King of the Grizzlies

A loose adaptation of the adventure novel "Biography Of A Grizzly" (1900) by Ernest Thompson Seton. The setting is the late 19th century. Following his military service in the United States Army, the Cree native Moki was hired as a foreman on the ranch of his former commanding officer, Colonel Pearson. On his hand, Moki wears the sign of his tribal totem. It depicts a four-toed track, the mark of the grizzly bear. Pearson shoots and kills a bear which invaded his land, and he also kills one of the bear's cubs. The other bear cub falls down a cliff and into a river, but Moki rescues it from further injury. He names the young bear Wahb (four-toed grizzly), and he eventually set it free on the outskirts of Pearson's land. A few years later, Wahb evades capture by both Pearson and Moki. Later still, Wahb acts surprisingly docile during a chance encounter with Moki, possibly recognizing him. Pearson decides to track down and confront the bear on his own. When thrown off his scared horse, he is injured and left at Wahb's mercy. The angry bear calms down when Moki approaches it, and it attempts to depart peacefully for an area which it has claimed for its own. Pearson still attempts to shoot the retreating bear, but Moki forces him to back down. The aging former soldiers head back home.