Only the very rarest children, once in a great long while, show any special gift of foresight. Not even the wisest can say where foresight comes from exactly, but there are few gifts quite as useful and seemingly reserved for the advanced in years.
The little princess was very special to be sure. She ruled a vast domain with a child’s grace and innocence. Her subjects loved her, from the very smallest mice and shrews to the very tallest trees and the mightiest of the elk. It’s no small matter to be loved and respected by even the trees of a kingdom. She had the gift of attracting love.
Love comes to those who give it freely, as they say, and her hands and mind were always opened to her kingdom, every pebble. She had the ability to understand her four-legged subjects’ every thought and to hear what the trees muttered in their roots and whispered in the wind. All good gifts, but
she was not blessed with foresight. She resembled an ordinary girl in that way. No foresight whatsoever.
She had not thought about the mama and papa when she began her adventure. Hadn’t considered what they might think when they discovered her gone. As Barrru raced through the trees, she knew that he was thinking similar thoughts. And he was worried. Very worried. Now he was thinking of his prints on her little bed and on the window sill and on the snow covered roof. He was thinking about the Papa striding off, cold dark rifle in hand, seeking revenge on wolves, maybe even his own family. He was almost flying now. His paws barely touched the snow as they went. The girl held her breath and hugged the wolf’s neck even more tightly.
Barrru was old in wolf years. He was old and well tested. He was familiar with humans more than most wolves and he knew their saying, “An eye for an eye.” He even knew what they meant. He believed that if anything unfortunate happened because he had temporarily forgotten what he knew about humans, then it would be entirely his fault. The girl heard the rush of the wind as they passed but she also heard the rush of his worries in her mind. She focused very hard and tried to comfort him. But he would have no comfort. Then her thoughts burst in on him with a peal of laughter trailing along after them. He heard her gleeful thoughts as clear as the tinkling of icicles falling as they passed. “You’re prejudiced! That’s what! You’re prejudiced against the mama and the papa!”
When they broke through the stand of trees that ringed the little cabin, the little girl gasped. Barrru gasped too as much as it is possible for a wolf to gasp. The snow had melted a great deal since they left, only a foot or so remained in the clearing. There was no shade around the cabin that would preserve the snow under sunny days and the wind had turned, coming from the south now the air was fairly warm. The snow had mostly gone away wherever snow goes. Apparently, the mama and the papa had gone away with it.
The cabin was completely dark. The small window in the main room was dark and still worse, the door had been left ajar. If a cabin could speak, this one was speaking plainly, “I’m empty and no one is home.”
The buckboard was gone, the papa’s tools, the mama’s clothesline, all vanished. The girl began to sob. Barrru hung his head and sobbed with her.
§§§§§§
The girl’s tears lasted until the sun was down. The night chill had chased away the last golden shafts of sun, and a cold emptiness hung in the air. As a practical matter, the night air was just too cold to stand outside and grieve.
The child's tears froze before they could fall from her cheek. Glistening trails of ice as fine as silk were sparkling faintly in the moonlight when Barrru shook the sorrow from his coat as easily as fine dry snowflakes. He knew very well that the girl needed rest and warmth. He shook each of his paws in turn to chase the chill from his stiffened legs then strode bravely through the cabin’s front door.
Barrru tucked the girl under his chest and curled around her just as he did for his own cubs on a cold night. The two slept curled together and quite cozy until dawn flooded the single window of the cabin with soft rosy light. They sat looking into each other’s eyes for quite awhile as the day passed by outside.
She considered his kind face and his even kinder thoughts. She was comforted enough to begin seriously pondering what she should do. Barrru listened with his heart to the girl’s struggle to find a solution. He knew there was nothing either of them could do now to return her to the parents. The mama and the papa had abandoned their home, obviously believing their only child was lost forever. Why else leave the safety and warmth of their cabin in winter?
The girl began to sob again, hearing in her mind the questions he asked. She was sure Barrru was right. They probably believed she had been carried off by a starving animal who had crawled through her open window. They believed she must be dead.
The wolf was considering too what his wife would say to the urge in his heart to offer his small human friend a new home. Why couldn’t she be another cub in the pack? Why not?
He proposed his idea to the girl as tactfully as he could, and wolves have a great talent for tact. He had no wish to cause her any further pain by pointing out that she was, in every practical sense, an orphan. He looked away then, wishing to leave her to consider his offer without the influence of his eyes. His eyes were extraordinarily expressive, deep as the sky but his emotions were always on top. He knew this because it had been pointed out to him so often. At that moment, he knew the emotions on top were regret and pity. She did not need to consider these.
So he wandered around the cabin, leaving her to think his offer through, and whatever other options she might have been considering. She could certainly have gotten his help in searching for another human family. He was sure she knew that. Somehow though, he did not think she would ask. The girl wanted to stay with her kingdom even if it meant hardship. He knew that too.
He found nothing much left in the cabin. Bare shelves, a small bare cupboard, even the floor was bare, not the slightest crumb. All of which reminded him that his belly was more than usually empty. He would not ask her to leave yet though. The girl should have as much time as she liked to decide. He decided to have a running go at scampering up the ladder which led to her little room.
Her pondering was broken by the completely unexpected sound of Barrru running hard across the room and bounding up the ladder. Sad as she had been, the sight of his comical ascent made her laugh out loud. As ungainly as the effort appeared, he had made it to the top, and bounded lightly into her room. Barrru smiled a great warm smile when he heard her laughter in the room below. It was a good sign. A very good sign.
His smile grew when he looked around her room. To his astonishment, nothing there had changed even slightly. Nothing had been removed or disturbed. Another very good sign. She would have the familiar things that would be a comfort. She would have the things a human cub needs, a proper bed, a warm blanket, a doll. While Barrru sat considering how he could move the bedstead and tick to the den, he did not hear her quietly climbing the ladder behind him. She made a surprised noise that sounded like, “Oh!” followed by a cooing sound when she saw all of her things still adorning the room.
She had decided to accept his offer. She would move Barrru's family into her now empty home. She gazed into his eyes. Her thoughts passed into his mind like a spring breeze through winter ruff, only a slight tickle but pleasing. He thought about her offer very hard for a few moments then slowly steadily tried to explain to her why it was not such a good idea.
“Your people have gone. That’s so. But this is a human house, and there will be other humans along one day. They will want to claim it for their own. That is the way with humans.”
“When the humans come, if they find wolves here even with one of their own, they will presume we have killed your mama and papa. They will blame the wolves and it will not go well for us. Do you understand what I mean?” He watched the little girl’s face as she struggled to understand. There was a change in her features. Her eyes darkening slightly, a look of sadness or shame or perhaps both weighed heavily on the child.
A picture flashed through his mind. He could only assume he was seeing the papa, her papa. He was standing in a clearing, the very one where the cabin now stood. He was looking down the shaft of a human death stick. He had seen one before. More than once. Her papa was taking careful aim then “Bang!” A brother fell and breathed no more. He understood. She understood. It was settled.
They gathered as much as they could carry. Barrru saddled with what could be slung over his shoulders and she carrying her doll and small pillow. Then they were off again.
It seemed they had barely started the journey when Barrru’s pace slowed to an easy saunter. He looked over his shoulder at the child and sent his thoughts to her. “Let me do all the talking.” He chuckled. “I don’t know if the wife can hear you as I can, but just in case, keep your mind on pleasant thoughts and let me do the persuading.”
She was more than a little dismayed by his request. The idea that she might not be welcomed by Mrs. Barrru never once occurred to her. She nodded her consent. He nodded in the direction of a prickly looking wild blackberry bush. “Home,” his thought came like a whisper.
Chapter Five
The little princess was very special to be sure. She ruled a vast domain with a child’s grace and innocence. Her subjects loved her, from the very smallest mice and shrews to the very tallest trees and the mightiest of the elk. It’s no small matter to be loved and respected by even the trees of a kingdom. She had the gift of attracting love.
Love comes to those who give it freely, as they say, and her hands and mind were always opened to her kingdom, every pebble. She had the ability to understand her four-legged subjects’ every thought and to hear what the trees muttered in their roots and whispered in the wind. All good gifts, but
she was not blessed with foresight. She resembled an ordinary girl in that way. No foresight whatsoever.
She had not thought about the mama and papa when she began her adventure. Hadn’t considered what they might think when they discovered her gone. As Barrru raced through the trees, she knew that he was thinking similar thoughts. And he was worried. Very worried. Now he was thinking of his prints on her little bed and on the window sill and on the snow covered roof. He was thinking about the Papa striding off, cold dark rifle in hand, seeking revenge on wolves, maybe even his own family. He was almost flying now. His paws barely touched the snow as they went. The girl held her breath and hugged the wolf’s neck even more tightly.
Barrru was old in wolf years. He was old and well tested. He was familiar with humans more than most wolves and he knew their saying, “An eye for an eye.” He even knew what they meant. He believed that if anything unfortunate happened because he had temporarily forgotten what he knew about humans, then it would be entirely his fault. The girl heard the rush of the wind as they passed but she also heard the rush of his worries in her mind. She focused very hard and tried to comfort him. But he would have no comfort. Then her thoughts burst in on him with a peal of laughter trailing along after them. He heard her gleeful thoughts as clear as the tinkling of icicles falling as they passed. “You’re prejudiced! That’s what! You’re prejudiced against the mama and the papa!”
When they broke through the stand of trees that ringed the little cabin, the little girl gasped. Barrru gasped too as much as it is possible for a wolf to gasp. The snow had melted a great deal since they left, only a foot or so remained in the clearing. There was no shade around the cabin that would preserve the snow under sunny days and the wind had turned, coming from the south now the air was fairly warm. The snow had mostly gone away wherever snow goes. Apparently, the mama and the papa had gone away with it.
The cabin was completely dark. The small window in the main room was dark and still worse, the door had been left ajar. If a cabin could speak, this one was speaking plainly, “I’m empty and no one is home.”
The buckboard was gone, the papa’s tools, the mama’s clothesline, all vanished. The girl began to sob. Barrru hung his head and sobbed with her.
§§§§§§
The girl’s tears lasted until the sun was down. The night chill had chased away the last golden shafts of sun, and a cold emptiness hung in the air. As a practical matter, the night air was just too cold to stand outside and grieve.
The child's tears froze before they could fall from her cheek. Glistening trails of ice as fine as silk were sparkling faintly in the moonlight when Barrru shook the sorrow from his coat as easily as fine dry snowflakes. He knew very well that the girl needed rest and warmth. He shook each of his paws in turn to chase the chill from his stiffened legs then strode bravely through the cabin’s front door.
Barrru tucked the girl under his chest and curled around her just as he did for his own cubs on a cold night. The two slept curled together and quite cozy until dawn flooded the single window of the cabin with soft rosy light. They sat looking into each other’s eyes for quite awhile as the day passed by outside.
She considered his kind face and his even kinder thoughts. She was comforted enough to begin seriously pondering what she should do. Barrru listened with his heart to the girl’s struggle to find a solution. He knew there was nothing either of them could do now to return her to the parents. The mama and the papa had abandoned their home, obviously believing their only child was lost forever. Why else leave the safety and warmth of their cabin in winter?
The girl began to sob again, hearing in her mind the questions he asked. She was sure Barrru was right. They probably believed she had been carried off by a starving animal who had crawled through her open window. They believed she must be dead.
The wolf was considering too what his wife would say to the urge in his heart to offer his small human friend a new home. Why couldn’t she be another cub in the pack? Why not?
He proposed his idea to the girl as tactfully as he could, and wolves have a great talent for tact. He had no wish to cause her any further pain by pointing out that she was, in every practical sense, an orphan. He looked away then, wishing to leave her to consider his offer without the influence of his eyes. His eyes were extraordinarily expressive, deep as the sky but his emotions were always on top. He knew this because it had been pointed out to him so often. At that moment, he knew the emotions on top were regret and pity. She did not need to consider these.
So he wandered around the cabin, leaving her to think his offer through, and whatever other options she might have been considering. She could certainly have gotten his help in searching for another human family. He was sure she knew that. Somehow though, he did not think she would ask. The girl wanted to stay with her kingdom even if it meant hardship. He knew that too.
He found nothing much left in the cabin. Bare shelves, a small bare cupboard, even the floor was bare, not the slightest crumb. All of which reminded him that his belly was more than usually empty. He would not ask her to leave yet though. The girl should have as much time as she liked to decide. He decided to have a running go at scampering up the ladder which led to her little room.
Her pondering was broken by the completely unexpected sound of Barrru running hard across the room and bounding up the ladder. Sad as she had been, the sight of his comical ascent made her laugh out loud. As ungainly as the effort appeared, he had made it to the top, and bounded lightly into her room. Barrru smiled a great warm smile when he heard her laughter in the room below. It was a good sign. A very good sign.
His smile grew when he looked around her room. To his astonishment, nothing there had changed even slightly. Nothing had been removed or disturbed. Another very good sign. She would have the familiar things that would be a comfort. She would have the things a human cub needs, a proper bed, a warm blanket, a doll. While Barrru sat considering how he could move the bedstead and tick to the den, he did not hear her quietly climbing the ladder behind him. She made a surprised noise that sounded like, “Oh!” followed by a cooing sound when she saw all of her things still adorning the room.
She had decided to accept his offer. She would move Barrru's family into her now empty home. She gazed into his eyes. Her thoughts passed into his mind like a spring breeze through winter ruff, only a slight tickle but pleasing. He thought about her offer very hard for a few moments then slowly steadily tried to explain to her why it was not such a good idea.
“Your people have gone. That’s so. But this is a human house, and there will be other humans along one day. They will want to claim it for their own. That is the way with humans.”
“When the humans come, if they find wolves here even with one of their own, they will presume we have killed your mama and papa. They will blame the wolves and it will not go well for us. Do you understand what I mean?” He watched the little girl’s face as she struggled to understand. There was a change in her features. Her eyes darkening slightly, a look of sadness or shame or perhaps both weighed heavily on the child.
A picture flashed through his mind. He could only assume he was seeing the papa, her papa. He was standing in a clearing, the very one where the cabin now stood. He was looking down the shaft of a human death stick. He had seen one before. More than once. Her papa was taking careful aim then “Bang!” A brother fell and breathed no more. He understood. She understood. It was settled.
They gathered as much as they could carry. Barrru saddled with what could be slung over his shoulders and she carrying her doll and small pillow. Then they were off again.
It seemed they had barely started the journey when Barrru’s pace slowed to an easy saunter. He looked over his shoulder at the child and sent his thoughts to her. “Let me do all the talking.” He chuckled. “I don’t know if the wife can hear you as I can, but just in case, keep your mind on pleasant thoughts and let me do the persuading.”
She was more than a little dismayed by his request. The idea that she might not be welcomed by Mrs. Barrru never once occurred to her. She nodded her consent. He nodded in the direction of a prickly looking wild blackberry bush. “Home,” his thought came like a whisper.
Chapter Five
Introductions
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