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Literature Text
As PiercingFang felt the first rays of sun begin to warm his pelt, he awoke and opened his eyes. It had been an extremely pleasant night for the beginnings of winter, though he could feel in his bones that more snow would fall in the evening. Even now, two paws height of snow already blanketed the ground. He rose from where he had been sleeping, careful not to wake his mate, the pure-black wolf named DarkestShadow.
Like every other morning in the six months he had ruled this territory, the light-gray wolf lifted his nose in the air and sniffed for any dangers. Satisfied that he could not detect any threats, he turned his eyes to his surroundings. He and the other six wolves of his pack were currently at the fringes of a small, snow-filled clearing. Tall pines grew around the clearing, spaced widely apart. Despite the bad eyesight that all wolves share, PiercingFang could see the blurred outlines of small mountains in all directions. He could hear the creek that ran through his valley, about twenty tail-lengths away.
It did not take long for the rest of the wolves to begin stirring. The first to rise was DarkestShadow. She silently trotted over to where PiercingFang was now sitting at the edge of the pack, and sat down next to him. She was a beautiful individual; her coat was thick and dark, her build was strong and tall for a females, and her eyes were the brightest shade of yellow that PiercingFang had ever seen. Her gait was smooth and graceful, which seemed to perfectly match her cool, reasoning demeanor.
As she settled into a comfortable position, she asked PiercingFang in wolf-speak, "How are your wounds healing?"Concern-scent emanated from her as she said it, though she otherwise appeared uncaring.
PiercingFang growled at the mere thought of his injuries. The previous day, the members of the pack that were of age had caught and killed a massive stag. While feasting, PiercingFang had heard a sound behind him, and turned to see two gray wolves a short distance off, looking for a chance to get in and eat. As if trespassing on his territory weren t enough, they were even hoping to steal the pack's kill! His territorial fury had been unleashed, and he attacked the two wolves, signaling with scent to his pack to refrain from interfering. Though he had been outnumbered, the two wolves could not withstand his onslaught. The couple had fled, but now without leaving their mark. Multiple shallow puncture wounds could be found along his body wherever they had bitten him. Both tooth and claw of the two wolves had ripped out numerous small patches of fur, leaving him looking mangy and diseased.
Bringing his mind back to the matter at hand, he muttered back to his mate, "They heal well."With that, they fell into silences as the others began waking up. The next to rise was Shade-of-Night and her brother, Ray-of-Light. They were the offspring of PiercingFang and DarkestShadow, and were still only three moons old. Despite their age, they were already only slightly smaller than a full-grown wolf, though they still did not have an adult's stamina or strength.
The night of their birth had been an eventful one. A full-blown storm had been raging when DarkestShadow went into the cubbing den. While PiercingFang had stood guard outside, an old wolf - hairs whitening with age - had strode out of the gloom towards him. PiercingFangnsnarled and prepared to attack, but the old wolf had simply said, "Be calm. Something... significant has happened."
Despite PiercingFang's quick temper, the old one's words had confused him, and his
mind turned immediately to his mate and cubs. He had rushed between the roots that encircled the opening to the den and hurried to his mate. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, his eyes first fell upon a pure white pup, who was now called Ray-of-Light. Beside him had been a deep black she-pup, now called Shade-of-Night. So amazed at the small size of the litter and the tremendous coincidence in coloration, PiercingFang had barely noticed as the old one entered the den and crammed himself in so he too could see the two wet, helpless pus that DarkestShadow was by then tending.
As soon as he had seen them he said, with a scent of awe coming from him, "These pups shall be two of the strongest of our race, should they live past youth."The words had chilled PiercingFang and, since that moment, he had accepted the old wolf into his small pack and named him WiseTail for his great knowledge and instinct.
Though PiercingFang knew that WiseTail's joints bothered him, the old one got up from his sleeping place this morning without complaint soon after the rise of the two youngest wolves. He dipped his head in quick greeting at PiercingFang before walking towards the stream. Finally, MuddyPelt, a ruddy brown female she-wolf, and her sister TinyPaws, a gray female named for her abnormally small front paws, awoke. They had joined the pack soon after the birth of the pups. Normally, a pack leader does not let strange wolves into the pack, but PiercingFang had known that the pack needed more members to survive, and had allowed the then starving wolves to join. Like WiseTail, they dipped their heads in submission to their leader before trotting through the snow in the direction of the creek.
As soon as the pack had reassembled, PiercingFang brought himself up from his sitting position. Everyone else immediately focused all attention on him as he announced, "We will remain here for today - after that deer we caught yesterday, no one should need to eat for a while yet. Two wolves were chased off as well: a great achievement. Regular patrols of the territory will resume tomorrow." The tails and ears of the other wolves flicked up in surprise; this was the first time PiercingFang had given a day off since MuddyPelt and TinyPaws had joined the pack. Only WiseTail objected.
"I don't feel that this is a good idea. I havr a bad feeling - "
"Are you questioning my authority?" growled out PiercingFang. Though he trusted
WiseTail's judgement, his fierce temper often got the best of him, especially when there was a question of dominance.
WiseTail lowered himself and flattened his fur, indicating submission. A meek scent
came from him as he replied, "My apologies, PiercingFang."
PiercingFang snorted in reply, satisfied. He sat back down nest to his mate, signalling to the pack that he was done speaking. The rest began to go off to do as they pleased. Ray-of-Light and Shade-of-Night almost immediately started play-wrestling with each other. PiercingFang managed to catch a glimpse of both pups' eyes, and could see the very beginnings of yellow starting to creep into their puppy-blue eyes. Once the color had finished changing to their final shade of yellow, they would be said to have come of age, at which point they could begin coming along to watch hunts. PiercingFang also heard bits of the conversation WiseTail had struck up with the two sisters of the pack, determining that they were talking about yesterday's hunt.
As PiercingFang was observing the rest of his pack, DarkestShadow asked, "Don't you think you should listen to WiseTail? He's normally right about things such as this."
PiercingFang growled. "I've given my order, and he should know better than to question it."DarkestShadow dropped any further discussion on the topic. In fact, no one else asked about it for the rest of the morning - they knew better than to say anything that could arouse their pack leader's quick temper. The morning passed peacefully, with the wolves passing the hours either by sleeping, talking, or playing.
All that changed soon enough.
It was TinyPaws who detected it first. At nearly midday, she came groveling up to
PiercingFang - as one of her lower position in the pack should - and said, "I think I hear something strange in the distance... Like a bee flying, only louder."PiercingFang pricked his ears, suddenly wary. Just as the she-wolf had said, it sounded a bit like the buzzing of some monstrous bug. And it was steadily getting louder. He remembered how, just a few days ago, a loud, giant bird smelling of human had flown over the clearing, where the pack had been resting at the time. The buzzing now reminded PiercingFang of how that stiff human-smell bird had sounded.
When he could tell that the noise was getting louder and nearer, he growled out, "MuddyPelt, take the cubs to the den and stay there until we get back." The she-wolf and the pups went without complaint to the den the pups had used when younger.
"Everyone else," PiercingFang continued, "We will hold out ground here, until whatever it is comes. Then, we will draw the thing away from the den and pups. Understand?"
The others growled in agreement. They remained silent for the next few minutes, all ears swivelled to the source of the noise. When PiercingFang judged the entity had entered the valley that was his territory, the sound seemed to split. Half of it kept coming towards the four wolves, but the other seemed to skirt around the base of one of the mountains at the side of the valley. PiercingFang hoped that they would keep going that way until it left through the pass at the other end of the valley.
He couldn't pay attention to that part of the sound for much longer. The other part - the part heading directly for the wolves - was getting closer. When it was nearly upon them, he dashed off the other direction, signaling for the others to follow. Right as he turned, he caught a glimpse of the threat: three humans, each on the back of some roaring beast that slid over the snow with ease. Though the monsters were solid, big, and bulky, the trees were spaced out enough for them to maneuver.
PiercingFang had no more time to observe. He ran as fast as he could, with DarkestShadow right by his side. He could hear the panting of the other wolves behind him, and behind them, the roar of the emotionless monsters. Spurred on by desperation, even WiseTail managed to stay up with the rest of the pack. But despite the agility and ease with which the wolves moved naturally through the trees, the sheer speed and tireless pace of the monsters allowed the humans to easily keep up with the pack.
In fact, PiercingFang would have sworn that the two humans and their monsters were merely toying with the pack. Whenever the wolves tried to change direction, a monster would be at the side of them, forcing them back to their original path. The pack's breaths were coming in gasps now, and though PiercingFang was almost too breathless to think, he managed to figure out what the humans were doing: herding the wolves to a pass between the mountains. The very pass that it had seemed the other part of the noise had been heading towards. And once he realized this, he grew ever more forlorn - there was nothing the pack could to avoid the pass without being killed by the monsters behind them.
Only a few more minutes passed before they made it to the beginnings of the pass between the mountains. Here, the trees hardly grew at all, except for on the slopes of the mountains on either side of the pack. While a journey like this would hardly have phased the wolves had they been trotting along at their own pace, running far at top speed was taking its toll on the wolves. No longer were they looking where they were going; their exhaustion made them only partially aware of the where they were going. They began to slow and stumble, and did not even realize that the humans on the monsters behind them were also decreasing the pace, going just fast enough that the wolves had to keep moving.
For no apparent reason, the three humans unexpectedly made their monsters stop, two swinging off to either side of the pack and one remaining at the rear. The wolves kept running at their slow pace, unaware of the change in the situation. PiercingFang kept on running until he heard it: a loud crack, followed by a yelp from WiseTail. The sound had been like that of a large branch cracking from the weight of snow piled up on top of it, only a hundred times louder. PiercingFang stopped and turned around, doing it so fast that snow sprayed up from beneath his paws and DarkestShadow nearly ran into him.
He growled with sadness and anger when he saw WiseTail, sprawled in the snow with blood seeping from a wound at the base of his head.
WiseTail was dead.
Only now did PiercingFang remember the stories of humans his birth pack had told him. How they wiped out entire forests with their foul-smelling monsters. How they stole prey and territory from even the mightiest of wolves without so much as a proper territorial fight. And, most importantly, how they used their loud, thin, fire-smelling branches of death to kill wolves instantly from many tail-lengths away. Instead of battling honorable with tooth and claw, they used their branches to throw tiny stones at impossible speeds to murder those with no means to defend themselves. Now, they had killed one of PiercingFang's own pack with one of their
death-bringers.
A new strength filled PiercingFang as his uncontrollable rage coursed through his body. Before he could do anything, he heard two more cracks ring out simultaneously, one from higher up on the mountains on either side of them. He saw MuddyPelt fall without even time to cry out, and saw another stone bury itself in the snow right next to his mate's paw.
Without a thought for his own safety, he charged to the right at the nearest human. The three who had chased the wolves into this trap had stayed in the treeless area of the pass, while it appeared others were shooting from higher up on the sides of the mountains. The human tried to raise the death stick to kill the enraged wolf, but a light gleamed in PiercingFang's amber-yellow eyes as he saw that the human would not make it. He was just about to leap when another crack pierced the air from the mountain in front of him and he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He snarled as he stumbled, his momentum carrying him on to hit the hard monster head-on. Dazed, he crumpled to the ground, barely managing to open his eyes. He heard another crack and laboriously turned his head to see the mate of his life give a short yelp of agony, sway, then fall. Her dark pelt stood out in stark contrast against the white cover of snow beneath her.
PiercingFang gave a growl of loss and tried to lift himself off the ground, but his legs
buckled under him and he collapsed, eyes half open. He remained in a semi-conscious daze of pain as he saw the humans - six in all - gather each of the wolves'bodies, laying each unceremoniously down on the back of their monsters. The other humans then rode their loud monsters over to where the fallen leader lay. He saw only their strange paw coverings as they surrounded him, speaking in a strange language he didn't understand.
"Will you look at that! Bert actually fainted from fright, the wussy."
"You're right! He'll never hear the end of this one! Anyway, what should we do with this 'un?" PiercingFang felt and saw one of the covered human paws nudge his side as the strange human voice continued, "Looks like it's still alive, but with that wound, it won't last long."
"We only paid for six wolf tags - if we go back and find those other wolves we saw from the plane and take this one as well, we'll get fined. Let's leave it - we can say that we shot another one, but it escaped before we could finish it off. It looks like it'll snow later, so the officials won't be able to see where we've been."
"We wouldn't have wanted this 'un anyway. Just look at it! Must've gotten in a fight, half its fur is gone!"
"Let's get going and see if those other wolves are hidin' near their denning site. If we can't find them, we can come back for this one before heading home."
None of the gabble meant anything to the wolf lying on the ground. He couldn't understand human-speak. PiercingFang heard a bit of a yell as the human he had tried to attack was woken up with a snowball to the face. He heard the roaring of the monsters as they fired up and to them gradually fade into the distance, leaving him all alone.
He laid there in a daze of pain and loss for a long time. The sun was low in the sky when he finally forced himself up. The only thing that kept him alive was the thought of his pups. They were still safe in the den. They had to be. Despite the throbbing pain, PiercingFang managed to limp at a steady pace back the way he had came. A couple times, sorrow over the loss of his mate and pack nearly overcame him, but he managed to keep going.
When he finally reached the clearing, it reeked of human and monster scents. Fear for his pups almost engulfed him, but he reasoned with himself that of course the clearing would smell; the humans had gone right through it when chasing him and the other wolves. In his deluded hope, he did not even see as he crossed the clearing the human paw prints in the snow leading straight to the den.
It was only when he passed through the knotted roots that formed the entrance and saw only bloody ground that he stopped denying himself the pleasure of hope. The scent of the three missing wolves mingled with that of the blood and the scent of human. It was a bitter-sweet smell, for it reminded him of the night three moons ago when a different sort of intruder had entered the den. At that time, WiseTail had prophesied that the two new-born pups would be great, should they live past puppy-hood. In that same place, the chance of that greatness being fulfilled had disappeared.
PiercingFang staggered out of the hole after another long daze, numb with pain and grief. Though he took no notice of it, he could see that the snow he had predicted earlier that day had fallen, covering up all signs but the scent of humans. Though it had obviously been snowing heavily but gently when he had been mourning in the den, the snow seemed to slow and stop now, as if in recognition of the once-great leader and his terrible loss. He stumbled to the center of the clearing and sat down, his row of tracks now the only one in the small, open space. Then, he close his amber eyes, lifted his head to the full moon that was now beginning to rise above the disappearing snow-clouds, and howled.
Normally, a lone wolf would never howl. It was a sign to rivals that a pack was strong in numbers: the more wolves howling, the larger and more formidable the pack. A lone wolf howling only signaled that it could easily be chased off, without any support from more wolves to help.
But PiercingFang no longer cared if another pack attacked him. As he stretched his neck to howl his loudest, the scab on his shoulder cracked, and he felt blood begin to ooze down his front left leg, dying the snow beneath it red. In his howling, PiercingFang mourned for those dear to him who would no longer walk through the snow of these mountains. He called out to the heavens, lamenting loss of the bright future his pups could have had. He howled out his anger as well, asking without words how such creatures like the humans could hunt the mighty wolf as nothing more than prey. The howl rose and fell, a chillingly haunting melody of rage and despair.
He howled for well over an hour into the night. His calling brought two more wolves, who stood concealed at the edge of the clearing. They were the pair PiercingFang had chased off the day before. They were the reason his pelt was torn, and also the reason why he had not been killed immediately for his pelt. The female began to go out to help him, but the male stopped her. He knew that PiercingFang's pain was too great - it would not have been right to approach him in his time of sorrow. Above them, the two wolves heard flapping and looked up to see a massive hawk perched on a low branch, staring unblinkingly at the agonized wolf.
Never again would PiercingFang's amber eyes open. Right as the moon was reaching its zenith, he broke off mid-howl. He body gave a slight shudder, and he collapsed into the bloodstained snow. The hawk gave a piercing cry, its only memorial to the spirit of the wolf whose howl had called out to it so in the dead of night.
* * *
For thousands of years, wolves have been hunted by humans. Sometimes, it is for protection of livestock or for personal safety. Other times, they are hunted for their pelts or for mere sport. On March 28th, 2008, gray wolves were delisted from their status of endangered species in the Northern Rocky Mountains. On March 12th of the year before, they were delisted in the Western Great Lakes States. Since then, the U.S. Federal Court System has reinstated the Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains in order to further monitor the population. Despite this bit of good news for the wolves, they are still unprotected in the Great Lakes States, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues to insist that because gray wolf populations have recovered, there should be no need to ban the hunting of them.
The question, then, is this: Is it right to kill just because the species will continue existing, despite a person's actions? Is it right for any life - no matter the genus or phylum they may belong to - to be taken away in exchange for profit, a trophy, or enjoyment? What is the purpose in keeping a species alive, if only to kill off individuals? The answer, then, is that we know that every creature - from the richest human to the smallest bug - will die some day, and that death is something that all creatures endeavor to delay. Humans, certainly, do all they can to forestall this inevitable process. Why not extend this same courtesy to others, instead of doing exactly the opposite?
Like every other morning in the six months he had ruled this territory, the light-gray wolf lifted his nose in the air and sniffed for any dangers. Satisfied that he could not detect any threats, he turned his eyes to his surroundings. He and the other six wolves of his pack were currently at the fringes of a small, snow-filled clearing. Tall pines grew around the clearing, spaced widely apart. Despite the bad eyesight that all wolves share, PiercingFang could see the blurred outlines of small mountains in all directions. He could hear the creek that ran through his valley, about twenty tail-lengths away.
It did not take long for the rest of the wolves to begin stirring. The first to rise was DarkestShadow. She silently trotted over to where PiercingFang was now sitting at the edge of the pack, and sat down next to him. She was a beautiful individual; her coat was thick and dark, her build was strong and tall for a females, and her eyes were the brightest shade of yellow that PiercingFang had ever seen. Her gait was smooth and graceful, which seemed to perfectly match her cool, reasoning demeanor.
As she settled into a comfortable position, she asked PiercingFang in wolf-speak, "How are your wounds healing?"Concern-scent emanated from her as she said it, though she otherwise appeared uncaring.
PiercingFang growled at the mere thought of his injuries. The previous day, the members of the pack that were of age had caught and killed a massive stag. While feasting, PiercingFang had heard a sound behind him, and turned to see two gray wolves a short distance off, looking for a chance to get in and eat. As if trespassing on his territory weren t enough, they were even hoping to steal the pack's kill! His territorial fury had been unleashed, and he attacked the two wolves, signaling with scent to his pack to refrain from interfering. Though he had been outnumbered, the two wolves could not withstand his onslaught. The couple had fled, but now without leaving their mark. Multiple shallow puncture wounds could be found along his body wherever they had bitten him. Both tooth and claw of the two wolves had ripped out numerous small patches of fur, leaving him looking mangy and diseased.
Bringing his mind back to the matter at hand, he muttered back to his mate, "They heal well."With that, they fell into silences as the others began waking up. The next to rise was Shade-of-Night and her brother, Ray-of-Light. They were the offspring of PiercingFang and DarkestShadow, and were still only three moons old. Despite their age, they were already only slightly smaller than a full-grown wolf, though they still did not have an adult's stamina or strength.
The night of their birth had been an eventful one. A full-blown storm had been raging when DarkestShadow went into the cubbing den. While PiercingFang had stood guard outside, an old wolf - hairs whitening with age - had strode out of the gloom towards him. PiercingFangnsnarled and prepared to attack, but the old wolf had simply said, "Be calm. Something... significant has happened."
Despite PiercingFang's quick temper, the old one's words had confused him, and his
mind turned immediately to his mate and cubs. He had rushed between the roots that encircled the opening to the den and hurried to his mate. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, his eyes first fell upon a pure white pup, who was now called Ray-of-Light. Beside him had been a deep black she-pup, now called Shade-of-Night. So amazed at the small size of the litter and the tremendous coincidence in coloration, PiercingFang had barely noticed as the old one entered the den and crammed himself in so he too could see the two wet, helpless pus that DarkestShadow was by then tending.
As soon as he had seen them he said, with a scent of awe coming from him, "These pups shall be two of the strongest of our race, should they live past youth."The words had chilled PiercingFang and, since that moment, he had accepted the old wolf into his small pack and named him WiseTail for his great knowledge and instinct.
Though PiercingFang knew that WiseTail's joints bothered him, the old one got up from his sleeping place this morning without complaint soon after the rise of the two youngest wolves. He dipped his head in quick greeting at PiercingFang before walking towards the stream. Finally, MuddyPelt, a ruddy brown female she-wolf, and her sister TinyPaws, a gray female named for her abnormally small front paws, awoke. They had joined the pack soon after the birth of the pups. Normally, a pack leader does not let strange wolves into the pack, but PiercingFang had known that the pack needed more members to survive, and had allowed the then starving wolves to join. Like WiseTail, they dipped their heads in submission to their leader before trotting through the snow in the direction of the creek.
As soon as the pack had reassembled, PiercingFang brought himself up from his sitting position. Everyone else immediately focused all attention on him as he announced, "We will remain here for today - after that deer we caught yesterday, no one should need to eat for a while yet. Two wolves were chased off as well: a great achievement. Regular patrols of the territory will resume tomorrow." The tails and ears of the other wolves flicked up in surprise; this was the first time PiercingFang had given a day off since MuddyPelt and TinyPaws had joined the pack. Only WiseTail objected.
"I don't feel that this is a good idea. I havr a bad feeling - "
"Are you questioning my authority?" growled out PiercingFang. Though he trusted
WiseTail's judgement, his fierce temper often got the best of him, especially when there was a question of dominance.
WiseTail lowered himself and flattened his fur, indicating submission. A meek scent
came from him as he replied, "My apologies, PiercingFang."
PiercingFang snorted in reply, satisfied. He sat back down nest to his mate, signalling to the pack that he was done speaking. The rest began to go off to do as they pleased. Ray-of-Light and Shade-of-Night almost immediately started play-wrestling with each other. PiercingFang managed to catch a glimpse of both pups' eyes, and could see the very beginnings of yellow starting to creep into their puppy-blue eyes. Once the color had finished changing to their final shade of yellow, they would be said to have come of age, at which point they could begin coming along to watch hunts. PiercingFang also heard bits of the conversation WiseTail had struck up with the two sisters of the pack, determining that they were talking about yesterday's hunt.
As PiercingFang was observing the rest of his pack, DarkestShadow asked, "Don't you think you should listen to WiseTail? He's normally right about things such as this."
PiercingFang growled. "I've given my order, and he should know better than to question it."DarkestShadow dropped any further discussion on the topic. In fact, no one else asked about it for the rest of the morning - they knew better than to say anything that could arouse their pack leader's quick temper. The morning passed peacefully, with the wolves passing the hours either by sleeping, talking, or playing.
All that changed soon enough.
It was TinyPaws who detected it first. At nearly midday, she came groveling up to
PiercingFang - as one of her lower position in the pack should - and said, "I think I hear something strange in the distance... Like a bee flying, only louder."PiercingFang pricked his ears, suddenly wary. Just as the she-wolf had said, it sounded a bit like the buzzing of some monstrous bug. And it was steadily getting louder. He remembered how, just a few days ago, a loud, giant bird smelling of human had flown over the clearing, where the pack had been resting at the time. The buzzing now reminded PiercingFang of how that stiff human-smell bird had sounded.
When he could tell that the noise was getting louder and nearer, he growled out, "MuddyPelt, take the cubs to the den and stay there until we get back." The she-wolf and the pups went without complaint to the den the pups had used when younger.
"Everyone else," PiercingFang continued, "We will hold out ground here, until whatever it is comes. Then, we will draw the thing away from the den and pups. Understand?"
The others growled in agreement. They remained silent for the next few minutes, all ears swivelled to the source of the noise. When PiercingFang judged the entity had entered the valley that was his territory, the sound seemed to split. Half of it kept coming towards the four wolves, but the other seemed to skirt around the base of one of the mountains at the side of the valley. PiercingFang hoped that they would keep going that way until it left through the pass at the other end of the valley.
He couldn't pay attention to that part of the sound for much longer. The other part - the part heading directly for the wolves - was getting closer. When it was nearly upon them, he dashed off the other direction, signaling for the others to follow. Right as he turned, he caught a glimpse of the threat: three humans, each on the back of some roaring beast that slid over the snow with ease. Though the monsters were solid, big, and bulky, the trees were spaced out enough for them to maneuver.
PiercingFang had no more time to observe. He ran as fast as he could, with DarkestShadow right by his side. He could hear the panting of the other wolves behind him, and behind them, the roar of the emotionless monsters. Spurred on by desperation, even WiseTail managed to stay up with the rest of the pack. But despite the agility and ease with which the wolves moved naturally through the trees, the sheer speed and tireless pace of the monsters allowed the humans to easily keep up with the pack.
In fact, PiercingFang would have sworn that the two humans and their monsters were merely toying with the pack. Whenever the wolves tried to change direction, a monster would be at the side of them, forcing them back to their original path. The pack's breaths were coming in gasps now, and though PiercingFang was almost too breathless to think, he managed to figure out what the humans were doing: herding the wolves to a pass between the mountains. The very pass that it had seemed the other part of the noise had been heading towards. And once he realized this, he grew ever more forlorn - there was nothing the pack could to avoid the pass without being killed by the monsters behind them.
Only a few more minutes passed before they made it to the beginnings of the pass between the mountains. Here, the trees hardly grew at all, except for on the slopes of the mountains on either side of the pack. While a journey like this would hardly have phased the wolves had they been trotting along at their own pace, running far at top speed was taking its toll on the wolves. No longer were they looking where they were going; their exhaustion made them only partially aware of the where they were going. They began to slow and stumble, and did not even realize that the humans on the monsters behind them were also decreasing the pace, going just fast enough that the wolves had to keep moving.
For no apparent reason, the three humans unexpectedly made their monsters stop, two swinging off to either side of the pack and one remaining at the rear. The wolves kept running at their slow pace, unaware of the change in the situation. PiercingFang kept on running until he heard it: a loud crack, followed by a yelp from WiseTail. The sound had been like that of a large branch cracking from the weight of snow piled up on top of it, only a hundred times louder. PiercingFang stopped and turned around, doing it so fast that snow sprayed up from beneath his paws and DarkestShadow nearly ran into him.
He growled with sadness and anger when he saw WiseTail, sprawled in the snow with blood seeping from a wound at the base of his head.
WiseTail was dead.
Only now did PiercingFang remember the stories of humans his birth pack had told him. How they wiped out entire forests with their foul-smelling monsters. How they stole prey and territory from even the mightiest of wolves without so much as a proper territorial fight. And, most importantly, how they used their loud, thin, fire-smelling branches of death to kill wolves instantly from many tail-lengths away. Instead of battling honorable with tooth and claw, they used their branches to throw tiny stones at impossible speeds to murder those with no means to defend themselves. Now, they had killed one of PiercingFang's own pack with one of their
death-bringers.
A new strength filled PiercingFang as his uncontrollable rage coursed through his body. Before he could do anything, he heard two more cracks ring out simultaneously, one from higher up on the mountains on either side of them. He saw MuddyPelt fall without even time to cry out, and saw another stone bury itself in the snow right next to his mate's paw.
Without a thought for his own safety, he charged to the right at the nearest human. The three who had chased the wolves into this trap had stayed in the treeless area of the pass, while it appeared others were shooting from higher up on the sides of the mountains. The human tried to raise the death stick to kill the enraged wolf, but a light gleamed in PiercingFang's amber-yellow eyes as he saw that the human would not make it. He was just about to leap when another crack pierced the air from the mountain in front of him and he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He snarled as he stumbled, his momentum carrying him on to hit the hard monster head-on. Dazed, he crumpled to the ground, barely managing to open his eyes. He heard another crack and laboriously turned his head to see the mate of his life give a short yelp of agony, sway, then fall. Her dark pelt stood out in stark contrast against the white cover of snow beneath her.
PiercingFang gave a growl of loss and tried to lift himself off the ground, but his legs
buckled under him and he collapsed, eyes half open. He remained in a semi-conscious daze of pain as he saw the humans - six in all - gather each of the wolves'bodies, laying each unceremoniously down on the back of their monsters. The other humans then rode their loud monsters over to where the fallen leader lay. He saw only their strange paw coverings as they surrounded him, speaking in a strange language he didn't understand.
"Will you look at that! Bert actually fainted from fright, the wussy."
"You're right! He'll never hear the end of this one! Anyway, what should we do with this 'un?" PiercingFang felt and saw one of the covered human paws nudge his side as the strange human voice continued, "Looks like it's still alive, but with that wound, it won't last long."
"We only paid for six wolf tags - if we go back and find those other wolves we saw from the plane and take this one as well, we'll get fined. Let's leave it - we can say that we shot another one, but it escaped before we could finish it off. It looks like it'll snow later, so the officials won't be able to see where we've been."
"We wouldn't have wanted this 'un anyway. Just look at it! Must've gotten in a fight, half its fur is gone!"
"Let's get going and see if those other wolves are hidin' near their denning site. If we can't find them, we can come back for this one before heading home."
None of the gabble meant anything to the wolf lying on the ground. He couldn't understand human-speak. PiercingFang heard a bit of a yell as the human he had tried to attack was woken up with a snowball to the face. He heard the roaring of the monsters as they fired up and to them gradually fade into the distance, leaving him all alone.
He laid there in a daze of pain and loss for a long time. The sun was low in the sky when he finally forced himself up. The only thing that kept him alive was the thought of his pups. They were still safe in the den. They had to be. Despite the throbbing pain, PiercingFang managed to limp at a steady pace back the way he had came. A couple times, sorrow over the loss of his mate and pack nearly overcame him, but he managed to keep going.
When he finally reached the clearing, it reeked of human and monster scents. Fear for his pups almost engulfed him, but he reasoned with himself that of course the clearing would smell; the humans had gone right through it when chasing him and the other wolves. In his deluded hope, he did not even see as he crossed the clearing the human paw prints in the snow leading straight to the den.
It was only when he passed through the knotted roots that formed the entrance and saw only bloody ground that he stopped denying himself the pleasure of hope. The scent of the three missing wolves mingled with that of the blood and the scent of human. It was a bitter-sweet smell, for it reminded him of the night three moons ago when a different sort of intruder had entered the den. At that time, WiseTail had prophesied that the two new-born pups would be great, should they live past puppy-hood. In that same place, the chance of that greatness being fulfilled had disappeared.
PiercingFang staggered out of the hole after another long daze, numb with pain and grief. Though he took no notice of it, he could see that the snow he had predicted earlier that day had fallen, covering up all signs but the scent of humans. Though it had obviously been snowing heavily but gently when he had been mourning in the den, the snow seemed to slow and stop now, as if in recognition of the once-great leader and his terrible loss. He stumbled to the center of the clearing and sat down, his row of tracks now the only one in the small, open space. Then, he close his amber eyes, lifted his head to the full moon that was now beginning to rise above the disappearing snow-clouds, and howled.
Normally, a lone wolf would never howl. It was a sign to rivals that a pack was strong in numbers: the more wolves howling, the larger and more formidable the pack. A lone wolf howling only signaled that it could easily be chased off, without any support from more wolves to help.
But PiercingFang no longer cared if another pack attacked him. As he stretched his neck to howl his loudest, the scab on his shoulder cracked, and he felt blood begin to ooze down his front left leg, dying the snow beneath it red. In his howling, PiercingFang mourned for those dear to him who would no longer walk through the snow of these mountains. He called out to the heavens, lamenting loss of the bright future his pups could have had. He howled out his anger as well, asking without words how such creatures like the humans could hunt the mighty wolf as nothing more than prey. The howl rose and fell, a chillingly haunting melody of rage and despair.
He howled for well over an hour into the night. His calling brought two more wolves, who stood concealed at the edge of the clearing. They were the pair PiercingFang had chased off the day before. They were the reason his pelt was torn, and also the reason why he had not been killed immediately for his pelt. The female began to go out to help him, but the male stopped her. He knew that PiercingFang's pain was too great - it would not have been right to approach him in his time of sorrow. Above them, the two wolves heard flapping and looked up to see a massive hawk perched on a low branch, staring unblinkingly at the agonized wolf.
Never again would PiercingFang's amber eyes open. Right as the moon was reaching its zenith, he broke off mid-howl. He body gave a slight shudder, and he collapsed into the bloodstained snow. The hawk gave a piercing cry, its only memorial to the spirit of the wolf whose howl had called out to it so in the dead of night.
* * *
For thousands of years, wolves have been hunted by humans. Sometimes, it is for protection of livestock or for personal safety. Other times, they are hunted for their pelts or for mere sport. On March 28th, 2008, gray wolves were delisted from their status of endangered species in the Northern Rocky Mountains. On March 12th of the year before, they were delisted in the Western Great Lakes States. Since then, the U.S. Federal Court System has reinstated the Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains in order to further monitor the population. Despite this bit of good news for the wolves, they are still unprotected in the Great Lakes States, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues to insist that because gray wolf populations have recovered, there should be no need to ban the hunting of them.
The question, then, is this: Is it right to kill just because the species will continue existing, despite a person's actions? Is it right for any life - no matter the genus or phylum they may belong to - to be taken away in exchange for profit, a trophy, or enjoyment? What is the purpose in keeping a species alive, if only to kill off individuals? The answer, then, is that we know that every creature - from the richest human to the smallest bug - will die some day, and that death is something that all creatures endeavor to delay. Humans, certainly, do all they can to forestall this inevitable process. Why not extend this same courtesy to others, instead of doing exactly the opposite?
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Well, I've got the whole story of how this came to be with the picture that goes with it (entitled Toboe). Anyway, hope you like it, please comment on anything you think I could have done better - as I say with most writings I do, I need all the help I can get! Still hoping on actually getting something published some day, so any and all constructive criticism is appreciated! (And please let me know if there are any spelling or grammar errors - I typed this late at night and have already found multiple minor mistakes, due to the fact that it was to late for me to go through and take my time on this when I did actually type it up from the rough draft.)
© 2008 - 2024 Arrowfoot
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