The Song of the Wild

Chapter Seven

      After what seemed like an eternity, the truck stopped, and the rumbling grew fainter. Mother-wolf barked eagerly. Sully's heart hammered in his chest. Oona and Rosa huddled closer to each other.

     Slowly, the bridge-thing opened, and weak sunlight entered. Sully's eyes had spent so much time in darkness that he had to blink a few times before getting accustomed to it once more. The animals didn't speak to each other as the padded out of the truck. They were too busy breathing in the fresh air, smelling all the creatures of the wild, the soil, the plants, FRESH water. 

      Mother-wolf broke the silence by howling into the wind. It wasn't a mournful howling; it was a howl that expressed her joy of being back. It spoke of the wild, hunting in the waving grasses, bringing back a plump hare to her puppies. It spoke of the rain gently hammering the ground, of the wind singing through the reeds, of the brook gurgling peacefully amongst the trees. Sully joined in, and so did his siblings. Their howling lasted a few minutes before it died down, and the silent rustling of the wild trees was the only thing heard. Mother-wolf turned and nuzzled Naomi's chin, who was sitting down near the truck. She had been watching them. Then, Mother-wolf bounded into the forest, barking, and yipping in joy. Her barks became fainter as she strode deeper into the forest, until they disappeared altogether.

      His siblings hesitated before trotting off after Mother-wolf. They spent more time sniffing shrubs and bracken and pawing at the ground in excitement. Then, they too vanished into the trees.

      Now, only the two bears and Sully were left. Unwilling to break his vow to Rosa, Sully stayed with them. He nudged Oona and Rosa, willing them to enter the forest. It seemed that the alder trees were calling to him, singing the song of the wild. Oona shuffled forward first, then Rosa followed. They were slow, but they finally entered the shade of the trees and started sniffing the scents here and there. Sully was about to bound into the forest when he remembered Naomi.

      He glanced back and saw her. She was still sitting near the truck, staring at them. Their eyes met. Sully looked and Oona and Rosa. Wait here. I'll be right back. He padded out of the trees towards Naomi. He noticed that her eyes were red and that little droplets of water were rolling down her cheeks. He sensed her sadness when he approached her, but he could also sense her joy.

      I'll miss you, she said. Her voice seemed strangely squeaky. Sully nudged her. She smiled.

      I'll miss you too, he replied. Before Sully could do anything, Naomi leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. He could hear strange sounds coming from her. It sounded like she was choking. She was breathing in huge gulps of air, and the little droplets of water landed on the ground with little plops! Finally, she let go of him and rose onto her two legs. She seemed unsteady.

      Goodbye, Sully.

      Goodbye, Naomi. This could never have happened without you. And with that, Sully bounded back to the trees, back towards Oona and Rosa, back towards the wild, back towards his home. He thought he had never felt happier in his whole entire life.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                       The End