"Now, are there any questions before we begin today's lesson?" Raoul asked.
He and the wolf pups sat together in the sugar maple plantation. Above them the tree branches stood out in sharp relief against a high blue sky: the leaves were beginning to turn here and there, bright orange-red or buttery yellow, and a few of them had already fallen to the ground, torn loose by the wind. A cool, clear, fine day, perfect for a run in the woods. Raoul and Lysette had shifted to their wolf shapes in preparation for the exercise, and the three little ones were restless, looking eagerly about them and sniffing at the scents carried on the cool breeze. Raoul had agreed to give the young pups their instruction, leaving Josephine free to focus her energies on the teenage loups garous. He was an obvious choice: as a former omega wolf, his main role in his pack had been to serve as babysitter to the alpha wolves' pups. He had begun doing it when he was little more than a pup himself, and as his place in the pack – and therefore his very survival – depended on it, he had applied himself to it with a will. Over time he had grown into the role and even learned to enjoy it. Patience, he had found, was the key. Over-excited pups could usually be corrected with a firm word or two, or even picked up by the scruffs of their small necks if they were troublesome. But they were seldom truly disobedient. Wolves instinctively craved order and discipline: it gave them a sense of their place within the pack and made them feel more secure. This abandoned litter had proven to be extremely affectionate and responsive, although he was determined to draw out shy little Petit-Honoré, as the pup had come to be called. He was the runt of the litter, and frequently eclipsed by his livelier siblings.
"Where is Chantal?" asked Hélène. "We've been waiting and waiting to meet her, and she only just got here. But she hardly ever visits!"
"She has gone to the city to be educated," Raoul explained.
"Can we be educated too?" asked Hélène.
"That is exactly what we're doing right now. You're just learning different things than she is. Do not chew on my tail please, Édouard."
"I'm not," said Édouard, letting go of it.
"We must always remember to keep our teeth to ourselves. It is easy to forget for those of us born into this form. A wolf may expresses affection with love-nips, but among humans such gestures would not be appreciated. Now, are there any more questions? Petit-Honoré, have you anything you would like to ask?"
The small pup looked down at the ground timidly and said nothing. His sister at once jumped in. "Why do humans have to wear clothes?" she demanded.
"To keep warm," said Raoul. "They have no fur, you see."
"Then why do they wear them even when it's hot out?"
Raoul considered, his head to one side. "I don't know," he admitted. "Perhaps we should keep to my areas of expertise. You will soon learn the ways of humans, but for now I'm teaching you the ways of wolves. The only one here who was born human is Lysette."
"Really?" said Hélène, turning to the other she-wolf. "What was that like?"
"I don't remember being born, silly!" retorted Lysette.
Hélène was quite unabashed. "I thought maybe it was different for humans."
Raoul rose to all fours. "Are you all ready?" he said. "Let's head for the wild wood, then. Petit-Honoré, you stay by my side and let me know if you cannot keep up. Off we go!"
For the next hour or so Raoul put the pups through their paces, making them run first in order to develop their growing muscles, then showing them how to follow scent-trails through the undergrowth. As it was still summer the wildlife was abundant and active in the woods surrounding the compound. Under Raoul's tutelage they learned to tell the difference between rabbit and squirrel scent, and to identify these animals' tracks as well. The highlight of the expedition came when Édouard, plunging into the midst of a dense thicket in pursuit of an interesting odour, startled a young half-grown deer that had been resting there. It exploded out of hiding, surprising the pups who made an awkward effort to chase after it on their short little legs. The deer left them in the proverbial dust, but their excitement remained unabated.
