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A wolf is a large predator that depends for its survival on large prey, such
as deer, elk, caribou, and in some parts of its range, moose and bison that
tip the scales at more than a thousand pounds. It has powerful jaws capable
of exerting about 1500 pounds per square inch, or about twice that of the domestic dog.
It is accustomed to a feast and famine existence, often going many days
without eating then gorging as much as 20 pounds in a single sitting. It's
role in nature is to remove the sick and the weak,and in this way create a
win-win relationship with its prey. The end result is a system which has
succeeded for hundreds of thousands of years.
The wolf is a highly social animal, generally living within the same pack for
most, if not all, of its life. Survival depends very much upon the pack. The members
of the pack cooperate in hunting, killing large prey, feeding and caring for the young, defending their territory against other packs, and so
forth. The pack functions mostly as a strong autocratic system, with each
individual having fought for its placement or rank within the group. Generally
only the top male and female are permitted to breed, while any attempts to
do so by others are punished. When to hunt, where to hunt, and many other activities are also commonly determined by the pack leaders.
Most packs occupy a range of about 80 to 100 square miles, and move about
it on a regular basis. The pack members are very athletic, capable of
incredible endurance, such as pursuing prey over long distances or ploughing
through chest high snow for long periods. Most of their activity occurs at night.
Though quite capable of ripping apart even the strongest of men, not a
single documented case exists of a wolf having killed or even severely
maimed anyone in the wild. This is because the wolf in the wild, even when
in the company of a large pack, is extremely fearful of people. It is rare
that it even knowingly comes near them.
Through the transient fog of the dark winter night,
peered haunting blue eyes with their soft glowing light.
The powerful stare with its brilliance and intricacy,
brought on a shivering response full of caution and mystery.
They seemed to float through the air with great charm,
in an effort to announce that "they meant you no harm."
Yet as subtle as the movements had tried to be,
an eerie feeling of desolation abruptly overtook me.
As I fell to the frozen, unforgiving, forest floor,
I noticed those two eyes had been accompanied by two more!
Soon their were three enchanting pairs upon me,
watching and listening, gliding through the trees,
With one final shiver the dark night became black,
I knew as I slept, that I would not be coming back.
I dreamt of a thousand things that night,
mostly about a past I wanted to fix and make right.
The bright morning sun was the next thing I saw,
which was followed by the touch of a rather large paw!
And after providing a steaming kiss on the nose,
The wolf disappeared, and I arose.
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