My Father and Animals

We woke up early the next morning, ate breakfast, then headed back to the town. Even during our return journey, we encountered a large pack of wolves. The pack quickly charged at us, but father stepped in. He killed only one of them weirdly enough, their leader to be precise. That wolf was bigger than its common counterparts, and had a silver-grey coat. Most of the wolves ran away scared, which was something we haven't seen before. Though three of them remained behind. They growled at my father, but didn't approach nor run away.

"Did you guys know that wolves follow a strong leader? They are pack animals, and depend on a strong leader to guide them. I killed their leader without a struggle, hence the weaker wolves quickly ran away. They knew winning would be impossible, since even their leader posed no threat to me. You must wonder why these three wolves remained, right?", he explained.

The wolves indeed had no intention of running away, but didn't intend to attack either. "Did you do something to them?", I asked, confused. "No, nothing at all. They don't want to run away, since these guys are attracted to my strength. I only killed their leader, but left the normal wolves alone. In other words. They want to make me their new leader, but are unsure about my intentions", father replied.

"So, what now?", Vick asked, confused as well. "I can accept them, or shoo them away", father replied before slowly approaching the wolves. They growled even louder, while backing off a bit at a time. Then something magical happened. Father extended his hand, and touched one of the wolves. "Good boy", he said while petting it with a smile. 'These are wild animals… How can they behave like pets?...', I asked myself. Father proceeded to pet the other two. They were wary of him, but didn't fight when father petted them.

He then took out some meat, and fed each wolf. "Dad… What are you doing exactly?", I asked, no longer sure what was going on. "I used to have such wolves. Actually, their kids are still alive on a certain mountain where Yater lives. These wolves are more friendly to Humans, but only those they are familiar with. Unfortunately, only one old silver wolf remained in that pack. He recognised me after a while, that in turn made others accept me as well. Wolves are beautiful creatures, you know?", he explained.

"Does that mean, uncle is going to take them?", Lana asked, unsure. "Well, we don't have wolves in the North. I figured we could take these guys. There are two females and one male. There shouldn't be any issues making more wolves… Although, I'll need to grab a few others. Yater will not mind if I take a few from that pack...", he said, but his words turned into loud thoughts toward the end.

"You guys probably think that wolves are not very loyal. When their leader died, most of them ran away or chose to follow a different leader. That is not true. Wolves are very loyal, more than many Humans could ever be. The leaders of each pack, usually treat those below badly. Yet the wolves follow them until the very end. The keyword here is 'treated badly'. Imagine how loyal they'd be when treated very well. Besides, I like animals", father added.

"Heh? I always wanted to have more pets at home. Mother was always reluctant. She accepted Turry only because I won a competition. There's no way she'd buy a Taurus for me", I said while approaching them. The wolves immediately growled at me, making me stop in my tracks. "They are still wild animals, Anna. They see me as their leader, but aren't used to other Humans yet. This will take time, but they will get used to others. Then you'll be able to touch or play with them as you wish. For now, just let them be", father explained.

I nodded, then backed away not to aggravate them. Father then checked each wolf thoroughly, before passing his hand over them. "Uncle, what are you doing?", Vick asked. "Oh, I'm helping them get rid of pesky creatures… See? Their coats look much cleaner now. I also checked their state of health, and how old they are. This one is male, and he's about two years old. This female is about three years old, while this one is a bit younger but also about three years old", father explained, then reached to his bag.

He took out some bottles, then made each wolf drink one. "This is some medicine that will cleanse them, and even make them a bit stronger. They'll feel better in a few hours, but there's nothing to worry about… How about you guys name each one?", he proposed. "Huh? We can?", Vick replied, a bit surprised. "Sure, but of course don't make it sound anything stupid", father replied.

Even Lana was interested in naming a wolf, therefore we began thinking of a name. "How about Hunter? A wolf hunts, so it fits", Lana proposed. "That is a good name. From now on, this youngest guy will be called Hunter. How about the two females?", father asked. "I think Ivory is a nice sounding name. This one is a bit less grey, so Ivory suits her", Vick proposed. "Also a good name, not bad guys. This one will be called Ivory then. How about the last one, Anna?", he asked me. "Hmmm… How about Luna?", I proposed. "Heh, a very nice name. This one will be called Luna then. Alright, we have them sorted out. Let's go back to the town", father said.

He just left the wolves there, and walked towards the town. "...I don't understand, you are leaving them behind? Why did we name them then?", I asked, confused. "Oh! Don't worry, they know my smell. These guys will follow me on their own, you'll see", father replied with a smile. I had my doubts but decided not to question it.

He was right though. The wolves followed us through the forest, albeit at a distance. When we finally arrived at the gates of Savala Town, the wolves seemed hesitant. They didn't want to approach the walls at first, but then slowly left the forest to follow my father. "See, I told you they will follow me. Anyway, I have to make sure people don't actually kill them. You guys go inside, while I notify the archers and guards", father said.

The preparations for the ceremony were in full swing. Everyone was busy setting things up, and even Remi helped out. "Huh, to think you'd actually help out. I thought you'd shut yourself in the room, to read the book my grandpa gave you", I said, a bit surprised. "...That was actually his idea… I don't mind helping. Your parents are getting married, and you helped me out too. This is a joyous time, I shouldn't sit alone in the room", she replied.

Lana and Vick looked at each other. "Hey sister, since when did you become so talkative?", Vick asked. Remi quickly shut up, then ran away to do something else. "You startled her, hahaha', Lana said with a laugh. "Be a good brother, and help your sister instead", I added with a smirk. "Women are really evil…", Vick mumbled to himself before leaving.

"I should help out too. We will see each other around… Can we keep what happened in the forest between us? I don't want Mira to gloat about it", she asked. "Sure, as long as we are friends", I replied. Lana smiled, then left to help out as well.

"What's wrong, my lovely daughter?", father asked from behind me. "... Wow, you are fast indeed. By the way, where are your wolves?", I asked, instead. "Oh, they will sleep outside. I can control their behaviour, but there's no need to stress them or anyone else out. They will be fine on their own", father replied. "I see. Anyway, others are working hard, so I should help out as well. You have to deliver all that meat too, so I'll see you around", I bid him farewell.

No one really required my help, and when they did… I wasn't skilled to do such work. 'Oh well, I'll check up on mom then', I thought, defeated. Great aunt kept my mother home, since she was pregnant and there was no need for her to work. I could tell she was bored. "How was your trip, sweetie?", she asked. "I'm getting used to hunting, so there's progress I guess. We brought back a few wolves, though they aren't that friendly to me yet. Anyway, do you need some help?", I replied.

"No, sweetie. Just sit down next to me and relax. Let that idiot take care of everything… Wolves…", she said the last part quietly. "You don't like animals?", I asked. "I don't hate them… Give him time, and he'll bring home loads more… Did he tell you about his small journal? He used to keep a book on animals, or creatures he encountered. That idiot even studied their behaviour… Haaah, how many wolves did he bring?", mother replied, defeated.

"Just three. We already gave them names. There's the male wolf Hunter, and two females Ivory and Luna", I said. "Yea... He mentioned more wolves, right? I mean, it's not a bad idea. This can benefit the project Atols are currently undertaking… Wolves are fine, but I swear...", she didn't finish. "You will like them. Father cleaned them up, and even gave them some medicine… I think", I added. "Of course he did…", mother said, lacking any enthusiasm. 'Well, not everyone loves animals like me and dad… She'll come around. She did with Turry', I thought.