Once There Were Wolves

by Charlotte McConaghy

“And have you not heard the tales of those lucky men and women who have raised wolves and set them free, only to come upon them somewhere in the wild, years later, and be shown affection by the creatures?” I nod, though I’ve never been sure if I believe these stories, or suspect them to be made of longing. “Do you believe them?” I ask Niels, expecting his certainty in the unambiguous scientific. But he says, “Of course. Many animals are capable of this, we see it time and again. I believe they are more inherently loyal than we are and that connections are built deep within, where instinct lives. With the disappearance of that man there is anger brewing here, and there are those who would fight to destroy the wolves, and those whose apathy would see them destroyed. And so we must be the ones who fight for them. That will always be the right action to take.” His words stir my protective instinct, my certainty. All creatures know love, Dad used to say. All creatures.