THE WOLVES OF DRAKO

Has your dog ever stared into your eyes unblinking, focused so intently that you’re sure he (or she) is trying to tell you something important? Kriegen used to do that. Sometimes he’d add a chin lift to emphasize the message. The easiest way he got through to me was the “stare-shift.” He’d get my attention by staring, and then he’d shift his gaze to his dog bowl or the kitchen and quickly shift back to me. Sometimes it took several stare-shifts to make me understand. He said, “Feed me you fool.” Finally the message came through my dense human mind but we communicated. He was a very patient dog but trained me eventually.
I asked the question: What if dogs are telepathic and we stupid humans just can’t hear what they’re saying? The idea nagged me until I made it true. What? I can’t wave a magic wand and make dogs telepathic. As an author I can do just that.
My computer is my magic wand. I imagined a whole world (Drako) where dogs (in the form of wolves) are a telepathic species waiting for dumb humans to hear them mind-speak. When telepathic humans finally arrive from space, the wolves communicate. Cool. My wish was granted.
What is sapience anyway? The dictionary defines the word as “wise, or attempting to appear wise or (chiefly in science fiction) intelligent. Science fiction writers often use the word sentient to mean the same thing, although the dictionary defines sentient as “able to perceive or feel things.” The definition could apply to animals, but are all animals intelligent and self-aware? Animal lovers would say “yes.”
How can humans tell whether a species is intelligent? Communication is a sign of intelligence; building things, using tools, and forming societies are other signs of intelligence. When I watch Animal Planet I see many examples of intelligence on planet Earth: Monkeys and gorillas use sign language; dolphins and whales travel in groups and cooperate with each other; and wolves form packs to hunt and raise their young together. Animals don’t built skyscrapers or computers, but humans didn’t accomplish those mile markers for thousands of years.
I believe Kriegen was very intelligent. He trained his humans to take him places, keep him in a warm house, and feed him on demand. Why invent an automobile or build a house when humans can do it for you? Cats must be intelligent because humans serve them without always getting loyalty or affection as a reward.
The “wolves of Drako” exhibit another sign of intelligence. They preserve and learn from an ancestral history. Humans did the same thing, using an oral history for centuries, until they learned to write. The wolves on Drako don’t write their history. Wolves “host” the minds of their ancestors and get information as needed, like a living computer. The ancestors are better than a computer; they provide real-time counseling to living wolves from actual experience. Smart.
A telepathic society with a means of preserving their history by hosting minds should be considered a form of advanced intelligence. No wonder the wolves don’t believe humans are intelligent.
When we lost Kriegen (over a year ago) we grieved for the loss of our friend. Now he lives in our memories, photos, videos, and as an intelligent wolf on the planet Drako. He’s my hero. When I want to visit him I send my mind to Drako and we talk. Did he teach me to “host” him?