Disclaimer: I do not own Sanctuary. All wolf information found in this story was found here: http:// www. wolf country .net /information/ WolfPack .html
Wolf in Me: Chapter 4
The Fox and the Wolf
Will had been on a couple of camping trips with his family when he was little, but nothing as isolated as this. The air froze his nostrils when he breathed too deep, and his face was cold twenty minutes into the hike.
Even with flat surface to the village, it still took a lot out of them. After a while, Will began to find the atmosphere a little spooky, which was funny because he dealed with abnormals on a day to day basis. He didn't expect the trees to be so dark, and the shadow of the mountain made it seem like it was later in the day than it actually was.
Henry seem content following at Will's heals, and he wondered off only a few times for a minute. Even with Henry at his side and the weight of a pistol on his leg, he still wasn't very comfortable with his situation.
Will hated guns; hated to use them, hated to carry one. But unknown to the Sanctuary residents - except for maybe Helen - he had been practicing. When he had a few minutes to spare, he would spend it at the shooting range, trying to get his aim right. The thought of protected himself only floated across his mind a few times, but the thought of protecting his family was a constant thing.
The duo only stopped a few times - either to get something to eat or to rest their legs - but they didn't make camp until the sun started sinking. Double checking his map, he nodded in acceptance and looked at Henry.
"We're going to have to set up camp here for tonight. We still have about three miles to go before we reach the town." Henry seemed to nod and them plopped on the ground where he was standing.
Will set his backpack on a rock that was protruding from the earth. He dug into the front pocket and brought out two beef jerky, throwing one to Henry. Taking a bite, he looked around for a good place to set up the tent. He found a good flat spot and grabbed a ground cloth from the bag, laying it down on the cold ground. The tent was easy to set up, since it was small and could only fit two people comfortably. Somewhere off in the distance, a wolf howled, and it's pack answered. Henry's head popped up at the sound, but relaxed when their was no more noise.
After he made sure the tent wasn't going anywhere, Will slipped into the tent and closed it up. Henry was contently laying in the corner, watching the human do his work. Will grabbed a few more pieces of beef jerky when he pulled out a sleeping bag. It would be cold tonight, but he had grabbed an extra blanket just incase it got too cold.
Will settled into his sleeping bag as the wind began to pick up outside. Henry had fallen into an easy sleep, but sleep would not come to him. He was tired from the days hike, but his mind was on overdrive. He had brought the journal that had detailed information about werewolves, and he was itching to read it.
He tried to ignore that itch, he really did, but his mind overrode everything. Slipping quietly out of the sleeping bag, he grabbed the journal and a flash light. With a quick glance at Henry, he began to read:
With my times with werewolves, I found that they - if you exclude their human-like shape - are not that different than wolves.
Wolves communicate not only by sound (such as yipping, growling, and howling), but also by body language. This ranges from subtle signals-such as a slight shift in weight-to the obvious, like rolling on the back as a sign of submission.
- A dominant wolf stands stiff legged and tall. The ears are erect and forward, and the hackles bristle slightly. Often the tail is held vertical and curled toward the back. This display shows the wolf's rank to all others in the pack. A dominant lupine may stare penetratingly at a submissive one, pin it to the ground, "ride up" on its shoulders, or even stand on its hind legs.
- In active submission, the entire body is lowered, and the lips and ears are drawn back. Sometimes active submission is accompanied by a rapid thrusting out of the tongue and lowering of the hindquarters. The tail is placed down, or halfway or fully between the legs, and the muzzle often points up to the more dominant animal. The back may be partially arched as the submissive wolf humbles itself to its superior. (A more arched back and more tucked tail indicate a greater level of submission.)
- Passive submission is more intense than active submission. The wolf rolls on its back and exposes its vulnerable throat and underside. The paws are drawn into the body. This is often accompanied by whimpering.
- An angry lupine's ears are erect, and its fur bristles. The lips may curl up or pull back, and the incisors are displayed. The wolf may also snarl.
- A frightened wolf tries to make its body look small and therefore less conspicuous. The ears flatten down against the head, and the tail may be tucked between the legs, as with a submissive wolf. There may also be whimpering or barks of fear, and the wolf may arch its back.
- A defensive wolf flattens its ears against its head. An aggressive wolf snarls and its fur bristles. The wolf may crouch, ready to attack if necessary.
- Pulling back of the ears shows a lupine is suspicious. In addition, the wolf narrows its eyes. The tail of a wolf that senses danger points straight out, parallel to the ground.
- A relaxed wolf's tail points straight down, and the wolf may rest sphinxlike or on its side. The wolf's tail may also wag. The further down the tail droops, the more relaxed the wolf is.
- An aroused wolf's tail points straight out, and the wolf may crouch as if ready to spring.
- As dogs do, a lupine may wag its tail if it is in a joyful mood. The tongue may loll out of the mouth.
- A wolf that is hunting is tensed, and therefore the tail is horizontal and straight.
- A playful lupine holds its tail high and wags it. The wolf may frolic and dance around, or bow by placing the front of its body down to the ground, while holding the rear high, sometimes wagged. This is reminiscent of the playful behavior executed in domestic dogs.
Wolves, and werewolves, howl for several reasons. Howling helps pack members keep in touch, allowing them to effectively communicate in thickly forested areas or over great distances. Furthermore, howling helps to summon pack members to a specific location. Howling can also serve as a declaration of territory, as portrayed by a dominant wolf's tendency to respond to a human imitation of a "rival" individual in an area that the wolf considers its own. This behavior is also stimulated when a pack has something to protect, such as a fresh kill. As a rule of thumb, large packs will more readily draw attention to themselves than will smaller packs. Adjacent packs may respond to each others' howls, which can mean trouble for the smaller of the two. Thus, wolves tend to howl with great care. Wolves will also howl for communal reasons.
Wolves will howl at different tones and varying pitches, which tends to prevent a listener from accurately estimating the number of wolves involved. This concealment of numbers makes a listening rival pack wary of what action to take. For example, confrontation could mean bad news if the rival pack gravely underestimates the howling pack's numbers.
A long, drawn out cry echoed around the tent; making both human and werewolf heads snap up. The cry echoed again, this time closer. Henry growled and went to the tent door, and Will got up and went with him; his hand on the gun.
A full moon shone above them, shedding little light on the forest around them. The wind was calm, and the trees stood still. It was completely silent.
He should have seen it, heard it, something.
One moment he was standing beside Henry, looking out into the darkness, the next he was on his back with a large fox on top of him.
Sharp teeth dug into his left shoulder and claws dug into his side, and he had to bite his lip from crying out. He tried to reach for the gun, but every time he moved, the fox dug his teeth and claws in deeper.
The attacking fox didn't even notice Henry until it was too late. In a bone crunching move, Henry had slammed his whole body into the fox, causing it to fly off of Will. Will sat up, clutching his side with his good arm. He got a good look at the fox that that attacked him.
It was large, almost as large as a grizzly bear. Even with the minimal light of the moon, he could see that the fox's fur was orange-red in color. What caught his eye, was the two tails that swished back and forth with aggression.
Henry charged at the fox again, who was getting up off the forest floor. They collided with a loud crack, almost like thunder. The fox was the first to get off the forest and ran, followed by Henry.
"Henry!" But is was too late. Will cursed and scrambled to his feet. He could feel the blood oozing between his fingers, and his shoulder throbbed, but he ignored it as he grabbed a flashlight and followed the two animals.
He felt like he had been running for hours, but it couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes. His shoulder hurt and his side burned, but he didn't dare stop. He had to find Henry. The sounds of a battle faded in and out of his hearing. He tried to follow, but every time he thought he located the scene, it would shift again.
A loud yelp sounded close to him and then there was silence, total silence. His heart froze in his chest, and he ran. He ran with all his might. The wounds were no longer hurting; he was going off of adrenaline.
He stumbled into a clearing and when he saw made his heart stop. Henry was laying on the forest floor, bleeding from multiple wounds, the fox nowhere in sight. And he was human. Will stumbled over to the prone Henry. He was laying on the ground, turned onto his side. He leaned over and checked his pulse; it was strong and steady. He was unconscious, but breathing and alive.
He couldn't stay awake any longer. With the thought of Will safe floated through his mind, he succumbed to the darkness.