1 Prologue: One Elk to Start It All

It was a fairly windy evening, when it all started. Me and my buddy Ronnie, his dad, and our friend Earl had been lying in wait for game for around five hours when an elk appeared. It was going to be the dinner of some of the poorer folks back in Powell, once we got it dressed that was. But that didn't end up happening. After all, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men.

Around five minutes after Ronnie shot the rifle and killed that damn Elk, the show finally started. We was dressin' that elk to take back inta town when that damn game warden showed up. Of course me and Ronnie didn't resist none. But Earl? Earl was a different story.

Earl always was a wild one, a man out of his time. And it honestly ain't that surprising when he tried ta make a run for it. After all, I never saw anything wrong in hunting game, whether it was 'poaching' or naw. 'specially as it was charity. After all the good book says ta "feed the hungry" and that's all we was tryin' to do.

But those was the days after the damn poaching laws and "no hunting" signs started appearin'. Of course, me and Earl was released. And even though his dad had ta stay in that damn county jail for a while, it wasn't like the sheriff liked those laws neither. But that didn't matter none in the end. Nope, that didn't matter none in the end.

---------------------------------------------- LINE BREAK --------------------------------------------------

But anyway, Durand starts to make a run for it. The game warden tries to catch the feller but he comes back maybe five, ten minutes later deciding that he'd just like ta put out a warrant. After all, that game warden was alone and we wasn't resisting none, not like Durand was.

So the game warden takes us back into town. Me and my bud Ronnie were released all quick-like, as we was teenagers in those days but Ronnie's dad had to stay in the jail-house for a while. A long while, if two months is a long while.

Eventually they'll catch Durand again before the big ol' manhunt. But that's a story for another day. Why? I'm an old man and I'm tired. I'm tired.