The First Dog

Once upon a time, there was a little boy.

This little boy lived before the time of Dogs, and he had wandered away from the campfire while munching on a hunk of meat. He had gotten distracted by some rustling in the bushes, and curiosity lead him to investigate.

He did not see it, but a wild Wolf lay in the shadows, thin and starving. He watched the little boy with hungry eyes, planning to take the boy for his next meal.

But when the Wolf lunged, the boy screamed and dropped his food, turning away to run. The Wolf did not have the energy to chase him, and so settled for eating the meat he had dropped.

The Wolf was very wily and clever, you see, for he figured that the little boy would be back soon, and he could gobble him up then. So he slunk into the shadows, waiting.

The boy came back several days later, more food in his hand and following the path of a firefly. The Wolf lunged again, but again, the boy was too fast for him, and so the Wolf had to settle for the dropped meat once more.

He licked at his lips as he watched the retreating form of the boy, promising himself that he would get him next time.

This happened many more times, before the Wolf decided to simply follow the boy as he ran away, following him back to the edge of the campsite. His eyes were trained on the roasting pork that sat in the middle of the flames, drool dangling from his jaws. He was so hungry.

Now the little boy was not stupid either, seeing the wolf trying to hide in the bushes. Despite the way the Wolf had attacked him, he felt sorry for the animal, seeing how thin and hungry he was. He grabbed meat when no one was looking, walking over to the Wolf's hiding place.

The Wolf tried to duck back into shadows, but the boy pushed the meat too close for him to resist. He gobbled it up, before looking at the boy, confused as to why he had been so kind. The boy smiled.

"You are hungry, and we have food! Come, Wolf! Join us and eat with us!"

Although afraid, the Wolf followed the little boy to the fireside, finding himself faced with more meat than he had seen in many months. He ate until he felt close to bursting, and he listened to the singing around the campfire with great interest.

But soon he had to go back, for his wife was pregnant, and he needed to bring her something to eat as well so that their pups could grow big and strong.

"Sister Wolf! Sister Wolf! I have met the most incredible Man! He offered me meat and a place by the fire, and he gave me so much that I could bring some back to you!"

His wife's belly was stretching out from the many pups she carried, but she rose to her paws with a tired smile.

"That is so wonderful, Brother Wolf! Is there a chance I may meet them?"

The Wolf was uneasy.

"Wait here first, I will ask Brother Man if I can bring you to the fireside as well."

So the Wolf went back to the campfire, this time walking up to the boy without fear. The boy was with his mother, and he greeted them both respectfully.

"Good day to you, Brother Man, Sister Woman."

"Good day to you as well, Brother Wolf."

The Wolf was nervous, embarrassed to ask such a thing after he had attacked the boy so rudely.

"My wife is pregnant, and we can find no food. That is why I took your food, because my wife needs food so that our pups can grow big and strong. Is there a chance I could bring her to your fireside as well, so that she may have meat to eat too?"