گرگ‌ها میان

CHAPTER FIVE

The wolves are coming

I don’t like danger, but if you live through it, you feel good.

Just now we’re resting on the other side of a large lake. The wolves sound very far away and I think we’re OK. I’ve done everything possible to make sure they can’t follow us.

When I heard all those wolves howling in the dark, I touched Baby and said, ‘Stand very quietly and listen.’

Of course Baby didn’t understand, but she stopped and didn’t move. I was listening for water - a river or anything.

I couldn’t hear water, just the wind in the trees and a wolf singing to the moon.

So I tried smelling for water. My nose is wonderful at smelling now and, yes, I could smell something wet.

When I turned round, I knew where the wet smell was coming from.

‘We’ll be fine, Baby,’ I said. I put my hand on her head. ‘But we can’t stop any more until we get to the water.

‘Can you run with that leg?’

Baby’s leg was hurting, but she ran when I ran. She was afraid of losing me. I was all she had.

The wolves howled, not all the time but sometimes. I didn’t know how near they were. Each howl went on for nearly a minute. Sometimes I didn’t know if they were behind or in front of us.

I saw light through the trees. I hurried and Baby came after me. Soon we came to open ground, and there it was - moonlight on water! Not a river, but a big lake.

‘It’s a long swim, Baby,’ I told her, ‘but if we stay here, we’ll die.’

Baby wasn’t afraid of water. She followed me in and swam easily beside me. It was easier for her to swim than run with her bad leg.

How far was it to the other side? I don’t know, but it took us a long, long time. It was more difficult for me than Baby in the end. I’m a walking, climbing animal; deer are running, jumping, swimming animals.

My arms and legs hurt, my body felt heavy and I swam more and more slowly.

But Baby was always there beside me, touching me all the time, her legs moving quickly in the water. She was warm, while I was cold, and that helped me.

The moon went behind clouds and we swam in the dark.

I was happy about that because I was afraid the wolves would see us. When my feet hit stones underneath me,

I knew the water wasn’t deep any more. I stood up. A minute later Baby was walking too. We walked out of the water.

My legs couldn’t hold me up. I half fell and lay on the ground and felt very happy. Baby lay beside me, wet but warm. I slept for a little while.

I’ve just woken up. We have to begin moving soon. It’s still night, but we must be far away from here by morning.

Some of the ground is soft. Soft ground is dangerous because the wolves can see where we have gone. We must go on the hard, stony places.

It’s wonderful! We’re back with Mother, Father and Brother. I wasn’t really sure that I could find them.

When the deer family left us three days ago, I saw some hills to the north.

Father always hides in the trees when there’s danger, and up there on the hills there are a lot of big, dark trees. Just right for Father.

I had good luck. When we got to the hills, we didn’t have to look very far. I could hear the deer eating before I smelt them.

Baby went in a funny, jumping run up to Mother. She kept one foot off the ground; it was still hurting. Mother and Baby touched heads and made noises.

Father came and smelt me while Brother watched. Father doesn’t usually get too near anyone in the family, but he stood nearly touching me.

I think he was saying thank you, and my eyes were wet.

I spoke to Father. ‘We must go deeper into the trees. There are wolves behind us trying to follow us.’

Father didn’t like me talking. He moved away and began eating again. Then Brother came. He wanted to play.

‘I’m too tired,’ I explained. ‘I want to get deeper into the trees, then I want to sleep.’

Nobody did what I wanted. They didn’t understand about the wolves, and the leaves were sweet.

Baby drank Mother’s milk and Brother and Father went on eating. So I slept where I was.

It’s afternoon now. We’re still here. It’s warm and bright and there’s a blue sky. I’m not afraid any more. I was just tired. The wolves have lost us and we’re OK.

I was wrong. The wolves followed us. I could hear many wolves howling. They were far away, but coming.

I was angry with myself. How did the wolves find us? Baby and I tried so hard - we ran, we swam across water, and we stayed away from soft ground, but it didn’t help.

Then I saw something which explained it. There were flies walking around a drop of blood on the ground. The cut on Baby’s leg was open again, and the wolves were following the strong smell of blood.

It was too late to go deep into the trees now. The wolves would find us. I looked at the four deer - my family - and I knew I couldn’t let them die. There was an answer. It was dangerous, but I had to do it.

First I cleaned Baby’s cut again and put leaves on it to stop the blood. Then I cut myself - a small cut on the leg, with a sharp stone.

‘You go up there,’ I said to Father, ‘up into the trees and I’ll go along open ground, over there.

The wolves will follow my blood. If the wolves don’t catch me, I’ll wait for a few days and then I’ll find you again. Do you understand?’

Of course he didn’t, but he understood the danger that was coming. Brother wanted to come with me.

This time Father got angry with him and pushed him up the hill. No goodbyes, of course.

I began running down the hill where there were no trees. I looked back and I couldn’t see the deer.

I was stronger after my sleep and I ran fast. I knew where I was going.

There was a high, rocky hill about two miles away - I could climb it, but wolves couldn’t. But could I get there before the wolves found me?

I ran and didn’t look back. After ten minutes I wanted to stop and rest, but then I heard the howls. I looked back and the wolves were running behind me.

So I didn’t rest. I ran and they ran. I was afraid, really afraid. I couldn’t feel my legs. ‘Don’t fall, keep going,’ I said to myself.

I ran to save my life. When I came to the rocks, I didn’t stop; I climbed up faster than a wild cat. One wolf hit another wolf just below me and fell over.

Their angry howls rang in my ears. I went up and up until I came to a place where I could rest. I sat with my back to the rock and looked down. Wolves everywhere.

I’m here and they can’t get me now. When I’ve rested, I’ll climb up to the top and I’ll be OK.

No, wait - perhaps I’ll stay here until morning. I need to sleep. I’ll feel better after a good sleep. I don’t feel very well.

I can’t remember the last time I ate something. Listen to those wolves! They’re hungry too, of course. I’m an animal just like them.

RICHARD’S FATHER SPEAKS:

What happened? We don’t know.

When Richard’s Year of Sharing finished, I went to bring him home. I followed the radio call of his recorder.

I found the recorder at the bottom of the hill where he tried to escape from the wolves. The recorder was there, but not Richard.

Did he fall while he was sleeping? Did the accident happen next morning while he was climbing to the top? I don’t know.

I am very unhappy. The village says we can now have another child. But I don’t want one. I cannot say more.

RICHARD’S MOTHER SPEAKS:

Richard was a difficult boy. He was angry and he wanted to bring back the old world, the world where people took everything and animals had nothing.

But in the end he learnt to share.

He learnt that people are animals too, and that the world belongs not just to people, but to all animals.

It is a hard lesson to learn, but we must all learn it.

Now my son is dead. But the people of this village, and their children, and their children’s children, will never forget him.