Was serenaded last night by a pack of wolves. I was voraciously devouring the last chapter of “A Thousand White Women”, a fantastic book about May Dodd who was traded by the US government to a Cheyenne Chief for a horse. In my mind I was back in the time of the 1800’s living in a tipi when I hear this eerie, piercing howling right outside my front door. I threw the book down, jumped out of bed, and looked at my Samoyed dog that was looking back at me. He was calm and curious. I was petrified, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand out. I was told that by my neighbour one night as we sat out by the bonfire shortly after moving in. We were listening to what we thought were wolves howling off in the distance when my neighbour drove in the driveway to see what was going on in his old house. No one had lived here for years. When we told him to listen to the howling of the wolves, he laughed. He said, that’s not wolves, that is MacKenzie’s sled dogs. Well, this silly old city girl had a good laugh and felt a little foolish. I was told that when I did hear wolves, it would make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I now know what he was
I have heard coyotes quite a bit out there in the country. They have a high pitched yipping sound. They scare me too but they seem to keep a little distance. I have heard them all around my house but in the fields surrounding. Of course, I keep my dog in when I hear that. But this howling was right in my yard!!
Recently, I saw a wolf run right across the road in front of me on my way into town. I had Mukwa, my Samoyed in the back. He was given that name by an Ojibway medicine man who gave me the dog. It means “Bear” because when he was born, he looked like a little polar bear. That day I stopped the car, and fervently was looking for my camera. Mukwa started talking. It wasn’t like a bark, and it wasn’t howling. He was talking to the wolf. The wolf stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at my car, wondering what the hell was that!! And I am going crazy looking for my camera throwing things all over the car. Where the hell is the damned thing when I have a wolf sitting looking at me 20 feet away. Finally I find it and put the window down to get a good shot and Mukwa decides he is going to go play with that wolf and tries to jump out of the window. I was glad I have power window and was able to get it up quick enough to stop him. Not sure if the wolf would eat him or just check him out but not willing to take that chance. No, not a play day today. And no photos.
So here we are at midnight with wolves visiting and Mukwa wants to go outside to play. No way Mukwa. So I turn on the front outside light, open the door, but cannot see any wildlife outside. I step onto the deck and my heart is beating very loudly in my chest. No full moon, just wolves howling around my garage somewhere. Pretty darned close, let me tell you. I am exhilarated. Wow, you don’t get this in the city. So I started howling back. They stopped right away. So I jumped back into the house with Mukwa looking longingly at me. But not barking and not talking. In fact, he has never talked again like he did in the car that day. I keep trying to get him to talk. I ply him with treats, “Come on Mukwa talk, speak.” and he just looks at me with the big beautiful black eyes, and I give him the treat. I am a real pushover for those eyes. But what about protecting me, barking or something. Nope, nothing. He barks at some humans. They are probably more menacing than the wolves I suppose.
And that was it, no howling for the moment. I went back to my book. They Cheyennes are bucking down for the winter. A half hour later the wolves were back, in the back yard. I have no light out the back yard. I am feeling a little braver after I scared them off with my howling last time. Still no sound from my trustworthy guard dog. I opened the back door, and gasped as I realized exactly how friggin close they were. What did they want? Did I leave garbage outside? Were they letting me know they were pissed off at the hunters down the road? My neighbour has about 30 people over for the weekend and they have gone past my place all day with their 4 wheelers. Last night I heard them shooting some Canada geese. Of course that is illegal and I am tempted to call my other neighbour who is mayor of our township but she is good friends of that guy’s mother and out here in the country, you sometimes keep your mouth shut. Like my dog I guess. So I didn’t dare step foot out into the back yard with the wolves so close. I wanted to yell, shoe, shoe but instead I started howling again with the intention of “Get the hell of my property. You scare the shit out of me. “ And they got it. They stopped. Thank God. I shut the door, took some deep breaths, had a glass of water, and climbed back into bed. I opened the book again, thankful that I had a few pages left to distract me before sleep. Of course, I was wondering how long these episodes of howling may go on for. I finished the book in 5 minutes, always a sad thing when you have enjoyed a good book, and closed the light. I listened intensely for any noise outside. Called Mukwa to come sleep beside me. He came into my room, gave me a lick on the hand, and went back to where he usually sleeps in the guest room. At least he was close. I feel asleep with a big smile on my face feeling so close the nature and the mystery of life. I slept like a log, if logs ever sleep, and woke up again with a smile on my face, put the coffee on, and wrote this blog. Life is good.
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