Yellowstone: Wind in the Smoke

As Dante watched the little albino bear slowly make her way toward the forest, he thought the name given to her was truly remarkable.

Just moments earlier, when he approached and petted her, he confirmed that the little bear was female. During his morning walk, he realized that the chances of independent animal caretakers stepping in were very high.

To prevent anyone from interfering with little Baloo's life, he decided to make her home deeper in the forest, within another hunter's cabin.

This reminded him of the story of Joey, the albino bear mistakenly sent to the North Pole.

Joey was a brown bear born with the genetic condition of albinism, which made his typically brown fur appear white.

Joey lived happily in the forests of the United States or Canada, depending on the version of the story. After many retellings, the details of the story had been altered. Everything changed for Joey when a group of nature activists—sometimes attributed to Greenpeace—spotted him. Mistaking him for a polar bear that had wandered far south in search of food, they sedated him, orchestrated a helicopter rescue, and took him to the Arctic.

In the Arctic, Joey's fate varied depending on the version of the story.

In one version, Joey woke up confused, wandering the frigid environment he was unaccustomed to until a group of researchers spotted him. Realizing he was a brown bear, they sedated him again and transported him back to the forest via helicopter.

In another version, Joey was discovered because he was being attacked by a group of polar bears.

Back home, Joey tried to resume his life, but the activists found him again and repeated the rescue. Once more in the Arctic, Joey was discovered by scientists and returned to the forest. This time, they dyed his fur in the hope he would avoid further rescues.

Unfortunately for Joey, someone else spotted him and reported the sighting of a "dirty polar bear." Another group intervened, and Joey ended up in a zoo, placed in the polar bear section.

There, visitors noticed Joey trembling with cold. The zoo authorities were alerted, and Joey was finally returned to the forest, this time marked to prevent future misunderstandings.

Thinking of this story, Dante felt Baloo had the wrong name, but knowing his nephew Tate had chosen it, he wouldn't change it.

After feeding the ponies, Dante returned to his father's ranch, where he planned to address some important tasks related to his own businesses. Along the way, he noticed the old fence surrounding the ranch needed repairs.

The once-sturdy wooden posts had long since deteriorated, with some crumbling entirely. The rusted barbed wire was loose and weak, losing its original strength.

For the horses, the fences were useless, and even the more spirited livestock could break through them easily.

Even Baloo could enter whenever she wanted.

Dante had discussed the issue with his brother, who pointed out that installing effective fences might cost millions of dollars.

Whether Dante could afford it or not, he wanted his father's land well-protected to prevent any type of attack.

He also wanted to sponsor the ranch in competitions using the best horses on the market. Of course, investing tens of millions of dollars in such events all at once seemed absurd.

But Dante insisted on creating a nationally recognized brand for the ranch. That way, public opinion could sway legal decisions in their favor.

What community would want to see a ranch with over a hundred years of history destroyed, especially one with a nationally famous brand?

Later, Dante checked online and found that building a fence meeting those conditions would cost nearly a hundred dollars per meter.

That would amount to around twenty million dollars—an unreasonable expense. While Dante knew he could easily afford it, he couldn't explain where the money would come from.

For now, Dante knew he couldn't indulge in such luxuries.

That's why they'd continue working as they always had, using simple barbed wire.

Dante put on his gloves, picked up his tools, and began removing the rotted stakes one by one.

Most of the wooden posts were already loose, and the rain had softened the wood. He could pull them from the mud with just a lever.

The tangled wires and some parts had to be cut with a saw.

After removing each piece, he set it aside, preparing to sort through recyclable materials later.

Mud and sawdust mixed, splattering his hands and clothes, leaving them sticky and damp.

It was purely physical labor, and sweat dripped from his forehead, trailing down his brows. But Dante, along with the other cowboys, worked wholeheartedly, keeping their hands busy.

Thankfully, he was no stranger to such tasks, and all the necessary tools were at hand.

While Dante was busy, the faint sound of an engine echoed in the distance.

He looked up and saw two trucks driving along the dirt road, kicking up dust in the potholes before slowly coming to a stop nearby.

After the engines were turned off, the driver's door opened.

Rip poked his head out of the car first, smiled, and waved at Dante.

He stepped out carrying a toolbox and several rolls of wire.

In the other vehicle, several hired workers dressed in dark blue work clothes got out one by one and began unloading equipment, preparing to install a monitoring system.

Their movements were orderly and efficient, clearly well-prepared.

As Rip approached, he adjusted his gloves, a familiar smile on his face. "Good morning, Dante."

He glanced at the piles of old wood Dante had removed, a flicker of surprise in his eyes before he smiled again. "Looks like you started working early this morning."

"Good morning, Rip," Dante replied, straightening up and wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "These old fences needed replacing, so I got the cowboys without work to start fixing them."

Rip nodded, his gaze falling on the cleared spaces. He couldn't help but admire the effort. "You're right; it's time to replace them. I just hope no idiots cut through the fences again."

"If those from the reserve try to cut the fence again, I'll make them fix it themselves," Dante said firmly, unwilling to tolerate any further attacks on his family.