me, "What brings you to the water's edge?" I said, I just heard a noise and was curious, so I just had to find out what it was." The bear seemed very wise and very nice. He also gave me some advice about the land around us and a little tip on the consequences I might have to face if I were to invade someone's territory. Then I asked him if I could stay with him for a couple of days so he could show me the ropes and take me around to other places. He agreed and, just before we went to bed he said to me, "The best part about living in the forest is that no matter where you go, you're always home." Then before I could say anything more, he was out like a log and never woke up till the next day.

That night I couldn't sleep because I was so excited about learning new things I never even knew existed. But I couldn't stop thinking of the past and how my mother had abandoned my sister and me. But I had to accept it because that was the way it had to be in the moose world. I remember the time my mother told my sister and me that there would be a day when man would come into the forest and kill a lot of our friends and relatives, and maybe even me. She said to always be aware and prepared for "the danger that awaited my acquaintance." After that, I felt afraid to seek out anything in the outside world. But a piece of me inside also told me to go out and explore and seek that something new. Soon I forgot all about those things and fell asleep.

The next morning when I awoke, the old bear was still in dreamland. I tried to awake him, but he was stubbornly asleep, so I waited, eager to be on my way. When, at last, the old bear awoke, we found some breakfast and then went on our way. The bear showed me what an adult moose's diet was, but, of course, I had already known that. To tell you the truth, I had already known most of the things he was telling me. But it was good to review all of the basics of survival. It wasn't long, though, before we had to say our goodbyes and I found myself alone again.

It has now been about three months since I met the old bear. I noticed that two hard stubs were growing out of my head, and they gave me a bad headache. Gosh, I can't explain how bad they itched when they first started coming out. The stubs grew until I could finally see them, and after awhile they got to be a real pain because they made my neck sore. But after awhile I got used to them being there.

One day I was walking along the riverside when I heard this strange loud noise.

It was louder than the sound of the rocks falling off the cliff side, but it didn't last as long. Suddenly I saw another bull running with all his strength. When he got to me I asked him why he was running so hard. He told me, "It's that time of year again!" I hollered at him, "Time for what?" He yelled back, "The hunter's! Run, save your life, fool!" So I ran with him for about a minute. But the hunters were already on our tail and firing shots at us. The strange loud noise I'd heard was their rifles shooting! That time, we were lucky, though, and we got away. The things my mother told me were really paying off.

In the forest the other bull and I got to know each other and became pals. I thanked him for saving my life, and ever since the shooting we stuck together like tree gum to the tree. We looked after one another until this tragic day I'll never forget. We were walking along expecting nothing, when a gun fired and hit my pal right in the heart. He died instantly and I just stood there in disbelief. Then I found myself running harder than I'd ever run in my whole life. When I finally stopped I was sweating from the top of my head to the bottom of my hooves. What I'd seen was horrible, and I hoped to god that it would never happen to me. But the next day it did. As I was walking on the hillside I heard a gun shot and felt a severe pain in my hind leg. I tried to run but couldn't, and I fell down. Then the hunters came over to me, stood there before me, and deliberately took my life! And that was that!