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To Imagination and back again
Nanooks Lesson'
1 Our story starts out with a young wolf cub just barely three years old named Nanook. Nanook, just like his friends Kida, Dakota, and Kiera, was a mischievous little fellow. Every morning he would try to sneak out of the den while his mother and father were sleeping and go explore parts of the forest. This morning however, his mother Shia was ready. Just as he poked his little nose outside the den, he felt her pick him up by the scruff of his neck. “You are too young to be venturing off on your own Nanook” she said. “Aww come on mom, I promise I won’t go that far.” Nanook said. Shia just chuckled and shook her head. “You know the rules Nanook; this early in the morning you must always be accompanied by an adult. Do you want to be captured by Humans?” Humans were what his pack feared and considered their enemies. He’d heard stories of wolves that were caught and never seen again. Nanook didn’t think they were so scary. They only walked on two legs and they didn’t have nearly enough fur to keep warm. He was actually curious about them, though he would never tell his mother that. “Ok I won’t go looking for them and I promise to stay close, can I go play now?” he asked. Shia laughed at her son; how little he knew of the big world around him yet he just walked out without a care, like there were no dangers out there waiting for him. “Yes you may go play now Nanook, but be careful.” she told him as he raced off to find his friends. Nanook spotted Kiera as she ran behind a tree. He slowly sneaked up on her and…”Boo!” he shouted and watched her jump high in the air from fright. “Nanook you scared me!” Kiera shouted as they wrestled on the ground. Then they took off running towards their favourite spot where they knew they would find their other friends Kida and Dakota. Sure enough, Kida and Dakota were lying in the sun on their favourite rocks. “Hey guys” said Nanook “whatcha up to?”“Dakota wanted to be boring and lay in the sun” Kida said as Kiera and Nanook snickered. “I didn’t say we had to lie in the sun” said Dakota “My mom told me not to go far and we’ve gone pretty far already.” He cast a worried glance around them. “Oh don’t be such a baby Dakota, we”– Nanook suddenly stopped talking as he got a whiff of something he’d never smelt before. *Sniff sniff* “Hey do you guys smell that?” he asked. Now the others were noticing it too. “What do you think it is Nanook?” Kida asked. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out” he said. He walked around their large rock following the smell. He got further and further away with every step. Suddenly he saw a print in the snow in front of him. It looked like a huge paw print, but he’s never seen prints like this before. Kida was really excited when Nanook showed her the print.“Let’s follow it and see what it leads to Nanook” she said.“This sounds like an adventure Kida, let’s go!” said Nanook. Kiera, who until now had been silent, piped up. “I don’t think we should go any further from home Nanook, we could get lost or worse, be captured by humans.”“Humans don’t scare me” said Nanook “we can out run them no problem, come on let’s go.” Dakota and Kiera didn’t like idea so they went home. “Oh well” said Kida “more adventure for us.” Nanook and Kida went on, following the strange prints until they came to a clearing in the forest. They looked in front of them and saw what looked to be some sort of home they guessed; only it wasn’t made of rocks. Instead it was made out of wood logs, and there was smoke coming out of the top of it. “What do you think lives there Nanook?” Kida asked. “I don’t’ know” said Nanook “but I’m going to find out. Stay hidden; I’ll be right back”.Kida watched in wonder as Nanook slowly jogged up to the house. He circled the outside to make sure it was safe. On his way back around, he heard a funny sort of noise that he’d never heard before. It sounded like footsteps in the snow but it was much louder and faster than he’d ever heard. Slowly, he peered around the corner of the house. There, running and jumping around in the snow, was a human. Nanook was suddenly very afraid and forgot all the lessons his mother had taught him. He was starting to run when he noticed something funny about this human. It wasn’t nearly as big as he’d heard they were and it seemed to be playing with objects in the snow. Very cautiously, he slowly walked towards it. The human stopped suddenly, having seen Nanook. It stayed very still as it watched him come close. Nanook sniffed at the objects on the ground and when they didn’t move he walked closer to the human. It was the smell! This was the scent he’d picked up earlier. The human didn’t seem harmful so he sat in front of it and looked at it. He noticed the lack of fur on the face and laughed inside at how funny the human looked.“Hello there little guy, my name is Tommy” said the human. Nanook was suddenly very scared. Not only had the human talked but he could understand it as well. “I said Hello” Tommy said once again. “Umm, hi” said Nanook “you can understand me?” “Of course I can” said Tommy “but my parents can’t. They lost that ability when they decided to grow up.” Nanook decided that since this human was of no threat that he would befriend him. “My name is Nanook” he said “and I would like to be your friend.” Tommy looked at him, considered this for a moment and said “I think I would like to be your friend too Na-no-ok.” “Oh good…oh wait, I forgot Kida. Wait right here, I want you to meet my friend Kida” said Nanook. He turned and ran back to the forest. Kida watched him run towards her wondering if everything was ok. “Kida come on, I want you to meet my new friend” said Nanook.“New friend!?” exclaimed Kida “He’s a human Nanook, you know the rules.” “I know, I know, but he won’t hurt us, he’s not like the others. He’s nice and wants to be our friend” he said. Slowly, Kida followed him out of the sheltered covering of the forest and into the opening, up to the human. “Tommy this is Kida; Kida meet Tommy” said Nanook. “Hi Kida, it’s nice to meet you” Tommy said. Very cautiously Kida sat down beside Nanook and said “Hi Tommy, it’s nice to meet you too.” Tommy stayed outside all day with Nanook and Kida, playing tag, and having snowball fights. When Tommy’s mother called him for supper, he reluctantly had to go. “Will I see you two tomorrow?” he asked. Nanook looked at Kida, leaving it up to her. He would come back even if she didn’t. “Of course Tommy” said Kida “you’re really fun to play with” Nanook was so happy he ran in circles. They said their goodbyes and Nanook and Kida headed home. 2 Shia couldn’t believe her son. She had specifically told him not to go looking for humans and he’d done just the opposite. The other parents were nervous at the thought of humans being so close. The Elders were having a meeting about whether or not they should leave their home and put a great distance between themselves and the humans. Nanook hung his head low as he watched the Elders approach the pack. “We have decided to move further into the forest to put as much distance as we can from these humans” said the highest Elder, Bane. Nanook looked at his father in shock. “But father, err Elder, they mean us no harm. I have talked to one of them and he was friendly to me” Nanook said in a strong voice. Bane looked at his son with anger in his eyes. “You have made yourself known and broken the law. However, since you are only a cub, we will ignore this for the time being. We must move tonight. No exceptions. We’ve sent scouts ahead and have found a suitable home. Everyone get some sleep, we have a long night ahead of us” Bane said and he and the Elders walked inside the cave. Nanook was too ashamed to look at his mother. He just followed her into the cave. How could this happen he thought. Tommy wasn’t anything like what his pack thought humans were. “I have to tell Tommy we are moving” whispered Nanook to himself. Very slowly, Nanook moved around the sleeping wolves. He got to the edge when he heard movement behind him. He turned around to see Kida cautiously moving around the sleeping wolves too. “Kida” whispered Nanook “what are you doing? You’re going to get us caught.” Kida just walked right up to him and said “Nanook if you’re thinking you’re going to see Tommy without me you are crazy.” Nanook sighed. “Ok but be quiet.” Slowly and silently, they crept out of the cave and headed to the cabin. The lights were out so Nanook looked for another way in. He spotted a shadow walking past the window and had an idea. He ran at the window, put his paws on the window ledge and peered in. He saw Tommy playing with his toys in front of the fire and two other humans (Nanook guessed they were Tommy’s parents) sitting in chairs. Nanook scratched a little on the window and Tommy looked up. His face was a big grin when he saw Nanook. “Mom, Dad, I’m tired. I’m going to bed. See you in the morning. Love you” Tommy said. “Goodnight dear” his parents said. “Do you want me to tuck you in Tommy?” His mother asked. “No. I am a big boy. Goodnight” Tommy said and he gathered up his toys and went into his room. As soon as he closed his door, he ran to his window and opened it all the way. “Nanook, are you there?” he said out to the night. “I’m here Tommy. Kida’s here too. We had to come and tell you, our pack found out we befriended humans and now we are moving deeper into the forest. I can sneak away but we can’t play as long because it takes longer to get to you” Nanook said sadly. “Well that’s ok” said Tommy “as long as we can still be friends I don’t care were you move to.” “Tommy are you asleep yet?” his father said as he walked into Tommy’s room. He took one look at the two wolves at his son’s window and ran at them. “Go on, get out of here!” he yelled. “Tommy, are you ok? They didn’t hurt you did they?” “No Dad, I’m fine. They aren’t mean” said Tommy. “I don’t want to see them here ever again Tommy. They are dangerous animals. Understood?” said Tommy’s father. “But Dad – ” started Tommy. “No buts. They are not to come here again” Said Tommy’s Dad as he left the room.After Tommy had gone to bed, his father left the house and set traps around the cabin to protect his family. Nanook and Kida ran as fast as they could back to their home. They crawled slowly back beside their parents and went to sleep. The next morning Nanook set out with his pack to their new home. It was further than he expected, but he marked the path so he would know how to get back to Tommy. Weeks went by and the path got thicker as more snow fell. The pack had some really rough blizzards, but their fur coats kept them warm. There was lots of food and Nanook came to enjoy chasing rabbits for fun. He still visited Tommy when he could, as he had made a promise.One morning as he was chasing a rabbit, he noticed a funny sort of object lying in the snow. Some snow half covered it, but other than that it was visible. Cautiously, he walked towards it. Testing it with his paw, it was cold. He pushed a little and Snap! His paw was caught in the trap Tommy’s Dad had laid. Whimpering, he tried to get out of it, only to feel it hurting him. Tommy came running out of nowhere yelling “Nanook, are you ok? Hang on I’ll get you out.” Tommy tried pulling at it and after having no luck, ran to get his father. “Dad you have to help him, he never hurt me. Not once. But you’ve hurt him. How is that fair?” Tommy shouted at his father. Tommy’s father, feeling very bad for having hurt this poor animal, took a stick and jammed it in the trap. The trap snapped open and Nanook yanked his paw out. He was scared to find that he couldn’t walk on it. Tommy’s Dad picked him up and took back to their cabin. Once inside, Nanook started to panic. Tommy was able to calm him down so his father could bandage his paw. “Would you be able to stay the night Nanook?” Tommy asked. “You can’t walk on that paw till morning anyway.” Nanook looked at Tommy and at this human who had saved him and said “I’ll stay the night. I need to get my strength back anyway.” As Nanook was fed by Tommy’s mother, Tommy told him all sorts of stories about different animals and humans; about the city and many more. Tommy also told him that his father was finding all the traps he had set and was destroying them. This made Nanook feel much better. Nanook and Tommy became the best of friends that a wolf and human could be. Tommy unbound Nanook’s paw later that night and they both went to sleep. Nanook and Tommy went out late the next morning to play. With Nanook’s paw feeling much better, he ran and jumped with Tommy in the snow. They soon came to a clearing where the forest ended and the lake began. However, because it was winter, the lake was frozen on top. Nanook tested the surface with his paw to be sure. Seeing that his paw didn’t go through, he slowly walked out onto the ice. “Come on Tommy, I think its frozen solid” he said. Tommy slowly inched his way out to Nanook. Nanook suddenly started rolling in the snow and laughing at Tommy. “You look so funny Tommy, moving like a turtle.” Suddenly Whap! Now it was Tommy’s turn to laugh. “You look funny with a snowball on your head” Tommy said laughing. Nanook shook off the snow from his head and ran laughing at Tommy. “I’m gonna catch you!” he shouted. Nanook ran after Tommy. Suddenly, he stopped. He thought he’d heard – Crack! There it was again. “Tommy I think we should head closer to shore” said Nanook. “Sounds good to me Nanook” Tommy said. Nanook walked quickly to shore and stepped onto the snow covered ground. He turned around in time to see Tommy fall into the water as ice cracked free underneath him. “Help, Nanook!” Tommy screamed “HELP!” Nanook let out a loud howl that he knew his pack and Tommy’s parents would hear. He heard his family’s response and slowly made his way to the lake. Tommy’s parents came running from the forest also. However, they were too heavy to walk out to their son. Nanook quickly decided to crawl out and save his friend. “Hang on Tommy, I’m coming to get you!” he shouted. Slowly, Nanook walked out to Tommy. The ice started to crack again and Nanook realized that he would have to crawl the rest of the way. “Tommy, I need you to stay calm and give me your sleeve” he said. Tommy nodded his head and stretched his arm as far as it would go. Slowly, Nanook took the sleeve in his teeth and pulled Tommy out of the freezing water. Together they turned towards shore and slowly edged closer with each step. “We are going to have to run Tommy” Nanook said as he heard the ice crack again. Together they ran full speed back to shore. Tommy’s mother wrapped him in her coat and Nanook’s mother nuzzled him. Nanook looked from Tommy to his family. “It’s better to be friends for a day, than enemies for a lifetime” he said. From then on, man and wolf were friends; having learnt this lesson and passed it on from generation to generation. THE END
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