Gabu trotted down the pathway leading from Baku Baku to the actual valley below. No one noticed him leave, and those who do rarely give it another thought. He did not even see if Mei had replied to his message. He began to wonder why he chose not to wait.
"If Mei is there, great! We can have fun today. If she sees this message tomorrow, we can have fun tomorrow. I'll go and wait for her. If she comes, fun today. Otherwise, fun tomorrow. Yes!" Gabu was satisfied with this. He took a risk of wasting his own time if the message was not seen, but it was his to waste.
The journey to Nomi Nomi does not take nearly as long for a wolf as it would for other animals. Gabu could run for quite awhile if he did not push himself, and others always gave him the right of way, lest they become a snack. Past the trees of a distant forest the smooth flowing, shimmering waters of Nomi Nomi welcomed him. Time to wait for Mei.
Gabu picked a spot on the riverbank where he could see not only the water, but could also see when Mei was coming as well. The sound of the water was quite calming. He was alone with his thoughts - thoughts of hunting mice.
"Little mouse, little mouse... da da da da da..." Gabu could now sing and tap and nod his head all he wanted.
Gabu's favorite song was the Wind Song, taught by his mother when he was very little. It was a special song they shared. Even after she was gone, like the wind of the Wind Song, she too was always by his side. Discovering that Mei also loved that song was an incredible bit of luck. He had someone new to share it with.
The Hunt Song though, Gabu never shared with Mei. The Hunt Song was generally something fathers sang with their pups, and usually only the males. There were a few versions of the song, with different animals, actions, and verses. The first one most pups learn is "mouse" and perhaps that's why it becomes their favorite.
As the pup ages, different animals are featured, such as "rabbit" and even "deer". By the time a juvenile wolf learns the "deer" song they have usually outgrown the song altogether and see it as a puppy song, despite the prey in that version fighting back. Some wolves have been injured by their own fathers this way.
Bari's singing to the pups that morning invoked memories of Gabu's puppyhood, and naturally, it reminded him of his father. While he was so excited earlier to visit with Mei, he was starting to hope she did not see his message today. He was not in the best spirits anymore.
Gabu looked down at the smooth water and his reflection. There he was, plain ol' Gabu. He turned his head from side to side. Not a fang was showing. His relaxed jowls usually covered them. Every wolf he knows has obvious fangs. The females, little Boro, and even Butch - except his bottom fangs show instead.
As he looked down at himself, he slowly curled his lips to expose his fangs. He was surprised to see not just himself, but for a brief moment, his own father looking back at him. Gabu was not a pup anymore, he knew that. He was old enough to be a father himself now, but he will always be his father's son. He relaxed his lips and watched the water distort his image, and daydreamed of a time so long ago...
"I'm a little mouse, little mouse, I will run away..." Galuru looked nothing like a little mouse. The darker brown adult wolf was a fine specimen. His snout was accented with a lighter color. His age rewarded him with an almost regal extra collar of fur around his neck. He was a warrior. He had little time to be a father, or a mouse.
Little Gabu crouched and leapt in readiness, with a wide toothy grin. "I will knock you down!" This hunter looked more like a little mouse. The youngster's ears only recently stopped flopping about. Coming from a litter of one, he had unrestricted access to bottomless milk, yet was almost a runt.
Galuru hopped from his spot, and Gabu sprang to life and gave chase inside the den. Around mom they went, who tucked her tail in to avoid having it stepped on. The large wolf found himself cornered, and his son leapt upon him with fangs bared. Laughing, and naturally biting, followed like always.
"What a fine hunter you will be, Gabu. You're just like me." The biting continued but Galuru was not phased.
Mom agreed, "Yes, you surely will. Now please, don't eat my mate." Gabu leapt off his father and trotted proudly over to mom. She licked the top of his head tenderly.
"Sir? The Boss would like a word with you. It's urgent." An intimidating wolf appeared at the entrance to their den.
Galuru stood and shook his fur. Despite being attacked, he still looked magnificent. "I must go." He gave his family a serious look as he immediately left with the wolf. Gabu watched him go, and his ears drooped as he looked up at his mother.
"It's okay, dear. It's just pack business. He'll be back."
"I know. He always goes. I wanted to play." The pup's eyes started to water.
Mom smiled at her son, and began in a soothing tone, "Hu lu lu, hu lu luuu..."
Gabu smiled back.
"I am the wind that's free..." Adult Gabu continued the song softly to himself, completely lost in thought. The song reminded him of his mother of course, but now, it also reminded him of Mei. He saw her pretty face in his mind. He imagined it being illuminated by lightning inside the hut that first night they met during the storm. This strange combination of thoughts surfaced another lost memory...
Thunder rumbled outside the den, waking little Gabu. Did he hear it? He raised his head up and looked at the entrance of the den. One could barely make out the rocky designs of Baku Baku outside. Then it lit up brightly for a moment. Gabu's mouth opened in awe. He continued to watch the den entrance and listened for the sound again.
Rumble rumble! The storm was close. Gabu was excited. Storms mean rain, and rain means puddles, and puddles mean lots of fun things for him and his friends to do. He looked forward to sitting in them, running through them, even having splashing contests in them. Butch usually won those, but it was fun all the same. Fun until he came home that is, at which point mom often insisted on a bath.
The rain began pattering outside. The air smelled fresh. Gabu was tired but felt proud to be the only one who knew it was raining. Another flash of lightning in the distance, another rumble soon followed. He wanted the storm to go right through Baku Baku. That would make for some great puddles tomorrow.
Gabu looked across the darkened den towards the curled-up silhouettes of his parents. Which one was dad was obvious. His legs often twitched as he slept, and sometimes he would quietly growl and bark as well. His mother called these "Night patrols". She said it was his way of keeping them safe at all times.
The rain increased in intensity. Gabu stood up to get a better view of the droplets impacting the ground outside. This was going to be good. He planned to seek out Bari first thing in the morning.
Just then, a bright flash lit up both the world outside and the den inside. A great crack of thunder tore through the sky. It was brighter and louder than the little wolf ever experienced before. Gabu dropped to the ground and crouched tightly. The light's echo continued to reverberate in his vision.
A fierce snarl and a piercing yelp was heard amidst the decaying thunder.
There was movement from the silhouettes. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Galuru's voice quivered in the darkness.
Mom strained to speak. "It's okay. I'll be okay." Her voice improved right away. "Gabu? Where are you Gabu?"
"I'm here, mom!" Gabu ran to his mother's embrace, trembling violently. "What was that? What happened?" He buried his nose into her fur. The smell comforted him. It was the safest place in the world.
In the darkened den, his father's shaky voice replied, "I bit her! I was dreaming and I bit her. I'm sorry... so sorry..." He continued to lick his mate's wound until it stopped tasting like blood.
Gabu pressed his body against his mother's soft, warm fur, and tried to focus on the sound of the rain outside. His ears instead picked up something quite different. For the first and only time ever, he heard his father cry.
From the next night onwards, Galuru slept at the den entrance, facing out.
The sound of thunder no longer reminded Gabu of puddles.
"Gabu?"
The adult wolf was fast asleep. The only brown rock in a sea of grey ones, he was easy to find. And of course, wolves have a musky odor that sets them apart from stones. This stone opened his eyes.
"Mei!" He stood and stretched quickly. He did not want to make her feel unwelcome.
Mei laughed her usual laugh. "Was I that late today? I just saw your message awhile ago."
"No, no. You're not late! I sent the message late. Sorry 'bout that. I thought today would be a good day to explore around here. We haven't been to Nomi Nomi in some time. What do you think?"
"Yes I like it. It's very pretty here. Where do you want to go?" Mei looked out over the river.
"Well, you came from over there, so let's go that other way!" Gabu pointed with a claw farther down the river to the plains beyond. "Guess we can't go really far because we don't have a lot of time today."
"That's okay, Gabu. Being with you, even for a little while, is always worth the trip." She smiled.
The wolf beamed at the compliment. The pair went off to enjoy an afternoon of exploration.