We left nothing, but our paw prints in the snow

Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

Mate looked very surprised to see me. “What?” I asked. “I thought you'd be happy to see me,” I added in a disappointed manner.

“No, I expected you to be with the cubs.”

“Well, cub and another and another made it. Do you want to get me some food?”

“Sure, you want to wait here? Or go back and come here when I call you?”

“Second version sounds better. Thanks,” and I ran back to the den, making sure nobody was following me. I checked on the cubs, but Pup looked so happy with them that I didn't want to ask her to leave. Instead I just sat myself right outside and scanned my surroundings. Nothing unusual, just trees, bushed, tangled branches that had fallen, or else fallen trees. And lots of dried leaves. The sound of singing birds carried across the air and caught my attention. They were singing the usual spring time love song that filled the season. It filled the air with love and happiness. Made all its listeners feel better about themselves. I joined their song by adding my own, adding to the song of the forest. Leaves rustled in the wind, birds sang, a rabbit started digging, squirrels threw nuts onto the floor, the wings of the eagle cutting silent shapes into the sky, the cry of a fox, and my howling. It was the song of the forest.

An addition to the song caught my undivided attention. The wail of cubs. My cubs. By beautiful cubs, young and innocent. I howled back, and it felt odd to be howling to them when they were literally right behind me. And then the cry of a dying deer. Mate had made an impressive kill. I'm sure he had a lot of the pack with him in order to have caught a deer.

I listened for a while longer, not participating in the forest's eternal song. Pup came out from the den and sat down next to me, “They're little 'angels'.” She said 'angels' in her human voice.

“What is that?”

“Something amazing and beautiful,” was her reply. That was enough to please me. “You know, I've learnt a lot of Wolf, but there's something missing. I don't know how to explain it. How do you, like,” she stood up and walked over to the nearest tree, “this is a tree,” she walked over to another one, “and this is another tree. How would you say that?”

“Oh, you mean one and one trees.”

“Why not have something shorter that expresses one and one. Like in Human we have, 'one, two, three, four, five, six' and so on. Do you have that?”

“I don't quite understand you question.”

“So, you have one tree. Then you have one and one tree. In human we would say we have 'two' trees. Why don't you?”

“Oh, because what your language suggests is that the trees are all the same. That's not true. Do you see those trees and think that they're exactly the same?”

“Well, they are both trees.”

“Yes, but they're different trees. So I have one tree, and another tree. Not that thing you just said, the one I can't say.”

“'Two'.”

“Yes, that one,” I agreed. “That suggests that you have trees that are the same, when in fact they're different.”

Pup made a sign of agreement. She shivered, something that for her meant she was cold, “I think I'll go back into the den, if you don't mind. It's warmer in there.”

“Go ahead, just don't freeze the cubs.”

“I won't,” and she disappeared back into the den. Humans truly are puzzling. I wonder whether I'll ever understand them. They have such a weird, different way of seeing the world. It was undeniably fascinating, but confusing and illogical. I didn't know how to get my mind around it.

There's my cue. Mate's howl cut through the approaching dark, asking me to go and get my meal from him. He didn't need to tell me again.

I rushed off into the woods, the prospect of food driving me forward at a dangerously fast pace. I shouldn't be running like this, I just gave birth, but I was hungry. My belly insisted I fill it with food. One reason would be that I need my energy. Another would be that I needed to make milk for the cubs.

Mate sent me his message again, and this time I replied, telling him that I'd come, that I'd be there in a bit.

“See you then,” was his howled reply, and my heart raced faster than my legs could. I felt my blood pump through my system very quickly, filling me with borrowed energy.

The ground flew by beneath my pads, the air around me making a whistling sound my in ears, smells appearing and disappearing in the next moment. Running was something I would never give up. It freed my mind, let my spirit go anywhere, even if my body could not follow. It set me free. Birds can fly, fish can swim, but that's nothing compared to my ability to run, carrying me great distances quickly.

I arrived at our arranged meeting place, tongue lolling out of my mouth in a pant. Mate looked at me with a smile in his eyes, one that I returned with the tilt of my head.

“Well Doe dear, I got you a deer.”

“You impossible rogue,” I replied, but I didn't mind. Deer meant good eating; I could have more than enough, and the rest of the pack could also have some. “Thanks,” I put my muzzle into the deer's neck.

My sharp canines pierced flesh and blood flooded into my mouth. Still warm blood. Energy surged through me. I tore at the meat and swallowed. Releasing my hold on the already dead deer I got a better grip of it between my teeth and bit down, feeling bones crunch under the strength of my powerful jaws.

I could almost feel my body turn this energy the deer had given me into milk for the cubs.

All for the cubs. That was my new future.