Part of the Pack (Book 1 in the 'part of' series)

chapter 3 wolf wonders

Chapter 3 Wolf wonders

I was surprised, I was still standing after being in the presence of a wild wolf for about two minutes. I considered myself lucky that I hadn't been attacked on sight, yet I was curious as to why I wasn't attacked on sight.

The wolf was gray in colour and it was rather tall. If it stood up on its hind legs it would be around six foot or so, slightly taller than me. They had deep amber eyes which pierced through me like any predators would do their prey. Their gaze never left my body as my eyes scanned them up and down. They were a female.

That was obvious to me as something stood out to me, a sign that she had recently given birth to little wolf pups. The pups were nowhere in sight, that was one thing which worried me . They could be with their father, somewhere in the trees ready to attack. Something told me that this she-wolf had been here for quite a while.

My eyes were drawn to one of the wolf's legs, it had been caught in a trap. That would explain why the wolf didn't attack me on sight, it couldn't really move. Sympathy filled up my heart and I tried to step closer. My actions and movements caused the wolf to tense up and growl at me. I froze where I was and I raised my hands.

"It's okay." I tried to stay calm and collected even though I was shaking. "I-i'll work something out." I knew I was trying to reassure the both of us. I didn't know what to do, chances are this wolf was hunting for food when she was caught in a trap. She must be really hungry. Even worse, there were hungry pups somewhere in the trees. "I'll bring your babies home." I whispered before turning around and heading off. I heard a slight whine as I left, which I found odd but now I had another mission. I had to bring the pups to their mother.

I was racking my brain for all the information I had about wolves. Luckily they were one of my favourite animals. I knew quite a bit about them. They usually mated from january to march, which meant that the pups were probably still extremely young. There could be about four to six of them, if I was lucky there wouldn't be more than that. If they were no more than a month old this could be dangerous, though i had a feeling that it would be the case. Considering the amount of milk the female wolf seemed to be carrying.

I knew that I was looking for a den of sorts, females gave birth to their pups alone. I had my fingers crossed that I would find the den before the alpha found me or another one of the pack members.

I had arrived back at the path, even though I knew the den would be nowhere near here, I had to do some jogging back to my campsite. I didn't really know how to interact with baby wolves but I had to try my best with this. I know that even if the Alpha or any other member of the pack came across the female they wouldn't be able to set her free. I grabbed a bag, It was something which I would be able to carry the four wolf pups in my arms with, I didn't really bring anything else which would prevent sharp teeth from digging into my skin.

It was about three in the afternoon, judging by the sun's placement. I had to keep moving if i was going to be able to make any sort of progress. I couldn't believe that I was doing this. I cam camping to avoid stress and worries, yet on my first day I literally walked into a wolf. It made a lot of sense wh nobody really came here camping.

I didn't run into the female wolf again as I stayed ont hat side of the path. I didn't think the wolf would go that close to the path where I'm sure at least a few humans had been. I was looking for some sort of water, usually wolves make existing dens larger. So they could take over a fox or bear's den if they had been abandoned. I hoped that I wouldn't run into any bears or foxes as I searched but I was too invested now.

It was a rather long walk, it made sense that it was quite far away. As I'm sure the pups might have became curious by now and tried to follow the scent of their mother if it was close enough. Wolves are highly territorial so I assumed that they wouldn't share a den not would they take kindly to anyone who intruded on their land.

I had found a den which was rather small, it was nothing like what I was expecting but I knew that it was the right place. I looked inside but I could see nothing, I didn't really want to put a hand in there or anything in case pups thought it was a new toy or source of food. I didn't know how to get them out of the den.

After a few moments of thinking I huffed and did the only thing which made sense in the moment. I cupped my hands to my mouth and I howled, it took three attempts and me feeling icnredibly stupid but eventually, five little pups slowly came out of the den. Their blue eyes looked around curiously.

That was good, it meant that the wolves were able to hear and see. They were about three weeks old then. I was immensely grateful that my coursework was about wolves for my first year at university. We had to pick a topic and I had to write about one of my favourite animals.

I was quiet as I knelt down and offered them my hand cautiously, the wolves seemed to come closer and one of them even gave my hand a lick. I assumed that was a good sign. I wanted to get the wolves to trust me. The pups weren't very strong at the moment, that's why they had the den, so they could hide. I was feeling a lot less nervous about having the pups accompany me to their mother, or rather letting me take them to their mother.

The wolves seemed interested in the bag that I held. It had nothing in it but it was what I intended to carry them within. The pups seemed rather intelligent as one by one they huddled inside it. I assumed it was because it seemed familiar to them somehow. They all huddled together and I stood up, holding them to my chest. They were warm and making small nosies which made my heart melt.

"Lets get you some food." I muttered to the strangely well-behaved pups in my arms.