“Humans?”
“Again?”
“Boring!”
“You’re always telling us stories about humans.”
“We’ve heard enough!”
“We’re not babies!”
“Why don’t you tell us about caribou, or snow rabbits, or duck-hunting?”
“Yes, Black Flame, tell us a hunting story.”
“Wolves are hunters, so give us a hunting story.”
But Shiny Straw’s cries can be heard above all the rest. “No, I want a real story about humans, a scary story. Please, Mum, please, I love human stories!”
Only Blue Wolf keeps quiet. He’s not much of a talker. In fact, he’s rather serious. A bit sad you might say. Even his brothers think he’s too serious. But on the rare occasions when he speaks, everyone listens. He’s as wise as an old wolf with battle scars.
Picture the scene: the five Redheads are scrapping – going for each other’s throats, jumping on each other’s backs, snapping at each other’s legs, chasing their own tails in crazy circles … it’s mayhem. Shiny Straw cheers them on in her high-pitched voice, jumping up and down on the spot like a frog in spring. And silver glints of snow fly all around them.
Black Flame just lets them get on with it. They might as well enjoy themselves while they can; they’ll find out how tough a wolf’s life is soon enough. She glances at Blue Wolf, the only one of her children who never fools around. The spitting image of his father. This thought makes her feel proud and sad at the same time because Great Wolf, his father, is dead.
Too serious, thinks Black Flame. Too much of a worrier… Too much of a wolf…
“Listen!” Blue Wolf is sitting as still as a rock, his front legs stiff and his ears pricked up. “Listen!”
The scrapping stops straight away. The snow begins to settle again around the cubs. They can’t hear anything to begin with. The Redheads strain their furry ears, but all they can make out is the sudden moaning of the wind, like a frozen tongue licking them.
And then, all of a sudden, the long, modulated howl of a wolf is heard behind the wind, and it speaks volumes.
“It’s Grey Cousin,” whispers one of the Redheads.
“What’s he saying?”
Black Flame glances quickly at Blue Wolf. Both of them know what Grey Cousin is telling them from the hilltop where he’s standing guard.
Men! A band of hunters… Trying to track them down. The same band as last time.
“The game’s over now, children. Get ready – we’re leaving!”