151 Walker is in The Office. The Office is a popular fishing spot amongst the bears on the far side of the falls. It’s kind of chill, like the corner booth at a restaurant that faces the room. He’s just, you know, doing his thing. Walker is unaware that 164 Bucky is creeping up along the side wall towards him. Then,Bucky pounces into The Office.
It’s a total jump scare and it works – 151 Walker flees. But Bucky’s not done. He stares Walker down, and advances forward. Walker retreats backward. They move like this, until Bucky has walked Walker right out of the area. Bucky stands in the Conveyor, a spot beneath the waterfall. There are no other fat bears around, plenty of fishing spots. Bucky didn’t even want The Office. He just didn’t want Walker to have it.
This was a single move in a long game that these two boys are still playing. If it seems like these bruins have beef, that is correct.
164 Bucky is young and humongous. He is shaped like a firetruck. We call him the Beariff because starting last summer he put himself in charge of running Brooks River. He often walks like a cowboy who just got off a horse, which is an actual super duper real science term for this behavior. The “cowboy walk” is a dominance display and it is literally a swagger.
151 Walker is about ten years older than Bucky. He’s a short king, beautiful, and just big enough that he can smell the top of the hierarchy and crave it. Unfortunately, he’s not quite tall enough to reach it. He’s been stuck in middle management almost his whole adult life.
Perhaps this is why one day in 2024, Walker hit a breaking point and decided to show Bucky who’s boss. Bucky was still technically smaller than Walker. But Bucky has always had huge aspirations. (There are some who believe he is one of Grazer’s cubs, the cub that emancipatedhimself.) This is a fight that Walker started, and Bucky solidly lost. To be frank, Bucky almost drowned.
The thing about bears, especially these bears who rely on a complex system of relationships to navigate their close proximity, is they remember everything. Bucky started blowing up and ranking up. He’s big in his field, maybe even the biggest today. But, in my opinion, Bucky has never forgotten that 2024 fight with Walker. He’s a headstrong dude. From the looks of it, Bucky’s never gonna let Walker forget it, either.
Of the four matches today, this is the one with real life rivalry. Out on the river, Bucky is kicking butt. Online, will fat bear voters support the Beariff, or will Walker’s two decades deep of a fanbase come out to tip the scales?
May the fattest bear win! Vote today from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. AKDT atfatbearweek.org.
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