An eerie howl rose and fell with the aurora borealis that danced across the midnight sky. The great arctic wolf howled long and loud, driving shivers up the spines of any small animals that heard him. It was time for the wolf pups to go on their first hunting trip.
The great wolf carefully checked the surrounding area for intruders.
Then, under the fading green aurora, he loped briskly toward a rocky ledge farther down the craggy slope. The wolf den was hidden prudently in a crevice between two crags of solid granite.
Slipping unobtrusively into their dwelling place, he sniffed noses with his mate. The wolf snarled authoritatively as one of his sons, the biggest of the bunch, pounced upon him.
Then the great wolf guided them out of the den, his mate first with the pups behind, to hunt rabbits. The foot and a half of snow and the many small bushes were great habitat for snowshoe rabbits.
The adults trotted and the pups tumbled down the long rocky slope to a level plateau. The great wolf saw a snowshoe rabbit first. Just before he pounced, the two he pups surged ahead and scared it away.
The great wolf and his mate decided it was time to show the pups how to hunt snowshoe rabbits. The adults peered eagerly at the surrounding bushes while the pups looked on.
They tested the air for any sign of rabbits in the bushes. The male did not see one, but the she wolf did. Stealthily she circled the bush, then charged into the thicket. The rabbit sprang out of its sleep and dashed toward the two she pups. Seeing the trap, the rabbit leaped over the astonished pair, then straight into the largest he pup. The pup caught it and shook the life out of the rabbit. With some rumbling and snapping, the pup shared with his siblings.
Soon all the wolves caught the spirit. Working in two’s and three’s, they caught more rabbits, feasting as they went. Tummies filled, they headed back to the den.
After the she wolf and pups disappeared into the den to sleep for the day, the great wolf trotted to his favorite lookout point to guard his family and have a mid-morning siesta.
The wolf watched intently but saw no enemies. He stretched and yawned. Another time he would teach the pups many more tricks, but for today they had learned enough…and the great “King of the North” settled down to rest.
