A Wolf Called Wander

All creatures eat and all are eaten in the end, but I am not ready to be eaten, not today.

All is well, Mother would murmur to me. We are together.

Men are the worst of all dangers. . . Men do things with no reason.

snowy meadow where elk are browsing unaware. The wind blows toward us hard and cold. The hunt is a fire inside me. I will be the wolf to feed my family. I crouch in the shadow of trees and wait for Father’s signal. In all the hunts I have watched, victory came when the pack burst on to the herd like one sweep of the wind.

Carry on. Carry on. Carry on.

A lead wolf feeds his pack,

Sharp never drops his tail to me, no matter how hard I try. I wrestle him every day, but he slips out of my paws. I run farther than him. I howl longer. I gulp down more meat than anyone, but he is still taller and heavier, louder and stronger. I can run faster than him, but that is my only victory. Mother sees me try and gives me extra licks at sleep time.

not even met her, and already I want to take care of her. Hunt for her. Protect her.

Never give up, they say to me. You are the fastest of us all. I will follow you anywhere. Carry on. Carry on. Carry

boundary he set for us.

I want the sound of her, the smell of her, the company of her on my travels.

Even a summer night is cold when you sleep alone.

We belong to the mountains,” Mother begins. “And the mountains belong to us,

I could catch it, though. I could get it all by myself.” “Not. Even. A. Lick.

Wait until you have a fighting chance.

give up, they say to me. You are the fastest of us all. I will follow you anywhere. Carry

All creatures eat and all are eaten in the end,

bachelor wolves are not hard to find. They howl on and on, a pride howl. They have taken meat. All the better for me. I will eat first and show them my hunting skill next time, when I am stronger. I am grateful. Under the rough bark that has grown over my wound, my muscles ache, and the hours of walking have made me weary. I will have to beg to eat with them. I will hate lowering my tail to these fools, but I

last time, but it is not worth my life. I swallow my howl and all my loneliness with it and creep away. My scent is on the ground for the almost-wolf to