Windsong
The story of a young wolf
by
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No, I never learned how to bark like a dog, but this was the first time that I couldn’t help howling like a wolf that I am. Chew-pee rushed through the doggie door. She was followed by the leaders of our little band to see what was the matter, and there I sat in the middle of the yard surrounded by the heavenly bodies reflecting in every puddle, illuminated by the light, continuing to appreciate the full moon, and the beauty of the hills, the trees, the river and all our surroundings in that surrealistic setting. My leaders just looked and smiled. Dogs in the vicinity sensed the same deep feeling in their soul that I had and tried to join me, tried to appreciate the sight, but their ancestors forgot how to howl a long time ago and they just barked, either along with me or at me, until angry words and an occasional kick from humans ruined the enchantment of the moment and made them cower and sullenly be quiet. But I howled like a true grown wolf for the first time, uninterrupted, as if my vital force was about to burst. I was allowed to continue, allowed to stop and start again at my heart’s content, until the moon climbed high on the sky, shrinking in size and was too far to reach with the sound of just one lonely young wolf.
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About the Book
As you turn the pages the story of Windsong unfolds. The young wolf tries to live among dogs and adjust to the world of human beings.
Windsong was born to wolf parents in a small kennel in
Windsong had to move around because she hated confinement and tried to obtain more freedom then dogs usually do. Fences get in the way of her freedom as she follows wolf tradition, howling at the moon, greeting the leaders of her pack every morning with presents and this gesture leads to disaster one morning. Her life intertwines with the life of Chew-pee, an old dog at the end of her life and also a young pup, who is trying to learn his role in the household, but has trouble remembering his name.
It is easy to shed tears as the final good-bye of this noble being makes you turn the pages with exaggerated slowness, while realizing the difficulties of parceling out freedom to wild animals like pieces of land all fenced in.
The heart-wrenching story of this young wolf is an example of the effects of ever-increasing human population as it encroaches on the natural habitats of the wild animals. It is a call for awareness of a crucial issue and a testament to the fact that limited freedom cannot always replace the wild for creatures born to run unimpeded.
About the Author
Tom Pataky grew up in a farming community in