wolfishsurvivalist | ✖ Warou Tales: Part One✖

The Story of the First Wolf

Long ago, when the forest was so vast that you could run for many days and many nights without ever reaching the end of it for the trees were very old and full of stories, and were as numerous as the stars in the sky. When the Moon walked among the trees in his cloak of stars, and Sun shone down upon all in her blinding brilliance as a benevolent mother should. It was before friend Raven lost his golden song, before he took up his mantle of loss, and long before the great elk father stole the gleaming stone from the highest peak of the great lord of all mountains to fashion into a crown wrapped in his own fur to hide it from the angry mountain king's sight.

When the forests were old and many, when Rabbit and Elk made merry as they saw fit, the trees were bare from their gorging, and they grew fat and lazy, forgetting their tasks given to them and did as they wished. Wind, ever swift of foot and prone to wandering hither and yon, spied the lazy creatures and heard the tales of woe the trees and shrubs and other beasts spoke. Their eating left little food for others, and their merrymaking each day meant no tree or shrub could grow. Worried by this news, Wind stole away to speak of it to Sun and Moon, who, in turn, grew very concerned. 'We must stop them,' Sun said, yet no matter how Sun and Moon chided, there was no reasoning with the beasts, for in their pride they thought themselves the greatest and most important and lovely creation in the wood.

Seeing this, they returned to the heart of all woods to speak with Earth upon her green throne, her head wrapped in the bounty of the season. While Sun and Moon watched over all, it was their daughter Earth herself who birthed the creatures of the wood, and it was up to her to do what was necessary. After much thought, it was decided that a new creature was to be made, one who would make certain that no beasts would grow so slovenly as Elk and Rabbit had.

So it was that she took some of her own fine fur and wrapped it around bone and sinew, giving it form. Wind filled its lungs and gave it voice, so that all might hear it when it spoke, and made it light upon its feet so that it could match Wind at the Wind's own game. Moon blessed it with soft paws that made no sound and ears that could hear all the tiny voices of the night from the rustle of Moth's wings to the faintest whisper of grandfather Oak. Sun bent down to kiss the beast's nose and eyes, giving them life while leaving them black from her fiery touch, and eyes that gleamed a hue as golden as Sun's own hide.

All at once the creature stood and shook itself, and turned three times to see what its own form looked like before looking to Sun, Moon, Earth and her brother Wind.

"Who am I? I know that I am strong and swift, and that many scents and sounds call to me, yet aside from this and how my empty belly hungers I know not who I am." This troubled the beast a little, yet it did not fear it, for it had not learned what fear was.

"You are the hunter, whatever is not swift or cunning enough to escape you is yours to eat freely." Said Earth, and the creature nodded.

"As you have said, may it be so. Yet while that is what I am and it feels right to be called such, I must ask again, for my heart does not yet feel satisfied. Who am I?"

"You are the great guardian of these woods. You shall run by Wind's side and make your home here and wherever else he takes you. Your family is your life, you shall always have want of them, and protect them for they are all you hold dear." Moon spoke, and the creature nodded once more.

"As you have said, so shall it be. Yet while it feels right to be called so, I must ask once more, for my heart does not yet feel satisfied. Who am I?"

"You are Wolf, and you shall be known by all for good or ill. Let us be as twins henceforth, you and I." Spoke Wind, and Wolf nodded, fangs bared and gleaming in a smile.

"As you have said, so shall it be, for it feels right to be called so." Turning a great black nose to the breeze, Wolf drank deeply of the scents there to learn the way of things. "Yet first I must sate my terrible hunger for it gnaws upon my bones with terrible ferocity."

It was that day that Elk and Rabbit learned to fear Wolf, whose fangs and claws were as fierce as the hunger that gnawed Wolf's bones, and Wolf discovered what it meant to be full, and ever after chased Elk and Rabbit that they never could strip the woods barren again.