Once upon a time there was a wolf
in the forest. She had many pups
who ran and played and
sang in the darkness.
All except one, who slept through every
day and night. She knew he was precious so
did not wake him but curled and kept
him from the cold. The pups grew up fast
and soon every other wolf had left the mother
and the sleepy one behind. Still she would
not allow any creature to come near.
Even the forest's nightly howl
fell silent on the warmth of her back.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Sunrise, sunset, the sleepy one would be there, resting by mother's side until one day the peace of the pack was disturbed. Hunters arrived.
No matter how loud the hunter's shots, and no matter how close the hunters came, the sleepy one slept and would not wake, content to remain dreaming.
The pack had to move but sleepy one was now too big to be carried in mother's jaws.
There was no option other than to move on and leave sleepy one to sleep and surely be killed.
The pack left. The hunters chased but after many miles could not catch the pack so headed home.
On their journey home, one of the younger hunters fell and trapped his leg. As the cold night fell he tired of trying to free himself and fell asleep. All other hunters were safely back in their caves by the fire eating dried meat as the night's freezing hardened the ground.
The next morning, the young hunter opened his eyes feeling warm but it was not the heat of the sun for it was too early. Lying aside him was the sleeping wolf as if to blanket him from the bitter frost. Thankful and still unable to move his leg he waited at the sun rose. Eventually, the sleepy wolf woke as he heard an approaching bear. Without fear, the wolf fought off the bear and then returned to the young hunter for comfort.
It is still said to this day that without the early relationship between man and wolf, it would never have been possible for man to feel safe enough to set up villages and start the long process of civilisation. Best friends are rare but there is one species that has always been there for mankind and to that species this story is dedicated.
Post a Comment