Aleksi awoke to the sounds of the river outside his tent. His father was already awake, feeding the four hound dogs. Aleksi put on a coat and his boots before he stepped outside. Leaves crunched loudly as he made his way to the fire.
"Dzień dobry, Aleksi," the hunter said.
"Good morning father," Aleksi replied.
They both took some bread, cheese, and leftover cooked meat and ate it as a breakfast sandwich. Aleksi then warmed his hands by the fire while his father collected water from the river. They had been hunting in the mountains for five days and had caught several ducks and rabbits. The rabbits were hardest to catch, that's why they used dogs to hunt them. Every autumn and spring they would hunt and bring back rabbit, hare, duck. Then they would all have rabbit stew along with vegetables and potatoes.
Aleksi poured water over the fire after ten minutes. It was time to pack up and head down the mountain. So he went to the tent and began packing his things into a rucksack.
The dogs began to bark when the tent was packed away and Aleksi's father went over to them. The hunter unleashed the hounds and let them scout around as they made their way down the mountain.
They walked through the woods, following the river until they reached some ledges. They slowly descended the rocky slopes, while the dogs leaped from rock to rock. It was harder with backs on. Aleksi had gotten his hands scraped and cut from the rocks many times. But he knew how to climb them.
"I wish we could stay longer dad." The boy said as he made it down to the path.
"We can't, or it will get too cold and it is dangerous," his father objected. "Did I ever tell you about how I fought a wolf in these mountains?"
"No," Aleksi confirmed with a shake of his head.
The hunter slid down to the path and gazed out into the woods beyond. "The wolf pack lived in the woods. They would visit a lake near the ridge over there-" he pointed to the green hill wall that boarded the lake and forest. "I was hunting with your grandfather and your uncle, when a wolf pack surrounded us. One attacked my brother so I kicked it away with my boot and fired my gun to scare the pack off. But another wolf jumped at me and grabbed my gun. So I pushed the wolf into a tree and fired the gun again. The wolves ran, but the injured ones stayed. So I fought them off with your grandpa's help and we got my brother to safety."
"You didn't really fight them off, you scared them off with your gun!" said Aleksi.
"Fighting doesn't always mean you physically beat someone. I defeated the wolves by using my gun, which made them run. But I still won that fight," the hunter told him wisely.
"Those wolves never would have stood a chance!" Aleksi said.
The hunter chuckled and smiled. The two men began walking. They would have to pass through that exact forest to get home.
~
The dogs seemed to be staying closer to the two men as they wandered through the woods. Aleksi knew wolves were watching them. Dangerous wolves that could attack and kill him.
The oldest dog in the pack, Kuba hurried over to a clump of ferns and started sniffing around. Aleksi followed the dog and eventually noticed a she-wolf lying on the ground, unmoving.
"Dad!" Aleksi cried out.
The hunter came running and looked at the wolf solemnly. He then noticed a pup not so far from the she-wolf. Aleksi picked it up by the scruff. The wolf pup was several shades of grey and brown.
"What should we do?" Aleksi asked.
"We should keep it, we can raise it on your grandfather's farm," said the hunter.
"Okay," Aleksi smiled with excitement.
The boy carried the wolf pup in his arms, the dogs following and sniffing at it curiously. They had to go quickly, or the wolf pack might find them.
After an hour of trekking, they finally came to a slope. The town was at the bottom of the slope. So Aleksi let the wolf go and they both raced down with the pack of hounds. They ran through the bustling streets and past the horse drawn carts. Until they got to number 25, their house.
"Ma!" Aleksi called.
Aleksi's younger brother Antoni answered the door. He hugged his brother and father in delight. Then raced to get his mother.
"What will ma think of Storm?" asked Aleksi.
"Storm? I don't think she would like wolves in the house, but maybe the pup can sleep with the dogs," said the hunter.
"Alright."
"Alfred! Aleksi!" Mrs Adamik rushed out to greet her husband and eldest son.
"Ma! We uh...we caught a duck and two hares. But we also brought a wolf pup home," said Aleksi.
Mrs Adamik put her hands on her hips and looked down at the young wolf. She sighed and began to think of what to do.
"We can't keep a wolf in the house!" she said. "It will eat all our food and make an awful mess."
"He can sleep outside, and tomorrow I will bring him to grandpa's farm," the boy said.
"Alright, fine then," his mother said.
"What if Grandpa doesn't want the wolf?" Aleksi's brother, Leon said.
"He won't mind, right pa?" Aleksi replied.
"Right," Alfred said.
"Well I better start dinner, you two wash up and Leon, feed the dogs please." Mrs Adamik said and went inside.
Her husband picked the wolf pup up and gave him to Leon. "Think you can handle a wolf like this son?" he asked.
"Well sure I can!" Leon's face lit up and he ran to the back gate and went into the yard.
Mr Adamik and Aleksi went upstairs to wash themselves while Mrs Adamik cooked up some duck and vegetables.
After dinner Aleksi and Leon went outside to play with Storm. The wolf pup had not eaten the dry food. So the boys fed him some duck instead.
"Do you think he'll grow up to be as big as the dogs?" Leon asked.
"Probably, he'll be the best hunting dog," said Aleksi.
"He could take down a bear!" Leon exclaimed.
Storm wagged his tail and the two play fought in the grass. The pup jumped on the younger boy, making him laugh. Aleksi picked Storm up and stopped him from livking his brother.
"Why can't I ever go hunting?" Leon asked.
"Because you're only eleven, and I am fifteen," Aleksi said.
"So?" Leon replied.
Aleksi sighed and stood up "Dad doesn't want you to get hurt, you can hunt when you are old enough."
"Leon, Aleksi! Time for bed!" Mrs Adamik called.
The boys said goodnight to Storm before racing back inside. They went up the stairs and changed before going into bed.
YOU ARE READING
The Wolf
Historical FictionAleksi is a Polish boy who lives with his parents near his grandfather's farm. He frequently goes on hunting trips with his father and their team of four dogs. Hunting hares and ducks. One day they come across a wolf pup beside a dead she-wolf. Ale...
