Part 47Basil reveals all

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Samuel returned to the mine entrance eventually with a whole trolley full of meat for the wolves because he expected them back soon with Basil. Pawel and Michal were somewhere in the mine. This suited Samuel because he wanted to have a conversation with Basil and Adolphus when they arrived.

"I almost didn't recognise you." Adolphus thought. "You smell different! You look different. I am sorry to say that you look more human and less wolf than before."

"Do I?" Samuel laughed. "By changing my scent and the way I look, I will confuse our enemy and let us prevail. These garments will make them think that I have more power than I really do and they will be intimidated. We do not have fine fur coats like yourselves so we can change how we look easily!"

"Strange I understand what you yelp and you are human." Adolphus said and then added regretfully, "I don't always understand what my she-wolf or my sons are yelping about and they are fluent in wolfish."

"We humans have the same problem mostly." Samuel agreed, "except that often when we do understand what our females and sons yelp want, we don't like what we hear."

Adolphus made a strange whimpering noise and Samuel did believe that the old wolf was laughing. "You have wisdom beyond your ears or nose." Adolphus observed.

"Don't you mean years?" Samuel asked. "We have a saying that you have wisdom beyond your years."

"No!" Adolphus said. "What are these years that you speak of? We speak of someone who knows more than they can hear or smell."

Samuel had to admit that this was quite logical. "Oh I see!" He laughed and then added. "We have the same sort of thing in human language. Years measure the passage of the seasons which helps us to find food. We count the number of summers. From one summer to the next is one year!" Samuel explained. "Our saying means that you have gained great wisdom in a short time and Adolphus you have."

Adolphus seemed pleased with the compliment. "Perhaps humans and wolves have more in common than I thought." He mused and then thought of the count and added. "Some humans perhaps!"

"Yes only some humans." Samuel agreed absently. He had been expecting to see Basil by now but he was not yet in view.

"Yes I've brought the one that you asked for. We should have eaten it!" Adolphus said. "But I warn you that he'll be no good on the hunt because he runs even slower than you do and always falls down. You were a much more challenging prey. For the Wise Wolf's sake don't let this one start his own pack. Whelps like him should not be allowed to breed."

"I thank you for your advice!" Samuel thought. "But I think that sometimes nature has a way of ensuring that whelps like him do not breed. They generally have a difficult time finding a mate."

Adolphus seemed to find this amusing, but he didn't entirely agree. "Sometimes she wolves choose unworthy mates, females can be so unpredictable." Samuel thought that this was tinged with bitter personal experience.

"True!" Samuel said. "But if Basil were to mate successfully then his pack would never survive so time eventually solves all problems!"

"You truly have wisdom beyond your summers and your senses!" Adolphus said. "But what could you possibly want with a whelp like that?"

"He has information that I need to defeat the evil human!" Samuel said, "he will tell us what that evil one is doing!"

Basil finally shambled into view, stumbling, panting and dripping with sweat. He was followed by six drooling, snarling wolves. It had taken the pack some time to herd Basil to the mine because the boy was incapable of running in a straight line, even across flat clearings and he managed to trip up on every prominent pebble, root or dip. He had fallen over so frequently that his knees and hands were bloody and the pack had found it hard to keep sufficient distance from him. A snail would have posed less of a challenge because at least they moved at a constant speed.

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