Post by forte on Mar 14, 2015 12:47:20 GMT -8
For as long as anyone could remember, wolves and humans lived peacefully. We inhabited the same space, we shared prey, we watched each other from a distance, but always we kept out of each other's way.
Two years ago, a new type of human appeared in great numbers. They moved quickly and loudly, exploring our home lands with frightening efficiency. Their skin was white as snow. They warred with the other humans who already lived there, felled forests left and right, and built structures and fences to keep their unfamiliar beasts from wandering off.
In the midst of this uncertainty, we began to hear rumors of a wolf named Dmitri who had come from the west, speaking of a vast, remote land where humans would not be able to go. We all laughed. The idea of an undiscovered place as large as he said was preposterous. We all assumed he was crazy. He even came to my pack's territory to try to convince my father, the alpha to move the pack to the haven he claimed to have found. He said he was trying to save our lives, but he was quickly and violently ejected.
So we lived in fear of the humans, who eventually pushed into our territory. It became clear that their purpose was simply to destroy the land and the creatures that lived on it. They devastated the elk herds we relied on until they were all dead or fled, all the while killing every wolf that went in sight of them. By the time we left our territory, half of us were dead, and the rest starving.
We pushed west, away from the humans. We encountered many other wolves, loners and groups alike, in similar situations, all of us searching for food, a place to rest, a drink of water. The packs west of us had not suffered as much as we had, and were unwelcoming. They didn't realize that their fate would soon match ours.
Then we again began to hear rumors of an untouched haven where we would be safe. This time it was a wolf named Mida who spread them, and we were all inclined to believe her. Our alpha sent all those of us who were strong enough to search for her, and eventually it was my sister who found her and brought her back to him. They talked all night, and in the morning he gathered the few of us who were left. We would travel to this new place and try to make a home there. Mida said that the way in was too narrow for humans to travel it. The place was verdant and full of prey. We were skeptical. It sounded too good to be true, but we had no other choice.
Mida led us west for many days. My mother died on the journey, leaving my father devastated, but still we urged on. Finally one day the stream we had been following was interrupted by a tall waterfall that poured from the mouth of a cave, and Mida stopped us. We were near, she said. The way to our destination was dangerous, but she said it would be worth the risk. From the top of the waterfall she led us down to the mouth of the cave, and then she vanished into it. We were shocked. Every instinct told us not to go into the cave, that we would be swept back out to die on the rocks below, or worse, that we would never emerge. But our alpha was brave and he followed Mida, and then we all followed as well. The water, at the height of summer, was shallow, and the lack of light in the cave meant that the rocks were not slick with algae. It was indeed very dangerous, and we all had to be careful not to misstep. We could not see each other in the darkness, nor hear each other over the echoing rush of water, so we walked nose to tail.
It felt like hours, and might have been, but eventually we saw light ahead. The view that greeted us when we emerged from the tunnel was more beautiful than any we had ever seen. Green grass, tall trees, jagged mountains on all sides. Though we were ragged and gaunt, we ran and played until our lungs ached. There were deer in the trees that had never seen a wolf before and we brought one down and feasted.
We rested for two days before Mida said that she was going to return to the outside to try to lead more wolves here. My sister went with her to lend credibility to her story, and we moved north until we found a suitable territory. Though our pack was small, the land was lush and we thrived. Soon more wolves began to arrive, all led by Mida and my sister. Though they were all ragged and many were sick or injured, the atmosphere in the valley was of joy, relief, excitement. Our pack was the first in the valley, and many new arrivals joined us until our numbers were greater than before. Other packs formed, but the valley is so bountiful that we have not had to compete for resources.