Nature and Nurture: Finding the Perfect Blend

Chapter 14: The Wild

He came to the edge of his forest and stopped, stood very still, listened and watched. He'd been called to the aspen trees. He loved these trees but never went there during the day. Something made him stay away. Only rarely and at night did he slink into their reach and under their creaking canopy.

The howl came again, closer this time, and he stepped quickly into the aspens and followed. By the time he glimpsed the wolf for the first time, it was pre-dawn. It was sniffing around one of the flat areas and whimpering like it was in pain, although no injury was apparent. It was a gloriously strong animal, with deep black fur from nose to tail. He watched it, titling his head, as it curled around and around and finally lay itself down close to a tree.

He found himself wanting to go closer, which was strange. He rarely interacted with animals, content to just watch and observe. He never pulled away from the more curious or brave among them, though, and could walk through a herd or run past flocks and none reacted in fear, for he was the wind and sun to them. Yet this wolf was different. He could feel it, the pull was stronger now. He was curious enough to move towards it. He made no sound and was almost close enough to touch when it opened its eyes.

The wolf jumped up but didn't growl or make any sign of aggression. It made aborted moves towards him, a raised paw that it kept putting back down. Its tail was wagging, but tucked under its rear. A desperate whine was coming from between closed lips and its eyes kept glancing up to lock with his own before darting away.

Its behavior was strange and made him even more curious. Wolves were incredibly smart and perhaps that was why it was reacting to him differently than the other animals did. As he watched, it started to change shape and suddenly there was no wolf, but a two-legs standing there.

He yelped and sprung backwards as the two-legs reached out towards him. It cried out as he turned and ran away. He could hear it running after him, calling, and he ran faster until he was back at the Tree.

The wolf was a trickster. It had tricked him. He would stay away from now on.

***

He hadn't stayed away.

He found the wolf too compelling. It stayed in the aspen forest for the next day while he watched it, bending air and light to remain invisible to its keen senses.

It didn't change into a two-legs again, though now its trick was revealed he could see the two-legs within the wolf, the wolf within the two-legs. There was a blending until the two were almost indistinguishable. Such clever magic. He was reluctantly impressed.

The wolf ventured out into his forest, howling, howling, listening. Calling for him. It took a great strength of will not to show himself to the wolf. It missed him.

After the sun had risen and set more than once, he found he didn't want to leave the wolf's side, although it didn't know he was there. He was still very wary. Wolf's man-shape had scared him badly. Did it have other tricks it was waiting to use on him?

Wolf trail marked and scented its way through the forest, making sure to howl only at night. If Wolf's howls got progressively sadder as each night wore on, he ignored the pull on his heart to make Wolf feel better by showing himself.

Tonight, Wolf hadn't howled, instead it walked with its head down, back towards the aspen forest. Wolf hadn't eaten, though it had drunk water while it was searching. Perhaps it was going somewhere to hunt? He wouldn't have minded if Wolf had hunted in his forest. Animals hunted every night and day, and he would have liked to follow along. But it was not to be, apparently. He was worried as Wolf went away, and kept close. He only stopped following when Wolf crossed the last long flat area before the aspen forest ended.