To Protect Their Young

Part 3

The next day when Jarod checked the water bowl, it was completely empty. At least one animal found it and gained a little relief, which made him happy to be able to help. After a week of finding the bowl empty, he began covertly digging scraps of meat from the trash and putting them beside the bowl as well. Every morning, the food and water would be gone. Jarod’s ritual continued throughout the hot summer months.

Fall finally arrived and with it came relief from the drought. The nights grew cooler and the rains finally fell and quenched the thirsty land once again. On one particularly cool day as the sun had begun to go down, Jarod made his regular trip to the fence with some food. As he was turning around to head back to the house, he heard a faint rustling sound in the nearby bushes. He turned back to look and suddenly, right in front of him, was the same mother wolf he had seen just over a year before. He recognized the face instantly, because he had dreamt of those same yellow eyes so many times. She looked much healthier than she did that night, her ribs were not so clearly pronounced and her coat had a glossy sheen to it.

As she kept her eyes on him, Jarod calmly began to hold her gaze. He knew he should be afraid, but somehow fear had given way to fascination, and he couldn’t help but smile at her. The wolf slowly lowered her head and carefully took the food into her mouth. She paused for just a few seconds as their eyes remained locked on each other, and then she disappeared back into the bushes like a phantom. Jarod was astonished and remained still for several minutes. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was completely filled with awe. It was as though she had just acknowledged her appreciation for the small offerings had been leaving for her.

After a few more minutes of reliving his encounter over and over again in his head, the little boy ran back into the house with his little secret. When he went to bed that evening, he heard the wolf song in the distance. In his innocent thoughts, he imagined it was a song of gratitude. Jarod woke up with a huge smile on his face the next day. He had dreamt about the mother wolf all night, and in his dreams, she was smiling at him.

About a week later as Jarod went outside to put some food scraps by the fence, he watched the trees swaying in the breeze. The colors were amazing as fall had fully set in and the trees all looked like they were on fire with brilliant tones of yellows, oranges, and reds. Jarod thought he heard a wolf howling in the distance, and it all just seemed so inviting. He had always stayed on the safe side of the fence, away from the woods, and the mountains, but his curiousity was beginning to get the better of him. He took a tentative step into the same bushes he had seen the wolf appear from not too long ago. As he took a few steps into the woods, it grew a little darker, and the sun danced between the leaves of the canopy above, making the trees truly look as if they were on fire.

Jarod went deeper into the woods, and then started to climb upwards onto the mountain. The views of the valley below were absolutely breathtaking, and Jarod felt a bond between himself and the world he had entered into. He smelled the musty smell of wood and mulch on the forest floor. He saw squirrels scampering as he walked by. After some time of wonderous exploration, Jarod decided he had better make his way back home, before his mother began to worry about him.

He stared at the trees as they towered above him, and as he began his descent, the sun flashed brightly from above as the leaves rustled in the wind. Jarod wished he had put his jacket on before going outside, as he tried to hug himself with his arms crossed. As he made his way back down from the mountain, he stepped on some loose stones and started to slide down the hill.