On parallel paths a pair of moose and two caribou seem to be racing.
While, in reality…
Shortly before these hooved fellows showed up, the largest of the Arctic’s predators had made his appearance. A large grizzly had ambled up the draw in search of berries, roots, or even a possible wolf or caribou kill. He can sense the urgency of fall. Winter is coming, and, with it a long slumber fueled only by the fat earned now. A half hour later, when the moose and caribou cross the draw the bear is long gone but its scent still lingers thick and strong. The cow moose catches it first. The wind is square and sporadic, she can’t pin the bear’s location. Her nose flares and she breaks forward out of the draw. Her satellite ears erect pivoting to and fro she scans the path ahead. Both, her calf, and the two nearby caribou pickup on her uneasy demeanor, it’s infectious. They all trot quickly out into the tundra, the caribou with increasing concern. All of a sudden, one of them winds the bear and bolts forward. In a blind run the pair of caribou takes the lead. The cow moose slows down, she can no longer smell the bear, and perhaps takes comfort in the caribous lead.