Episode 8: How a Lone Wolf changed his nation.

This episode is about how a singular wolf affected his nation. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Welcome to Spirit Stories, a spirit-driven podcast where the songs, poems, teachings, and stories of spirits are given to me to share with the world. Thank you for joining me and opening your hearts to what spirits have to say. This story is about a singular wolf who changed the fate of his entire nation.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

It all began in the great grasslands, where the bison and the elk and the deer dwell, as well as the wolf nation. The great grasslands were a populous place, thriving and prosperous. There was plenty of grass, which meant that there is plenty of prey. The prey was tender, easy to hunt, and the world was in harmony, a good balance. Birthing several cubs, all growing old and strong. There was one wolf born among them with a weak, lame leg. It meant that he had a limp, and he could not run as fast as his fellow cubs. And as such he was shunned and rejected. For the other wolves and the wolf cubs did not see him as equal. They saw him as less. And the weak wolf could not understand why. It saddened him greatly. He knew that he could not keep up with the others. He knew that he would never be given the choicest of meats, no, those went to the hunters, to the cubs who would grow strong one day and become hunters. He knew that he would never have a mate, and as such he grew more and more weary with life. So he would go out by himself in the night and cry out in dismay each and every night. And as he grew without the choicest of meats, mind you, he was a little undernourished, not terribly so, yet just enough that he couldn't keep up with all the other wolves. He was rejected, never asked to go on the hunts, not asked to play. He was lonely. Day in and day out of this experience had convinced the lone wolf that he was in fact a burden as opposed to a contributing member of a nation. Time passed, and his fellow cub mates grew strong while he remained as he was. And that year a drought had come, drying up the grasslands, making food less plentiful, and so the bison and the elk and the deer all suffered, resulting in casualties among their nations, and fewer prey roamed the grasslands. Those fewer, in fact, who did survive had strong, tough hides. And the wolf hunters were used to tender prey that was easy to take down. This was no longer the case, for only the tough survived during the hard times. And as a result, the wolf nation could no longer feed themselves. Meat was not abundant, there were no choices, only scraps. Cubs starved, the elderly perished, and a few of the cubs perished too. The wolf nation was diminished. The wolf nation was suffering. And the lone wolf could see this as he did his nightly routine in the fields. His heart broke. He felt for his people, and he cried in dismay. He cried out to anyone who would listen, What can I do to help my people survive? What can I do? And the earnestness with which he uttered those words had caught the very ears of a particular spirit. She came in a woman's form wearing a pale dress. I hear you, she whispered. All suffer. We are all related, she whispered. But the lone wolf did not fully understand her meaning. What he did understand and appreciate was the magnitude of the very person before him. Knowing that he did not fully comprehend, she said again, We are all related. We are all the same. We only appear different. This idea niggled in the back of the wolf's mind, even though he did not completely appreciate the ramifications. He spoke to the pale dress woman about his concern for his people, about the suffering of the cubs and the elderly, and even the suffering of those who had mocked him and shunned him. The pale dress woman was deeply touched. She was moved by this lone wolf's very concern for a people that did not appreciate him in the slightest. I will give you a gift, she whispered, a gift that will allow you to feed your people. Your people will survive. The lone wolf was filled with gratitude and bowed his head. This gift comes at a great cost, she continued. It must never be used on children. And the wolf agreed, understanding that this vow was one to never be broken. And as he agreed, the pale dress woman stepped forward, pressing her forehead to his brow, and when the two met fur upon skin, a bright light shone between them, and the lone wolf experienced excruciating pain in his mouth, and he yipped out as his teeth elongated and sharpened, especially a pear in the very front, and he ran his tongue among his sharp teeth, duly impressed with the gift that had been bestowed upon him, feeling the strength within his jaws as he opened and closed his mouth. And he thought, I am strong now. One would have thought that his elation would have made the pale dress woman happy, but instead a frown came across her features, for she was deeply saddened. In her perspective, the wolf had always been strong, for it was a very special type of strength for any person to seek help for the very people who have shunned and dismissed him. What great strength was there to love someone who did not care for you, who saw you as less than what great strength it took to ask for help. Yet the lone wolf could not see this very strength within himself, and Pale Dress Woman understood that. Instead she whispered instructions every life you hunt, she said, will come at a great cost. And before she walked away, she admonished remember no children. This gift shall not be used on the children. And the wolf readily agreed, for he understood that the children were sacred. That night the wolf limped back to his nation. He had spoken with some of those within his den, letting them know that he was ready to contribute to his nation to help, to feed them all. Days had passed before the ragtag nation would come together and allow him to join the hunters. The lone wolf ran slowly, unable to keep up with the fastest, and as a result, he caused the entire hunting party to slow down and match his pace. And when they came upon a group of prey, a few of them had chosen to break away and encircle the prey, working as a group to funnel them towards the direction of the lone wolf standing by himself. And the lone wolf watched the prey as they came near, and he remembered the whispered words of the pale dress woman, we are all the same. And he understood in those moments what sacrifice this prey was giving so that he and his nation may survive. And the lone wolf struck quickly and true with sharp teeth and strong jaw, making the work swift. And after the deed was done, he howled into the air and sky and wind, releasing a voice filled with honor for the sacrifice that the prey had bestowed upon him and his nation. And after the hunt was concluded, the meat was then brought back and distributed among the tribe. And there was a pain in his joints and his limbs, a lingering constant pain that the wolf felt from this hunt. It was days before another hunt was needed, and then again the lone wolf joined the hunting party, and yet again he could not keep up, ever slow with that limp, yet strong with those jaws and sharp teeth. So the hunting party surrounded him, and when they came upon another different tribe of prey, they fanned out surrounding it, funneling it, moving as a group, as a pack like never before, moving and guiding the prey towards the lone wolf. The lone wolf watched as they came ever closer, and he chose his target well, going in swiftly and sure, making the work quick. And once it was completed, he took the moment with a large breath, head towards the sky, and howled the song of honor for the sacrifice that the prey had bestowed to allow for his very nation to thrive. And as he howled, a pain, a new one, ever present, will evermore be present, joined the first. And the lone wolf understood that his sacrifice was to be in pain with each and every hunt. Now time passed, and the wolf nation grew healthy and robust. And so did the various prey nations of the bison and the deer and the elk. The land was in balance and it was thriving. And the wolf nation grew to revere the lone wolf as he grew old. They would only request him when it was in great need. And they witnessed the wolf's pain grow more and more as the ears grew, as the number of hunts grew. They witnessed as the lone wolf embodied the very essence of true harmony and balance, for he was the wolf with the strongest jaw and the sharpest teeth among them. And yet he was also the weakest and the slowest at the same time. Because of this, that was the reason why the hunters had to modify how they hunted and became more cooperative amongst one another as opposed to competitive, and that was why they now and forevermore will hunt as a pack. There was an especially hard winter that made particularly tough hides. The prey nations had dwindled some, and so the hunters had requested the lone wolf for his talents once again. The older and wiser lone wolf chose in that moment to agree, knowing that this would be his final hunt. He went out with the hunters. Together they found the prey, and as they guided the prey towards the lone wolf, he watched the prey, he eyed the prey and silently communicated his thanks. Then he struck true and swiftly, immediately following with his head tilted to the air, and the beautiful howl of honor and sacrifice and gratitude. This hunt would feed his nation, and that howl embodied that very concept. After the hunt was concluded, the hunters brought the meat back. To the nation, and the lone wolf calmly limped to his den once more. When he reached his den and the sun had set, he laid down calmly, curled up in his favorite position, and closed his eyes just as the stars began to peak in the sky. His eyes closed for the very last time, and his breath escaped him. And the wolf's spirit left his body to travel among the moonbeams. The moon beams were his path to the spirit world. In the spirit world, he met a longtime friend, the pale-dressed woman, who greeted him with a smile and welcome. At this point, he understood the relationship among all beings. He understood why it mattered to have balance in the world. And as he spoke with the pale dress woman, her long dark hair flowing in the spirit breeze, he asked her if there was anything left that he could do for his people. And the pale dress woman looked upon the lone wolf with such love and compassion. She told him gently, turn around and witness your people. So the lone wolf turned around, standing on the moon beam, shining brightly in the sky, looking down upon the wolf nation. He watched as each and every wolf, old, young, cub, adult, as they surrounded his lifeless body. He watched and listened as each voice, one at a time, cried out into the night, tipping their muzzle in the air, letting loose a howl of honor, a howl of respect, a howl of gratitude for the very sacrifice that the lone wolf himself had given for the strength of his people. And the lone wolf witnessed with tears in his eyes as every member of his own tribe sang and honored him. The very people who began his life shunning him ended his life appreciating and understanding all that he was capable of being. And as they listened, sharp pains erupted among their mouths, each individually, and teeth elongated and sharpened, and jaws became stronger. Yes, they had become the strong wolf nation. They had been gifted with the very gift that the lone wolf had been given himself. And much like the lone wolf, their lifespans were shortened. For this is the price of a hunter. This is what brings balance to the world. And each member of the wolf nation never forgot the lessons of the singular lone wolf who was born limp and weak and died with the same limpness, but not weak at all. These lessons were taught to each and every cub. Lessons of how to hunt as a pack, as a team, and the most important lesson of all, the night song of the lone wolves sung to the mean moonbeams in honor of the one who had gifted everyone with sharp teeth and strong jaws.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

Thank you for joining me to hear what spirits have to share with the world. If you are driving or working with heavy machinery, please stop this recording now. Otherwise, I encourage you to pay attention to what this story has brought for you and the lessons that it wanted to share.