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"The timber wolves will be our friends
We'll stay up late and howl,
At the moon, till nighttime ends,
Before going on the prowl"
~ Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes
You're walking through the woods, an evening hike. You watch the
ground closely, carefully stepping and breathing in the refreshing,
cool night air. Ahead of you, you hear the rustling of leaves and
the snap of a twig. Looking up, you suddenly halt and find yourself
no more than ten feet from a wolf. He’s standing on a small hill,
looking down upon you. Your muscles freeze in anxiety and curiosity.
He isn't afraid either, curious of you, as well. Two beings, each
studying and admiring the other. Your eyes meet his and his deep,
piercing gaze sends shivers down your spine. There's something behind
those eyes, something that touches your very soul. Looking into those
gazing yellow eyes, he begins to tell you a story. His story, not
through words, but through expression.
His world begins in a black purgatory. He is deaf and blind to the world
around him. Afraid, he whimpers and clings to the one thing he knows: the
warmth of something he has yet to even see, his mother. Eventually, colors
and sounds flood his senses and he begins to move about, exploring this
strange new world. He sees his mother for the first time, his brothers and
sisters too. As he explores the dark den, he peers out the entrance and sees a
larger, stronger looking wolf; his father, the Alpha. The Alpha stands
proudly, watching the den, hoping to catch just a glimpse of his pups. He stays
close, but not too close, else he'd risk evoking the protective instinct of his mate.
The Alpha, satisfied, rears his head and begins to howl. The haunting sound strikes
the pup's ears, filling his spirit. The other members of the pack start to howl, as
well. The evening is filled with a choir of perfect, eerie cries to the sky. He tries to
howl along with them, but can't do much more than squeak along to the chorus of wolves.
The days go by quickly, and the pup begins to grow. He plays constantly with his
siblings, often finding himself the dominant one. As he grows, the adults begin to treat
him like one of them, more and more each day. He's sown into the strict hierarchy that
is the pack. Finally, he's grown enough and it's time for he and his siblings to learn to
hunt. He follows his mother and father through the woods, over a hill and suddenly, they
stop. The scent of prey fills his nostrils as he glances over the edge and sees a herd of
caribou just beyond. His brothers and sister spread out; the plan is to surround a
weak one. Then suddenly ... charge. Time is a blur as he rushes down the hill towards
the already scattering herd. He spots an old doe and charges towards her. He sees
peripherally that his father has the same idea. They rush her and split off, catching
up quickly. Father and son, hunting together for the first time; both sink their
fangs into the doe's legs. She goes down in a heap and is killed quickly.
The pack begins to feast on the fresh kill. The Alpha puts his pups in place with a
snap and snarl if they start to get greedy. The pup we've been following gorges himself,
soon becoming 'meat-drunk' and laying down for a nap. He scans around and looks at his
family, closing his eyes and falling asleep. Life is good ... for now.
Years later, little has changed within the pack. Our pup finds himself second in command,
the Beta, next to his Alpha father. Only, he's no longer a pup. At three years old, he's
already sexually mature and considered a young adult.
One afternoon begins with the sound of buzzing. His ears perk and he stands, looking
towards the source of the sound. His father howls, and the pack rallies to him, gathering
around their leader. The Alpha quickly assesses the situation, glancing at his pack and
back towards the sound of the noise. He howls once more, a howl telling them to run.
The pack takes off and sprints away from the sound as fast as their legs can carry
them. His fears are confirmed as an airplane clears the tree line and begins to make
its way towards them. The pack begins to scattered a little as the sound of gunfire
is heard. The Beta forces himself to run on through the horrifying yelps of pain from
his packmates. He shuts his eyes, trying to block out the sound of his dying family as
he manages to escape into the trees, free from the plane's deadly grasp. He finds a
secluded spot and lays down, waiting for it all to end. As the plane's buzzing fades
away, so do the cries of his pack. It seems now, he’s the only one left. The hours go
by and the once radiant light of the day has now burned itself out, leaving the stars
and the moon as his only guide through the darkness.
After what seems like an eternity of waiting, he works up the courage to investigate
the area he fled from. Standing, he makes his way through the trees and doesn't hurry
back. In the back of his mind, he knows what he’ll find. Splatters and pools of blood
cover the ground, turning snow from white to light red. He sniffs the ground, finding
the scent of his packmates, but realizes it's too late. They're gone, taken by the
humans. One scent, however, remains. He sniffs again to make sure. Could it be?
He follows the scent and the blood trail to a wooded area. The scent gets stronger
and stronger until he sees it. His Alpha lay on the ground, his fur matted with
blood and a mortal wound on his side. The Beta sat next to him, licking the wound
and doing his best to heal the Alpha. Knowing the task is futile, he gets on his
belly and began to lick at the Alpha's muzzle in respect. The Alpha's breathing
became labored and the Beta sat with him, watching him ... until he gave up his
spirit and died. That night, the wilderness was filled with a single, saddening howl.
The Beta howled relentlessly all night, crying to the stars in mourning of his pack.
He sets off, leaving his birthplace behind, in search of a new life. A new pack.
The only way to do that is to find himself a mate. It's Winter, mating season,
and he treks through cold and ice, looking for a lone wolf like himself. After
days of searching, a strange scent catches his nose. He follows it, howling every
once in a while. After each howl, he hears a response from a female. He follows
the scent and finally sees her. A beautiful gray wolf with golden eyes stares back
at him from a short distance. He approaches her carefully and she does the same.
His ears are lowered and his tail is wagging, showing he is friendly. She senses
no danger, and the two inspect each other. After careful consideration, she accepts
him and he accepts her. He's found his mate.
That Spring, our Beta is finally an Alpha. His mate gives birth to four beautiful pups,
two males and two females. He stands nearby the den, hoping to catch a glimpse of his
pups. One of the males manages to crawl out just enough for him to see. Satisfied, he
howls up at the sky, filling the air with his sound. The pup tries to howl along, much
like the Alpha tried to so long ago, but only squeaks along with his father.
And so, he's told you his story. You know his life, his trials, his tribulations, and
his successes. He watches you for only another second before turning and running away.
You stand still for a moment, still taking in the deep, soul shaking emotions of his
story. Suddenly, you hear a familiar sound. A howl; his howl. Alone, eerie at
first, but soon joined by his mate ... and then the pups. They all howl to you,
filling the chilled air with that great, beautifully haunting sound. Are they warning
you to get out? Or are they welcoming you, thanking you for listening to their leader's
tale? You may never know, but for now, you turn and contently walk home, leaving the
Alpha and his pack alone. This is, after all, his territory.
While this may be a more action packed and fictionalized account of a wolf's life,
the fact remains that the wolf is a threatened species. Through possible
delisting from the endangered species act and the legalization of aerial hunting
in Alaska, nature's greatest predator is threatened now more than ever. Most
humans are misinformed on even the most basic of wolf facts, and therefore
fear them. We must raise wolf awareness and help this great species survive.
Voting, donating, or simply telling someone the truth helps greatly in the long
run to save the wolf. Wolves have been killed to near extinction before, and my
greatest fears will be realized if that should happen again.
"We have doomed the Wolf not for what it is, but for what we have
deliberately and mistakenly perceived it to be.. the mythologized epitome of a
savage, ruthless killer.. which is, in reality no more than a reflexed image
of ourself." ~ Farely Mowat
Matt Plott - 2007
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