Thursday, February 21, 2013

At First I Thought It Was A Coyote

Then I realized it was a wolf.

Hi. My name is Sharon. I'm a wolf. A female wolf.

Don't act so surprised.

You've heard of wolves.

Well, I am one, and I just happen to be a girl.

That's what I call myself. Don't you get any ideas though. It's Ms. wolf to you.

Now, let's talk.

It's possible you have never seen a wolf before, especially one like me.

But if you have seen a wolf, most likely it was one of of those listless, depressed, moth-eaten specimens in some zoo.

That isn't what wolves are like.

That's what you people do to wolves.

I, however, am a real wolf. A live wolf. A wild wolf.

And I am passing through.

Like I said - don't get any ideas.

Sure, this is nice country, but there is a lot of country, and a lot of it is nice. What you have here? Another place.

Only another place, as far as I can see.

Some good, some bad, some eh. Like most places.

I come from up North. Way up North.

I like to capitalize that word.

North.

That way it has a kind of ring to it. Maybe it's a ring you can't hear, but you know it's there anyway. Maybe.

North.

Around here, Canada is what you call my home territory.

I don't.

I don't call it that. None of us do.

If you prove you have good manners, and I choose to hang around, I may tell you the whole story some day.

And maybe not. I don't know yet. I doubt it.

And humans are notoriously unreliable. They like to wallow in their ignorance, so it's a long shot that we'll be hanging out together. A very, very long shot.

Anyway, we wolves prefer our own company.

So unless you somehow become a wolf (and based on what I've seen so far, I seriously doubt your qualifications), we won't be doing too much talking.

Sure. Go ahead. Take a few photos.

But don't try anything funny, hear? I can be on the wrong side of you before you put down that camera and reach for anything else.

No. You really are not fast enough.

Or smart enough.

Not compared to me.

You didn't "accidentally" encounter me either. I've been watching you for a long time. I just wanted to get a closer look.

No. I am not really that impressed, now that you mention it. Not at all.

In fact, I just remembered a previous appointment.

Over by Far Creek.

Listen for the howling around midnight.

That will be us.

More:

Wolf photographed near Ardenvoir probably just passing through