Wolf story more chapter 1

The Wolf Who Came Back
Chapter 1 continued


Sometimes Wolf wondered where Man went, and why he went away, abandoning all the man-dens. Wolf tried not to think about such things, because they were not needed as survival or hunting skills. But ever since he was a pup, he had wondered about the why of things. He had learned early on not to include the why question in the nightly howls of his pack. When he was a pup, his mother and father and the rest of the pack were more indulgent, letting him throw in a why howl occasionally, especially when the moon was full. But that indulgence wore thin, and by the time he was full grown, the pack got more annoyed with his curiosity, calling it dangerous. Over time, he lost standing in the pack hierarchy until he became Omega wolf, the last one down. After that, he left the pack, to be on his own. But he didn't feel lonely, because even when he was still with the pack, he was alone.


Stop. Wait. What was that? A new sound. Hackles up.

"Wolf! Where are you?"

Warning. Danger. It was a Man-sound. But there was no smell. How can that be? Wind never lied; even when Wind was still, smell drifted to his nose, carrying messages or warnings.

Ears up. Ears down. Tail in. Tail up, a warning to others. One paw up, ready to move.

Where was the sound coming from? Couldn't tell. Ears forward. Ears back. Still no direction. Nose up, twitching, testing, checking. Nothing. Eyes alert, head turning slowly. Still no clue. Body turns slowly, all systems in high detection mode to check all directions.

"Wolf! Where are you? I need your help."

The man-voice again. But this time he knew where it was coming from. It was inside his head.

He had heard that voice before, but always before it was while he was asleep. It was like a dream, like the memories of successful hunts, or puppy playtime. He had never been afraid of the voice. It was the voice of a friend; an odd thing, considering it was a man-voice. It was not like the voices of the men who came with fire-sticks, the things that could sting like an angry bee even before a creature could hear the boom. This voice for a long time was that of a man-pup. But now it was different. The man-pup voice was always in his dream, when he played with the man-pup, and there was friendship and fun. Now the voice was that of a creature coming to maturity -- not quite full grown, but nearly there.

Why was the man-pup calling? Why now, in full day, and not in the dreamtime?

There was the why question again. It had always been trouble for him, yet he couldn't resist it. Now it was time for caution.

There he is. The man-pup. On the other side of the stream. Wolf raised his muzzle and sniffed the air, asking Wind to confirm that it was the man-pup, and not a dream or an illusion. Wind never lied. But this time, Wind told him nothing. His ears told him nothing. Only his eyes and the voice inside his head told him the man-pup was there. Wolf knew it was the man-pup of his early dreams, even though the creature he saw was full grown. What's more, the man-pup was looking straight at him, and did not seem afraid or angry. Always in the past, when any man saw Wolf, the man ran away or raised his fire-stick, pointing it at Wolf. Wolf always ran away from the fire-stick.

But this time, the man-pup raised his paw and lowered his eyes, acknowledging that Wolf was the better creature. The man-pup started walking toward Wolf, all the while keeping his eyes down.

This was strange. Wolf had never known a man to admit a wolf as an equal, much less a superior creature. Yet this man-pup was submissive. Why? There's that question again. What did this creature want?

"Wolf, my friend, it's good to see you again. I need your help."

Friend? See me again? Asking for help? What's he talking about? And why can't I snarl at him?

"What are you talking about?" my voice said.

I had forgotten I had a voice. I didn't know I had a voice. Certainly not a man-voice. Did the man-pup have a wolf-voice? He must, otherwise how could I understand him? Men don't send signals with their ears, and they don't have tails. They move their front paws a lot, because they're always standing up. But their paw-waving doesn't mean anything. It's like they're trying to bury something in the wind. What fools they are; everybody knows you can't bury something in the air.

The man-pup spoke again. Not in a growl, or a bark or a whimper, but I heard him anyway. And his mouth was closed, and his lips didn't move. He didn't show his teeth or his tongue, or lower his eyes, or move his ears or his tail, or anything else. Yet I understood him.

"You've been gone a long time," man-pup said. "The Boss was beginning to wonder, since you were out of range so long."

The Boss? Out of range? This man-pup is really confused. I've never been here. I don't know any Boss or pack leader in this territory. The only one I ever met was the pack leader who threw me out, forcing me to wander the Sun-road. But I don't know why I came so far. There were plenty of places that looked good for hunting and sleeping, and I could have stayed, maybe even found a mate. Why did I wander so far? There's that why question again.

"Come on, Wolf, I'll show you the way to the Island. You look lost. The Boss said it might be like this when you came back. That was pretty strong stuff he put on you for the trip. I guess it's finally working off. Here's the path. Come on, it's not far."

The man-pup turned and walked away. Wolf followed as the thought of food came. There might be an easy meal along the way. Why am I doing this? What am I, a dog, following this man-pup instead of making a meal of him? Damn that why question.

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