" Wolves " | Teen Ink

" Wolves "

March 17, 2011
By Anonymous

Ahoooooooooooooooooooooooo! Cried the pack. Crying with the joy of new pups added to the pack. Curled up in the den of brambles at the edge of the clearing I, WindWalker gave a small wolfish grin just showing my fangs as my four pups slept curled next to me after their first day in the world. My mate SwiftFoot nuzzled me with approval. Our pups are beautiful my dear he said in wolf talk.

I ought to know they are my pups after all, I replied.

And I am the pack leader. I have a right to be interested in the pups my mate delivered, SwiftFoot replied, I will guard the pups while you sleep, he said softly. I laid down my head and slipped into the quiet of sleep while my mate watched over us all.


After the next moon my pups had grown up some more and were starting to lose the baby fur I had spent a good hour each day grooming to perfection. The time for name giving had come. I slipped into a half grin as I remembered my name giving. My name was given to me as when out of the den I always walked into the wind never away from it. Now I was giving names to my own pups. The sole boy will be called RussetClaw, as his fur was the same russet red as my mother’s had been. And he used his claws in games with his siblings all girls. Then it would be MorningStar who was up as soon as the sun rose in the sky, her fur was a pale gray color. Next would be ClearClaw with her brown fur and claws that were a pale glassy white. My final favorite pup was going to be named StarFoot after the pale tufts of fur near the paws in her midnight coat. She was a natural leader that one. She lead her den mates into trouble already which was no mean feat as this home was chosen for the fact that there were almost no things a young wolf pup could do to get into trouble inside the camp at least. Those dratted pups had gone and snuck out of camp stumbling into a fox nest. The only reason they had not been killed was the hunting group out near the fox den close enough to hear the pups whines as they had been crawling to the back of the fox den. What would they get into when they were grown? I wondered. What if they still got into trouble? I sighed and told myself, Wolves only worry about the now not the future. I shook my head and said to the pups STOP fighting I have to groom you for the name giving.

Fine mother said the soon to be named RussetClaw.
Fine mother mimicked the soon to be named StarFoot. Don’t you have any sense of adventure?
Do you want to be dirty at the name giving and I do have a sense of adventure but mother gave us an order so we have to obey remarked the soon to be named RussetClaw.
Well I guess so said StarFoot sadly.
I will go first mother said the soon to be named MorningStar.
As I gathered them to me one by one for their grooming I told them of the first wolf and his mate. The first wolf was the original pack leader. On one knows his real name but every wolf would know him if that wolf is lucky enough to meet him. He is fast, strong, and wise. He is the perfect wolf a fine hunter and a better leader.
His mate is called second wolf and she is the one who watches over the pack and pups while the first wolf is helping packs like us. She is not as strong or fast but she is wise and kind. She gave birth to every wolf that became part of the 4 original packs. Her pups that did not make up the original 4 packs stay with her and the first wolf. They are the star wolves hunting the game that stalks among the stars. They are the ones who started the name giving. You cannot properly pick a name for a pup that has just been born so second wolf waits one moon until when the nature of her pups is clear to her. As the second wolf named all her children and will until the end of days the packs honor her by allowing the mother to choose the names of her pups as she is the one who nurtures them and knows them the best.
The to be named StarFoot curled up against me her black fur mingling with my deep brown fur. I gave a small wolf smile as she started to huff in her sleep. I nudged her and broke into a large smile as she jumped up and yelped her yelp echoing around the camp. SwiftFoot entered the bramble cave and said in the voice of a father, mate, and pack leader, my mate the time of the name giving has arrived for these pups.
In a voice that matched his formality I replied I will bring the to be named to the star rock. I stood and nudged the tiny pups out of the den and walked head high and tail stiffly wagging to the star rock where the pack was assembling the pup ladder which was a log that had been scratched so many times that the pups could get a good strong grip to help them jump to the summit of the star rock which was a rock the yellow white of the stars that adorn the sky at night. The old wolves that were adults when I was born say the second wolf herself placed it here so pups could be named on it.
I jumped up on the log and leaped to the summit of the star rock. This was a place only mothers with pups could stand. As my pups arranged themselves around SwiftFoot who stood on the rock jutting out below the summit. I began the ceremony calling out to the second wolf and my pack milling around the base of the star rock By the code of the wolves I call upon the privilege of giving the pups which I gave birth to their names.
I indicated the to be named RussetClaw and said this pup shall be called RussetClaw. I then continued naming each of my dear pups in turn. ClearClaw, MorningStar, and dear, dear StarFoot.
As the pack howled around me a lithe golden haired wolf appeared in front of me. I grant you this glimpse of the future of your pups.
I saw a flash of light as the wolf disappeared and in that light I saw my pups. But pups no more they were full grown wolves. StarFoot with the air of a leader. RussetClaw with the smoothness of a hunter. MorningStar with the calm of a fighter. ClearClaw with the protectiveness of a mother. I thought in my mind thank you second wolf, as I knew it was she who had shown me the future of my pups. As I made to step down from the summit of the star rock, I collapsed in a dead faint.

The author's comments:
I was inspired to write this piece by my love of wolves and of writing. I included the sense of formality that I think all wolves would have and the mythology also working into that formality.

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