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“And if we can get this ruddy wolf loaded onto the trap,” says CrankyHandle, “then the three of you are manhandling it down the hill all the way back to Penny Bridge. I’m gonna be leading Primrose, staying well ahead of you and your wolf!”
“At least it’s downhill,” says NutJob.
By the time NutJob and his team reach the top of the hill, KristalClear has been sitting chatting to SnapDragon for two hours. Plenty of time to share their life stories, and whilst it’s a bit like talking with a German Shepherd Dog, the wolf wavelength is definitely a little different.
As far as KristalClear can make out, SnapDragon is a young male. He explained that like all juvenile wolves, they live in a pack of about ten until they reach late adolescence at about four years old. The pack has only one breeding pair, and works like a close knit family. There is no alpha male, that’s a myth, and there is no fighting over leadership. Once a year the older siblings leave home. It’s time for SnapDragon to find a mate, build his own territory, and start his own family. That’s not going to be easy with a broken leg or two. Both hind legs hurt, but one is a little less tender than the other.
For her part, KristalClear explained that humans have a similar pattern. She wasn’t quite ready to leave her pack yet, but in the near future she’ll be looking to settle down with a partner and start her own family. SnapDragon took that to infer the nervous young man who was with you? She was non committal, explaining that NutJob is sweet, but that neither of them is fully mature yet. Ask me again in a year’s time was how she closed down that conversation.
Primrose is tethered at the high point where the forest ends, 200 metres before the lone Scots Pine. After wheeling the trap as far as the pine tree, questioning their sanity again, and fearing that they might fall from the narrow path, Burgess and CrankyHandle do their best to help the two teenagers.
Fortunately, the SlenderWolf, as its name suggests is sleek and lightweight. Much nearer to the build of an Iberian wolf
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