spirit of wolf

Spirit Of Wolf... is a series of stories that pose the question 'what if the wolf was to return? how would it interact? and what experiences would occur?' Here are a selection of those experiences, more have been written that are waiting to be told, and the tale at Woburn 'where wolf met bear' originates from here.

THE VALLEY OF THE COYOTE : Many generations ago, the Ute Indians named a valley in the region we now call the Rocky Mountain National Park. They called it Haquihana - the valley of the wolf.
Centuries later, when the pioneering white man came to settle in that same valley, the wolf was eliminated from the wild. The mule deer and the elk roamed freely and the moose no longer feared for their lives. The valley was renamed Kawaneeche - the valley of the coyote.
The coyote was proud of this honor, but thought it undeserved.
Coyote knew that the spirit of the valley always belonged to the wolf.

Wolf had been making his way along the track, and had sat for a while content to watch whilst a small yellow-bellied marmot had playfully ducked in and out of a man-made drainage pipe, teasing wolf to come closer. But wolf was not interested in exerting himself for such a small creature, and instead enjoyed watching the procedures.
As he turned to continue on his way a flash of red and the wisp of a tail caught his eye. A fox had been watching him.
Wolf had often scented the territorial markings of a fox, and followed him on the trail once or twice, several hours behind. Till now, though, the two had never met.
It seemed that the fox preferred to keep their relationship distant. As he met the stare of wolf, the fox turned tail and fled into the fringe of the woodland.

Have you ever had the feeling you are being watched; the sensation that eyes are upon you, yet you turn around to find nobody there?
Wolf had such a feeling. In fact it was stronger than a mere feeling, for the senses of wolf are far more alive than those of any human. Wolf knew he was being watched. He could scent something, but each time he turned around, he saw nothing. He might as well have been alone, except he knew he was not.
This was cat country. The territory between tundra and timberline, where few secrets are unearthed.
The mountain lion is known by many names: cougar, panther, puma, and the ghost hunter. Like a ghost, when the mountain lion walks very few chance to see her. She is far stealthier than any other animal that roams the Rocky Mountain wilderness, and this is her strength.
Her smaller brothers and sisters - the lynx and the bobcat - are similar. Mutually they do not just hunt the silent nights, they prowl them, wary of all activity and therefore one step ahead of any enemy, and most prey.
Though wolf himself is considered mighty, the cats are mightier. It is said of a cat in the wild that their presence may be felt but never observed; it is only possible to discover where they have traveled from, never where they are going to.
Wolf agreed. He found dried scat of mountain lion and also from bobcat. He found footfalls in wet sand and the remains of devoured prey. He knew the cats were near, but he could only determine where they had been.

Wolf responded to the sound of the bugle.
The elk stag turned into the confrontation, lowered his head to bring his impressive antler array to bear, and let out an angry snort.
Rather than complicate the situation, when facing an angry elk back away, slowly, calmly, one step after another, as cautiously as you may have approached. Ensuring never to lose eye contact, do not antagonize or the elk stag may charge.
A stag is majestic, proud and over-bearing. He will succumb to nothing, to no-one.
This was his moment, he would be triumphant.

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Yellowstone Wolf

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