She lay on the outcropping, watching the woodpecker peck at an old dying pine. Mists still clung to the tops of the trees. She breathed in deeply , her muzzle damp from the moisture.

A second woodpecker landed on the tree close to the first, they began talking to each other. Flitting about each other , they seemed to be courting.

Lil'One yawned, stretching, she stood up. Looking around below her she saw an unfamiliar face, another wolf. It disappeared into the woods. Craning her neck she tried to look closer.

Her sister came up from behind her sliding her side along Lil'One till they were side by side, face to face, she too had seen the stranger. They nuzzled each other in greeting then padded back to the rest of the pack, soon they would head off for another hunt.

Lil'One nuzzled her mother as they met. Soon she would give birth to more pups. The young she wolf curled up next to her mother. Jumping back staring as babies moved in the elder she wolf's tummy. Raising her eyes to her mother's she stared startled, till till she saw the soft grin looking back at her. Sniffing at the slightly moving tummy, she lay down watching it.

One of the adult males padded up to the she wolves, it was time for the hunt. Lil'One took one last look at her mother's tummy , then turned heading off with several of the other wolves.


The pack slunk over the hill top, watching an elk herd below. Going after elk was one of the hardest hunts the wolves attempted, but it was a nursery herd with many young.

The alpha male arranged the pack , then headed off with another and Lil'One. They would turn the herd towards the others. The rest of the hunting group divided again, twice. The three groups moved into position,one group south west of the herd another south east to herd the elk yet again towards the final group of wolves that were waiting at the end of a natural funnel, a river on one side and a sheer mountain wall on the other. The elk would have no choice but to go where the wolves intended to. At the end of the funnel was a swampy area. The wolves were light enough they could maneuver, though even they would sink, yet the heavier cow elk would be up to their waists in mud and muck leaving the young defenceless.

The alpha signaled to the others in his group as they neared the herd. Lil'One watched him closely . She watched his eyes as he told her where to go, she watched as he slunk low , and she did the same. Her sister was to the right of her following instructions as well. The two sisters looked at each other and seemed to grin to one another. They were hunting with the adults now, they were growing up.

The two brothers that seemed to quarrel over everything had been split up into different groups. They both hunted well, but they hunted terribly when together. They would spend too much time watching each other and not enough on what they were doing.

A large cow suddenly jerked her head up staring in the direction of the wolves. She had caught their scent. She sniffed then stamped her foot. A hundred cow elk now looked in the general direction of The alpha and his group. Calves ran close to their mothers' sides. The herd began to move about nervously. Cows searching , craning their necks , looking for the wolves that they knew were out there close by. Snorts and sniffs filled the air. Calves calling anxiously to their mothers. The herd began to move about in a large circle, moving in on it's self.

Lil'One's heart was racing as she slowly crept forward following the adults movements. She glanced to her sister again her tongue hanging out now in excitement. She began to move more fluidly now, closing in on the herd. She had singled out a calf in front of her. She would chase him and only him. She had seen that he had a slight limp, almost undetectable, yet it was there. This would slow him down, give her the chance to maybe make her first kill. Again looking to her sister, she saw that she was watching the same calf. Good now there were two sisters to work together.

The lead cow's eyes widened. She had seen Lil'One's sister as she had moved through a patch of low grass. The cow snorted and leaped in the other direction, over a hundred elk followed her example.

Lilone's eyes widened as she burst from her cover. She and her sister met only feet behind the calf they had claimed. Lilone gave a burst of speed grabbing his tail. Down the calf went slipping in the wet, yet before her sister could grab him , he was back up and running. Her sister managed to grab his flank spinning him around. As Lil'One grabbed for him, she was knocked to the ground. It was his mother. She slipped to the side avoiding the cow's sharp hooves as she kicked at the young wolf. Jumping up Lil'One leaped up and around the cow, her sister again biting at the calf.

The herd suddenly began to circle. Something had gone wrong. They were heading back towards the sisters. The others of the group were far ahead, now circling with the herd to try to reroute them. Lilone looked up to see over a hundred elk heading for her. She looked to the calf, then to the herd and her elders behind them. She would have to give up the chase on the calf to try to help turn the herd again.

Lil'One Jumped up on a small mound to see better, and as well so the herd could see her too.

The lead cow slammed on the brakes when she saw the young wolf in her path, jumped turning to the left. Lil'One's sister by now knew that for the pack to do well as a whole she too would have to help turn the herd. For now the calf was safe.

Leaping towards the lead cow, Lilone's sister helped to turn the herd again towards the funnel.

Together Lil'One and her sister herded the elk back down the intended path. From their right emerged the alpha male circling around to join the sisters. A grin crossed his face as he looked on them, they had done well, he was pleased with them both. Lilone grinned back at him then to her sister. Their tongues hanging out as they breathed hard running for all their worth.

The herd entered the funnel. As they did, the lead cow saw the trap, but it was too late. Too many elk in too small an area, and in a panic. She could not turn them, when she tried, she was buffeted from the sides by other cows who were in turn pushed by others.

The trap was sprung, the herd was now entering the swamp. cows calling to their calves as the young bleated, not willing to leave their sinking mother's sides. Cows leaping and wading through the muck ,only to go deeper into the snare.

The four groups of the pack now working as satellite packs, each converging on one cow or calf till they were down. Pulling at their flanks, tails, throats and noses till they couldn't fight anymore.

The elk made their way through the far side of the swamp leaping and dragging themselves onto the far banks, shaking themselves, freeing the mud and muck from their coats. Young bleating looking to reunite with their mothers..

The lead cow looked back. The pack was not chasing them anymore. She watched almost calmly now. The threat was over for the majority of the herd now. She looked one last time at the fallen elk in the muck as the pack finished them off. Turning she took a few steps seeing her calf run up to her side butting her, she nuzzled him then began to feed on grasses. The herd had had much excitement in the last several minutes but now it was over, now it was time to rejoin cows and calves. Now it was time to rest and feed. The wolves would not be a threat to the herd again for some time, they had what they wanted, what they needed, life goes on, just another day in the life of the herd.

The alpha male looked up from the elk carcass. Lil'One sat waiting along with her sister. The adults fed first. She was very proud of herself, she had helped the pack, she had almost made her first kill. She was getting bigger now though still a pup she was growing and getting stronger and smarter.

The alpha walked up to her nuzzled her, he too was proud of her. She tucked her tail and crouched wiggling with excitement at his approval. Another elder her uncle as well greeted her, then an aunt and another and another as each came by to check out the pups to make sure all were ok and to let them know that they had done well. Four cows were down, it had been a very good hunt. Only one injury.

Lil'One walked over to her brother, he had been kicked pretty bad. He limped to her, his right foreleg was opened and the bone showed, yet it was not broken. It would heal but he would be out of the hunt for awhile. The brother he fought with so often was at his side sniffing him constantly, nuzzling him. He was very concerned. Looking to Lil'One the brother looked for some sign from her.

Lil'One dutifully looked at the wound, sniffed it, gently licked her brother's muzzle. She reassured him that his playmate would be fine.

An elder came over checking out the wounded brother, nuzzled him to let him know it was bad but not so bad that he would have to worry.

The pack finally ate their fill, some would carry back meat to the den others would bury portions here to come back to later. All would be eaten, no waist would come from this hunt.

Lil'One padded along next to her elders as they headed back. She couldn't resist it. Lagging behind a moment, she leaped at the flanks of the elder male nipping at his heals as she always had and always would. She may be growing up but she was still a pup at heart.