The Wolf

As I was running thru the woods I heard a familiar howling cry. As I cautiously approached, I saw anther lone wolf caught in a snare set by the humans. She was big and she was powerful, but she was also injured and alone. In that situation I saw myself in her. As I too was trapped in the human's snare. It reminded me of how I chewed thru my snare to set myself free. I could see that this snare was so strong that she wouldn’t be able to chew thru it. I knew she was going to bite me if I helped. But the look in her eyes told me I had to try. I chewed thru her snare and she limped off. To my surprise she did not bite me.

The next night I was howling at the moon when the lone wolf approached. I said,“Would you like me to show you where there are some plants that will help your wound” She responded by attacking me and biting me all over. I felt all of her anger, rage, and fear she had towards the humans. She then collapsed in tears. I asked, “why did you bite me?” She responded, “ I bit you because I am hurting”. I said, “ I understand that but I am not your enemy, I am you. But you have mistaken me for the humans that attacked you. The humans that snared you.” She did not see it that way.

In pain I said, “well now there are two of us injured and alone. I will continue down my path and heal as I have always done. I will not blame the you or other wolves.  I will also not blame the humans. Because walking the path of a lone wolf is freedom. I can see the traps the humans set for me and I now piss on them and walk away. I will continue running, howling, and dancing. Because my freedom is my peace. I will not be domesticated.”

The wolf was still in tears confused by the experience. I said “ You are a lone wolf, a very powerful one. Before I go please listen to this. You have options. One, you can heal your wounds. The wound on your paw and more importantly the wound in your heart caused by the humans. If you do not heal that wound you will find yourself caught in a snare that you set for yourself. Second, take what you have learned to protect yourself from the traps in the future. Humans will draw you in with their promises of food and shelter. Then they put a collar on you and put you in a cage. Most lone wolves will accept the food and shelter they offer in exchange for obedience. You can’t blame the lone wolves that fall for this or the humans that get a new pet.”

“To truly embrace being a lone wolf you must find strength and balance within yourself. Strength without balance will lead to self destruction. Humans are not the enemy, they are only doing what humans do. Observe the humans. Take their food scrapes while they sleep, learn how they play their games and set their traps. They gather in packs, but their packs are different. Their packs are about manipulation and control. Our packs are about support and growth. This is why I tried to help you.”

As I was walking away I turned around and said, “all this anger and fear you feel will keep you in your cage. You are your own enemy when you are sitting in the cage but the door is wide open. When you don’t set yourself free...” I stopped talking. She said “finish your story.” I told her “this is now your story to write. If you let your wound fester you will die, or you can heal and move on to teach other wolves how to be free. I have already written my story, and I chose the latter.”

“Goodbye wolf. You are strong and powerful. Maybe someday our paths cross again”