Updates and News
Thursday, June 23, 2005
*gulp* Okay.. wow... this is so wierd. u_u As you have probably noticed... ok, the music is scaring me.. anyways, as you may have noticed, I have not updated this site in... over a year. I was very surprised when I saw the hit counter... Over 900 page views of Golden Wolf. It's amazing you guys keep coming back to see if I've added anything. If you are reading this now, that means you must be a very dedicated fan of this site. Or you could be a stalker. ^_^ Either way, you've left me speechless and hopeful at the same time. I just want to say that if you're still interested in contacting me, or whatever... especially for those Iowans out there... I have a new web site, and an online diary at Xanga. Here are the URLs for each: http://www.aoihigurashi.bravehost.com and http://www.xanga.com/shepster . I made those into links, so you can go to the sites just by clicking on them. So.. thanx everyone. It's been real. Hope to talk to some of you later on. Goodbye for now.
*::....::*::....::*sheppe*::....::*::..::*
Monday, April 12
Okay. So I got a guestbook. I added some stuff to the Anime Page, and I'll keep working on that. I've also decides to dedicate all of my pages (except links, FAQ, about me, and contact) to my friends and family. Also, I have started on the sequal to How It All Started. I'm thinking I will call it "Raising the Spirits of Others," but if you have any suggestions for a title that would fit anything with Golden Wolf, I would like to hear it. I'll try to make changes and add stuff as soon as possible, but I'm a little busy (I'm going to move to Arizona). So I might update this Friday, and for sure this Sunday.
Saturday, March 27
Well... okay... so now you can see what I'm planning! Isn't that great? Hopefully, I'll start working on some animations and manga series. I have created a Poetry page, and you can just guess what you'll find there - poetry. Soon I will have a seperate gallery for my own pictures, and then later on, before school starts in August, I might have that gallery with the pictures of nature up close. That's all I can tell you, currently. Bye for now!
=========================================================
How It All Started
There it was. The cricket. The insect. The creature he had been chasing. Always he quickly but efficiently maneuvered his plan to catch it, but the insect was always a leap ahead of him. This was it. Ara's last chance to catch it. The orange rays of the setting sun reflected upon his silver streaked fur. It made him look as if he were made of gold. He stood still, and turned his head to look at the trees. The giant Kenai Birch stood tall above him. He positioned himself so that his entire body faced the small valley below him. Beyond that he could see a field of plants which he could not name. Ara then focused his attention on the cricket, which was now escaping him, chirping happily. He did not bother to chase after it.
Ara was a respected wolf. Though he was the only kind in his beautiful kingdom. The next wolf territory was probably more than seventy miles away. He was a lone wolf. But he had company, nevertheless. The robins, finches, sparrows and cardinals always flew away when they saw him. The rabbits stared at him in fear, but did not run away. The white tailed deer stood still when they felt his presence, and then when their tails lifted high, they scattered. But the squirrels and larger birds did not run, nor stare at him. They went on about with their business. They knew that he could not catch them high in a tree, and they knew that he would not try to catch them. And so life went just like this. But soon the peace was disturbed...
* * *
Sibberan was that who they feared most. He was an arctic wolf. White in the winter, and a yellowish-white and grey in the summer. He owned the tundra. He owned everything you could see until the horizon. That was his territory, and beyond. He was the alpha male. Everybody loved him, but only because they were obedient, and scared to oppose him.
He used to be a gentle young pup. He would play with his mother's tail and wrestle with his siblings. And he grew into a strong, young wolf. Sibberan mated Cepheus, an endlessly energetic red wolf. She always played, hunted, ran, scampered and explored. Not a wolf stopped her from enjoying her life.
But soon Cepheus was killed by a massive buck by the name of Taurus. He was one of the strongest buck ever heard of. He was healthy, young, but not too young, and an honorable creature to fight.
Cepheus and Sibberan were on a hunt. Cepheus wanted to try to kill Taurus, as she had always wanted to. She made her move, and started running next to Taurus. She then caught her chance and slipped under the huge buck. She made her last mistake by jumping onto his stomach, but she could not hold on. Cepheus fell to the ground and was crushed by Taurus’ hooves.
From then on, Sibberan grieved on his late wife, and was always nasty and had a temper with weaker, younger, and foolish wolves; as well as other animals.
* * *
She cried. She heard. She listened. She gazed. She wondered. She hoped. She was Sagitta. Sagitta of Guatemala. She was the small wolf with brown eyes and black fur. Her face was a dark burnt red with white splotches on the side. She howled again. It was a mournful sound, but true and happy.
Many of the villagers heard her on the weeknights, and even more on the weekends in the morning. She was different. She was wonderful. Sagitta knew the paths of the mountainous parts of her homeland. But nobody knew how she survived. The temperature was very warm, and her coat was rather thick. But she survived yet, for Sagitta knew where all the good water holes were, and where the small animals thrived.
Today she walked through town as if she were a person. Everybody knew about this wolf. Nobody threatened to kill her. She was good, they said. She did not disturb them. She did not kill their livestock. She was tame. She was like a dog. She listened when the people talked; she answered when they called her name. She was a friend to the people of this town. Sagitta made her way down the street. She stopped at a friend’s shop. She sat down on the side of the street, and lifted her paw up. Then she stood up and walked through the door.
* * *
Ara listened intently. He heard the small sound of leaves being crushed by a porcupine. He just listened. Ara was wise. He knew the porcupines of this vast wilderness. They were stubborn and mean. They attacked if anything came within any amount of feet of them. All of the animals stayed away from these spiked beasts. The quills were sharp. But nobody knew how sharp it was until the quills themselves entered the body. Painful, was all it was. And it was very hard to get them out. They were stuck for good, usually. Unless the animal was smart enough to use his mouth to pull them out, it was virtually impossible to escape the pain.
The wolf wagged his tail. He climbed a mound made of rock and dirt, all stuck together until it formed a large cube-shaped hill. Ara loved this hill. This was a border between Alaska and Canada. It was a big hill, about thirty yards high. It spread for almost as long as a lake. Ara jumped up on the hill as high as he could, and started walking up. It took a good twenty-five minutes to reach the top. From here, Ara could see many things. He could see a small frozen pond, a flock or ptarmigans, and a wolf pack that was steadily coming closer to him.
* * *
Sagitta looked around the shop. The owner, a tall elder, stood behind a desk with a cash register. Sagitta walked around for a while, once almost knocking down a porcelain statue, and barked. She looked at the old man for a while, then went about the shop once more. The man greeted her warmly, and tossed a piece of raw meat at her. With one leap, Sagitta caught it in mid-air and feasted on this delicacy.
A bell rang. The shop owner focused his eyes on two children that came into the small building. They were tourists, and spoke English. The boy, who looked older, said something in English, which Sagitta did not understand. The man smiled and patted the boy on the shoulder. They began looking at the clocks and hand-carved statues of stallions and coyotes.
The girl browsed around the shop and noticed Sagitta. She moved closer, thinking that Sagitta was asleep. But she was not, and when the girl reached out her hand to pet the supposedly large dog, Sagitta immediately stood up and bit the girl’s hand. This, of course, caused a large commotion. The man and the boy turned to see the girl crying, tears soaking her sleeveless shirt and Sagitta with her teeth bared. Her ears were laid back on her head, and she growled. The girl screamed, the boy rushed to the phone to call an ambulance, the man rushing to Sagitta to back her away from the girl...
* * *
Sibberan twitched his ears. He stopped the pack. He glared at Canis, the runt of his pack. Canis was assumed to be one of the biggest, strongest, and most loyal, but he was a pup that could not do all things that were required. He was always behind. The last. He was alone, and would grow to be the lone wolf.
Libra was the most loyal to Sibberan. She was also an arctic wolf, and in need of companionship. She used to be a lone wolf. But only because her parents and siblings died. She was the only survivor. Libra stopped for a few seconds, then raced on. Sibberan was about to stop her, when he realized that another wolf was in their presence, and he was not of their pack.
Sibberan howled at the small speck that acted as the wolf that stood high on a hill. He howled back, welcoming the pack to his domain. Sibberan ran after Libra, and regained his place as the alpha male. After him, Libra slowed to a trot, and then a walk. Then came Puppis, Lupus, Grus, Carina, Lepus, and Perseus. Canis was last. Of course, they weren’t always in that order. Sometimes when they were on a hunt, they went in order according to talent and strength.
One by one, each of the wolves sang his or her note in the song of representation. Ara was just getting to know these strangers, and he wanted to know everything about them, including if they were friendly. Each tone Ara heard told him about the wolf and its background. When it was
over, he sang the last note, telling the wolves that he welcomed them to his kingdom.
* * *
The old man stared in silence at Sagitta. She had never caused trouble before. But it was the girl’s own wrong doing that caused her this fate, was it not? The elder thought for a while, with Sagitta sleeping on his shoes. She woke up once, left for about three hours, and then came back. Still, tourists would hear of this incident, and might not want to come back to his shop. He would be out of business, and lose his job. He must somehow keep her away from him. This, he could not do, for she lived in this village like a regular child. He must send her away. To the desert? No. She would not survive without anyone. The wilderness. Yes. She could survive with the deer and the trees, the squirrels, the animals she must have been growing up with since she was born. And now he wondered, like so many of the other people, how did this wolf get here? To Guatemala? How, but now he mustn’t think of that. How would he get rid of her was what he must figure out...
* * *
Sibberan stepped forth, introducing himself as the alpha male. Ara accepted this and was on his way. Libra signaled to the other wolves that it was fine to stay in this spot. The younger wolves were suspicious of the new surroundings; but Puppis assured them that Sibberan would protect everyone. Even Canis, which did not happen often. He was left alone.
Unsuspectingly, Carina visited Ara at night, if the pack was not hunting. She thought Ara was a wise wolf. She listened to everything he heard. She followed wherever he had been. She did whatever he had done, ages ago, in the past.
Carina learned that you could depend on the stars for most of your needs. The North Star would tell you where to go if you were lost, and where nomadic animals were headed. The constellations would tell you who you are. Where your ancestors were from. Ara explained to Carina that nobody would restrain you from your destiny if you were a lone wolf. Traveling wherever and whenever you wanted was being free.
* * *
Sagitta peered through the window. The man was polishing a wooden statue. She walked in silently, and then she revealed herself, nearly giving the man a heart attack. He spoke in soft, hoarse words. He cried. He patted her head. He whispered. He cried some more. He inhaled deeply. He exhaled hard. Sagitta licked his cheek. The man picked up a guitar he had made himself, and began to play "Savannah". Sagitta, a tame wolf, looked up into the eyes of an old man that lived alone in Guatemala.
* * *
Sibberan turned his head slightly. He gazed upon the kingdom of trees that Ara called home. He must make this land his own. This would be a perfect spot to raise his pack. There were plenty of hares and birds that lived here. There was many deer and, sometimes, moose. But Ara had claimed this land first, and Sibberan could not actually own this land if Ara's territory marks were here. The arctic wolf yawned. His eyes seemed to glow yellow. Only then did Sibberan notice that Carina was gone. He rose from the ground, careful not to disturb the other wolves. But Sibberan was not used to the surroundings, and he stumbled over Lupus, who was sleeping right in front of his path. Lupus awoke, growling at the alpha male. Sibberan stared at Lupus. He quieted down, then walked over to a tree and did his business. Canis, Perseus and Grus were all sleeping on top of one another. Canis moved his paw so that Grus’s bottom was on it. Then Lepus waddled over to the dog pile and slept with her head under Perseus’s lower jaw.
* * *
In Anchorage, Alaska, a wildlife zoo manager by the name of Bill Kakhuten was on his way to Guatemala, to visit an old friend.
* * *
Sagitta ran along the street. She was a spirit flying in the air. She let her tongue loll out of her mouth. Her black fur was whipped away by the wind. Through all the excitement, she did not notice a stranger walk into her friend’s shop. She did not stop to visit him. She passed his store and all of the other places in the village. She passed the market, were sweet fruits and cold vegetables were sold. She passed a butcher’s shop and the local inn. Sagitta did not stop running until she cornered the small puppy, who whimpered and cried, hoping that somebody would save him from this giant of a dog. The puppy let out a pathetic bark, and cowered behind a straw basket. Sagitta was merely intrigued by the size of this dog. He was so small that she could have swallowed him whole. But she didn’t. The wolf just pushed him away with her paw and nudged him with her nose. Then she left him alone.
* * *
Carina followed Ara to a frozen lake. She could not guess what adventures she would encounter today. For the last two weeks, she had done numerous things that she couldn’t have done if she were with the pack. Carina caught many fat rabbits, which were slower than hares. She wrestled a bear, once, and chased a buck until she and Ara brought him down. Carina thoroughly enjoyed her time with Ara. Ara listened to every sound. Every sound had its meaning. Ara thought about everything. Every thought had its background. Carina wanted to follow in his footsteps, but as long as she was fifth wolf after Sibberan, she could not be a lone wolf as she had hoped. Now she realized what her destiny was. But Carina was bound to the pack. Only Canis would probably be abandoned and turned away from them. But he was so small, he could possibly never survive.
* * *
Sagitta had her fill when the bright sun was high above her. She had caught two jack rabbits and found a swallow’s nest with eggs, and ate happily. Then she padded to the village where the old man sipped his coffee. He was wearing a straw hat to protect his head from the burning sun. But as Sagitta came closer, she spotted another person with him. He was sitting in a foldout chair with a sandwich in his hands. The old friend Sagitta had known for a long time chatted happily with the stranger. Sagitta heard the old man call him Bill. It seemed that Bill was a nice person. Sagitta could feel it. The way he talked. The way he smiled at her when she stared at his sandwich. A few times he ripped a piece of meat and bread from the sandwich and tossed it to her. The scraps of food landed on the wooden floor, making a slapping sound. The wolf stared at the food. She turned her head away, but soon the smell drifted up her nose and she snatched the meat and bread and chewed at the food.
* * *
After circling the perimeter of Ara’s territory, Sibberan trotted over to a small creek bed. He crouched down until his snout touched the ground. He nosed around, not looking for anything in particular, except maybe a sign of Carina. Sibberan was not especially worried about her. He was not really the kind of wolf that cared for others, although Libra and Lupus were of some importance to him. Sibberan’s tail swished in the slight breeze that weaved through his thick fur. Then, as if he had encountered an electric shock, he stood up faster then a doe could run in an open field. He quickly leaped over the freezing water that trickled through the dense forest. This was very shocking to him, because Sibberan sensed danger approaching. Not only that, but as he ran somewhat northeast, he caught the scent of Carina. Carina and Ara. He could smell them clearly. They were not too far away, but they probably had not noticed that someone was shooting at him.
***
The Mexican wolf did not understand what the two men were saying, but she could understand what they were talking about by the expressions on their faces. Bill Kakhuten’s long black hair was tied in a ponytail. His face was very light, almost too light. He had dark brown eyes and a long nose that curved at the end. The strangers’ lips were thin and dry, but he was almost always smiling.
Sagitta made herself comfortable by finding a cozy spot under the old man’s desk. Her paws and tail extended farther than the width of the desk, so you could see part of the wolf breathing lightly as she slept.
***
Carina jumped up onto a fallen tree and peered inside a hole. She sniffed, and caught the scent of dust and droppings. Some sort of creature was here recently, but not living in the hole. Ara was nearby, pawing at a rabbit burrow entrance. Carina was romping about the dark cool night, searching for interesting places to investigate. Both she and Ara were on their way to a great frozen lake far up north. It had been a short journey, only a mile or two from Ara’s grounds.
***
Bill started walking around his friend’s shop. He took great care of observing the figurines and glass balls.
***
Ara bounded down the muddy slope. Mud covered his legs. He had heard Sibberan coming to him from the woods, but this was not a friendly approach. It was a dangerous approach. Mean. Angry. Scared. Terrified.
With half of him covered in mud and the other half wet with snow, Ara sprinted out of the way just as Sibberan ran at him and nearly tackled him to the ground. Sibberan growled, showing large, yellow teeth. Bad teeth. Dirty teeth. Carnivorous teeth. Teeth that ripped the thick hide of moose and delicately teared the fur of rabbits.
Carina was now frightened. She was confused, because her two friends were fighting. Well, Sibberan was not her friend. Her friend and her leader were now fighting. Carina howled at the cloudless sky. There was no hope for peace between the two. They were now rivals. Forever. And all she could do was watch and bear the fight. She could run, but what a cowardly thing to do. Ara taught her that to run is to retreat. And in the game of chase between prey and predator, all you could do was fight.
* * *
As the two men walked outside to discuss matters of business and leisure, Sagitta awoke to the white rays of the setting sun. A small wind picked up and raised her fur. She got up and put her front paws on Bill’s chair and she caught his unfinished sandwich with her tongue and ate it. Life was good. Pleasing, pleasant, and happy. Rewarding, of course, but rewards were not all. Success was good, but unimportant. Life was important. Whoever cared about money, jobs, school, technology, stuff like that - they were missing better things. The world.
A mist entered the room of the shop, and concealed Sagitta. Her friend and his visitor came back into the room and wrote words on paper to eachother. But something strange happened. Bill Kakhuten did not leave immediately. He leaned forward and bent down onto his knees. He looked into the eyes of the black wolf. She did not growl, bark, or make any sudden movement. He smiled and raised his hand so that his hand and her nose were on the same level. Sagitta lowered her head and licked her own nose.
* * *
Shots interrupted the dead silence after Sibberan landed on his paws. He looked away from Ara and faced the sound. The death. The murder. And that was a costly mistake. A life-threatening mistake.
* * *
All of a sudden the two men talked something over and smiled. They shook hands. Bill turned away from the man and smiled at Sagitta. She looked at him but moved away and slipped out of the store.
Hours later, Sagitta returned to the store. She lay down on a small patch of rug and observed the last light of the sun. The last light she would ever see. Forty minutes later. Forty minutes more. Wait for thirty-nine more minutes. Twenty minutes gone. Twenty to go. Fifteen. Fourteen. Nine. Six. Four. One. Now. They were here.
* * *
Ara pounced on Sibberan and grabbed his neck. A weak spot. This was a battle. A fight. Until the end. Ara bit and chewed vigorously at whatever he could snatch in his jaws. Even his own self. He blindly caught Sibberan’s left scapula and bit down hard. A snap. Not a snap, a crack. A crackling noise of bone. Sibberan jumped up and landed on his back with Ara still holding onto him, and rolled around in the snow, trying to rid of the wolf.
Carina observed the battle, eager to see the remainder. The wolf who was strong enough, and better enough, to become victorious. Ara seized control of the fight once more after being thrown onto his stomach. He clambered up on a tree that was crooked and stood at a remarkable angle. There, Ara leaped onto Sibberan again and grasped his neck, digging his claws into Sibberan’s body. Blood. Everywhere.
And bloody as it was, neither would give in. Sibberan gave another attempt to knock out his opponent, and was successful this time. He shoved Ara and dug into his stomach, leaving a heavily cut tear. Red. Again, bloody.
* * *
A truck drove up to the man’s shop. He went outside to meet the driver. The driver of the truck was a medium sized man with black hair and a green hat on. He had a white shirt on with a green jacket and green pants. And black shoes. Smelly, black, ugly shoes. Sagitta was so frightened by the smell that she ran to the back of the shop and hid behind a tall lamp.
The elder led the truck driver into the store. Together, they dragged Sagitta by her scruff and led her to the back of the truck, where another man stood with a ramp. They all pushed her towards the ramp and stilled her when she was inside. Dark. Black. They closed the door of the truck. No good-byes. No memories. No tears. Nothing. And a noise, a startling noise that shook the whole truck, and shook Sagitta. She moved around, trying to get aquatinted with her new surroundings. Nothing. Cold metal. Cold. Dark and cold. Those were the only thoughts the wolf had now.
* * *
Carina was in a trance. She was not looking at the battle now, but at the land. She had not known that all of this space was where she was living. The mountains, the tundra, the forest, the lake, all of it - the ocean, too. And the details. Bark, waves, sand, leaves, rock, and of course tracks. Different tracks. Animal tracks. Tracks of animals. Prey. A path to find food, and adventure.
* * *
Sagitta lay down on the cold floor and thought. Just thought. What would happen now? She was alone. Alone. Alone and cold and hungry and miserable and not even bothering to hope she’ll be alive when the moving stops. Cold. Alone. Dark. And dark. She was alone in a cold place and it was dark. All alone. And she could not do a thing about it.
* * *
Ara lay motionless as Sibberan finished him off. Almost dead. Sibberan growled and threw back his head and gave a long howl. Ara was out cold. He was still alive, just barely breathing, but he might as well have bled to death. Sibberan sat down in the snow. The ground was covered in blood so much, that when Sibberan stood up, his rear end was red. But he was not interested in his fur right now. He could just finish off the other wolf, make it quick, to be sure Ara would not heal, but he could also just walk off and let Ara suffer as he died.
Carina was so attached to the wilderness that she forgot all about the battle. But when Sibberan had howled, she came back to earth and simply stared at the body. Before she did not notice that Ara was suffering, but now she was worried. Carina did not want to go back to the pack. But Sibberan might lead her there or just kill her, too. She was frightened. Scared. Probably scared to death because she would actually die. But the victor did not do a thing to her.
He went over to Ara and lifted his right hind leg up. And just as Sibberan was about to pee, Ara turned his head, rolled onto his side, and caught Sibberan’s leg just as the liquid sprayed into his eyes. Ara was so furious at what Sibberan did that he took the wolf’s leg into his jaws and bit down as hard as he had ever done. He bit down into the skin, muscle, and broke Sibberan’s tibia. At first there was a crack and then a long silence. Ara looked at Sibberan with his leg still in his mouth. But after the seconds passed, Ara growled in his throat and turned over onto his back, bring Sibberan down as his leg twisted completely and it was torn off. Sibberan made an effort to gnaw at Ara’s paw, but he slowly, so slowly that it felt like hours, fell to the ground and died, with his eyes open, facing east.
* * *
bravenet.com