~The Wolves of Timberwood~
The spirit of the Earth, Mother Nature, chance, providence, and fate, these are all names given to a force that man has yet to control. A force that man has always known it will never be able to control, and yet, they still try to limit its powers and authority. Levees were built, mountains were cut in, rivers were diverted and dams were built. Men have tried and tried to control the force of nature, but yet it always finds a way to show its strength in far greater numbers. Hurricanes break down the levees, cave-ins break down the mountain paths, waters overflow and flood the man-made valleys. Something man has yet to learn, nature cannot be bested. If the two forces are to live in harmony, man and nature must come to terms with each other. Destiny is far greater than them both.
* * *
“So you’re going to do as I ask now, right?” A big man stepped forward with a menacing smile on his face, he had won and he knew it. He looked forward at the man in front of him in the closed room.
“Yes,” said the second man, fingering through a large stack of bills in his hands, “anything.”
“Good, then I can expect the paper signed and on my desk in the morning.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Nevertheless, the other man responded graciously.
“It’ll be there, I trust this will be a long and rewarding friendship.” He smiled up at the man and fiddled through the bills again.
“As long as you continue to do as I ask, you will continue to get rewards. But, if you don’t, I assure you I can find someone else who can.” The big man turned around and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
The other man walked to the desk in the back of the room and stamped a piece of paper, followed by his signature. “It’s only one nature reserve,” he thought to himself, “We have too many of them nowadays anyway.” He continued to count the new cash in his hand. “This is definitely the best business arrangement I’ve ever had.”
* * *
“This is Sasha Olivia reporting from outside town hall, where the bill releasing yet another national reserve has just been signed. The land was bought, once again, but Mr. Hubert Weston, today’s own corporate leader of fame. The people you see around me are protestors of this bill, mainly naturalists that believe these parks should be protected from releases such as this. We have succeeded in catching an interview with the leader of this riot, let’s see what he has to say—“
The television image shrank into a small square and disappeared into nothingness.
“Hey, mom, I was watching that!” Sarah looked at her mother and glared. “Turn it back on!”
“You’ve been up too late already, honey, you need to go to bed now.” Her mother gave a caring smile to her daughter. She understood perfectly the views of a teenager, but also understood the value of a good night sleep.
“Come on, mom, just let me see the rest of the news, it’ll be over in ten minutes.” She was pleading, politics always interested her.
“No, not tonight, it’s time for bed. Come on, get off the couch and get in your room.”
She sighed deeply. Sarah had been keeping up with the naturalists for the last two years as more and more of the national parks had been bought out by corporate titans. In fact, she slowly realized the naturalists may have a point in fighting against the corporate wolves. She got off the couch and walked to her room, shooting another glare through her mother.
“Good night,” called her mother happily after her. There was no reply.
Sarah got up early the next day and grabbed her pack for her morning walk. She tip-toed down the stairs and peaked over the corner, making sure nobody was awake, then she opened the front door and went outside. Sarah always loved the outdoors and thought it a blessing that her family had twenty-five acres to spare for it. The adventure and secrets it held, sometimes she felt as one with it, especially in the mornings. She knew the land and its needs like she knew her own, or so she liked to believe.
She travelled along her favorite path, one that was pushed into the earth by the simple act of her walking it so often. She smiled to herself as she felt the earth respond to her actions. It pushed up as she let her feet down, but yet the earth was soft enough to provide comfort of life. The early morning breezes blew through the trees, leaves falling lightly on the ground around her. The first birds were beginning to chirp and alert all the others that the insect picking was ripe.
Sarah dragged her hand over the bark of a tree and turned herself around it, looking into the forest with a longing to be an infinite part of it. In the distance a wolf appeared, its eyes meeting and driving through Sarah’s for a brief instant, and then it was gone. “What a beautiful creature,” she muttered to herself, “What a beautiful creature.”
She pulled her eyes from the place where the wolf stood and continued her walk down the path, looking up into the coloring trees and watching the birds parade around them. Up ahead there was a turn in the path, leading to the final stretch back home. A wolf crossed ahead of her and disappeared into the brush. “Again?” she thought happily, “I’ve seen two wolves in one day, this is going to be a great day.”
She walked through the rest of the path, humming quietly the tune of the birds. Soft pecking started in the distance and she brought herself to listen a moment to all the sounds of nature. Another wolf stood up ahead where the path ended. She continued to walk forward, admiring its beauty. The wolf stood still and did not move. Sarah stopped a few feet from it, curious, but cautious. She knew well enough that nature would respect you as long as you respected it.
Their eyes met and latched onto one another’s gaze for a long instant. “Be calm.” She heard it as though something was speaking directly in front of her, yet nothing but the wolf was there. “Be calm and you will know.”
She looked around, trying to discern who was talking to her, when she looked back the wolf was gone. She waited a moment and then continued back to the house. She stopped on the porch and looked back at the woods with a small degree of longing, then walked back into the building.
She slipped off her sandals and walked barefoot into the kitchen. The smell of muffins and pancakes rose in the air. “Good morning,” her mother said as she walked in, “Did you have a nice walk?”
“Yeah, it was really calming today. You should try it sometime.” Sarah didn’t know how many times she has dropped that line, but she still had faith that maybe one day her mother would take her up on the offer. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Pancakes,” said her mother, pulling the muffins out of the oven, “and the muffins are for after.”
Sarah smiled, it was her favorite breakfast.
She ate slowly, savoring the rich flavor of her mothers cooking. “I wish I could cook like this,” she said aloud.
“Maybe someday I’ll teach you,” her mom told her.
“You say that every time,” said Sarah happily, “but you have yet to show me anything.”
Her mom simply smiled in return. They finished their breakfast and set the dishes up. Sarah grabbed her pack and headed for the door. “Well, I’m off to school,” she said and left for the bus.
Her family was a little bit on the poor side, so they only owned one vehicle. As much as Sarah knew she was supposed to loathe that fact, she actually liked taking the bus to school. She didn’t have to focus on the road, but instead could watch the ever changing nature around her every morning and evening. She boarded the bus at the end of her driveway and resumed her seat for the movie of life. She watched through the window as the bus continued to stop at various intervals around the town.
At the last stop, a younger boy was being helped on the bus by his mother, as was done every morning. She looked back out the window and into the trees ahead. A wolf was standing there. “Be calm,” she heard again, “Be calm and you will know.”
She spent a moment looking around the bus to find who was speaking and then looked back outside. The wolf was still there. “Be calm and you will know.” She heard it again.
She cleared the thoughts from her head and closed her eyes, feeling the air and life around her. “Be calm and you will know.” She opened her eyes back up and looked directly into the wolf’s eyes. “I know,” she muttered aloud, “I know.”
She leaned to the window as the bus doors closed. The wolf was gone again. She sat quietly as the bus pulled into school and let the kids off. She sat quietly through the first part of the day’s lessons, her mind on the wolf and the message. “Be calm and you will know.” She heard it again. She looked out of her class window and out into the field beside the school. The wolf was there again. She had no doubt now that the wolf was somehow connected to the message. If she hadn’t been so in tune with the earth for most of her life, she would have thought she had been hallucinating. She looked at the wolf again.
“I know,” she said aloud, drawing temporary attention of the class before they once again resumed their work. The wolf was gone again.
* * *
Hubert Weston, a big man, walked up to his business partner. “So, you have the signature for the next site yet?”
The man stared into Hubert’s eyes and asked, “Do you have the cash?”
“Yes,” said Hubert, handing over a large roll of bills, “Now the signature?”
The man handed a paper to Hubert. “All filled out, as promised. The next site is Timberwood, Ohio.”
“Splendid,” said Hubert, “Simply splendid. I’ll get on it as soon as possible.”
The two businessmen parted once more.
* * *
Sarah got off the bus and headed directly into the forest behind her home, dropping her backpack at the foot of her house. She had been pondering the wolf’s message all day. She needed to see it again. She walked to her favorite tree and sat at the base of it, staring off into the woods ahead of her, listening to the light sounds of nature around her.
A few moments later the wolf appeared before her again, as she knew it would. “So you know then.” The voice rang out a different message, but she knew now from where it was coming. She stared into the wolf’s eyes.
“Yes, I know.”
“Very well then, I will tell you.”
She was a bit confused, but also had a sense of knowledge about her, like she already knew what was going to be said and the answer to what should be done.
“The Earth has been abused by man, but man has also protected what it could. I have stood by and allowed this joint plan of the humans, but lately this plan has turned in ill favor for the Earth, so I have come to intervene.”
Sarah listened closely to the voice in her head, paying close attention to what was being said.
“We wolves are guardians of order, and as soon as that order becomes endangered, we arise and take action. You, Sarah, have grown to share in our heart. You are part of us, as we are part of you. We are part of each other as nature is part of everything.”
She understood part of what was being said, but had reserved herself to save her questions until after the wolf had finished speaking.
“In a way, I am your spirit, as you are mine. We are now one in purpose.”
A long pause followed. Sarah looked at the wolf’s gray fur, and then back into its eyes, “What purpose?”
“You have been paying close attention to the land, you know. Its life is being depleted, even in the areas where man had set off to remain undisturbed. It is my purpose, our purpose, to end this depletion and save the flow of nature before nature has to fix it itself. This is the only way to preserve our coexistence, by coexisting in one body and soul and spreading to all living creatures.”
She looked deeper into its eyes, “How?”
“You’ll know how when the opportunity arises,” its voice was calming and bled of wisdom, “The only way you can act on the opportunity, however, is to accept it in all its fullness now. Become a guardian. Become one with nature and one with me. Together we will solve the problem facing this day and time.” The wolf started to walk towards her, its gray fur beginning to turn to a color of pure white as it got closer.
“I understand, I think,” said Sarah slowly, “If there is something I can, no, something we can do, then I will do it.”
The wolf paced up to her and sat next to her, its pure white fur reflecting in her eyes.
“Then you are one of us, as we are part of you.”
She felt a soft smile as the voice calmed her. She reached forward to pet the beast. Her hand stroked the soft fur once, and then nothing. The wolf was gone again.
She walked back to the house slowly, contemplating the meaning of her experience. She grabbed her pack from the front of the door and headed immediately to her room. “I am one with the Earth,” she said softly to herself, “I am one with its guardian. I am its guardian.”
Sarah walked back downstairs, let her mom know she was home, and walked quietly into the living room. It was time for the evening news she always watched. She flicked the channel on and retook her place on the couch.
She sat through the first half hour of the program, listening to the soft echo of the reporter. There was a pause on the set, and then a gasp. The program cut of for a moment and then returned, with the reporters looking exited and dismayed at the same time. “This is Sasha Olivia, reporting for the Timberwood Evening News. We have just received information that Timberwood reserve has been sold and released from its holdings. An industrial, a Mr. Weston, now owns the whole reserve and is meeting tonight at Timberwood hall to discuss his new plans for the land.”
Sarah sat up and looked into the television, her eyes widening in horror. “No, not our reserve,” she said aloud.
Her mother entered the room, “What did you say, honey?”
“Mom, they are going to tear down the reserve!”
“You mean what you were watching yesterday?”
“No, mom, they are going to tear down Timberwood reserve, our reserve!” She had become almost frantic.
“Oh, no,” her mom said slowly, “We’ve got to do something.”
Sarah stood up and thought for a moment, “I plan to.” She started towards the door, “Mom, I’m going to the town hall tonight to try to stop it.”
Her mom walked forward and grabbed her arm, “No, I won’t let you, there will be some crazy people there tonight, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Mom, I have to go. I know what I need to do now. I won’t get hurt, I promise.” Sarah ran up the stairs and prepared for the four mile walk to the town hall.
* * *
“It’s all set up for tonight, sir.”
“Perfect,” said Hubert Weston, “We’ve almost gotten this area secure, only a few more to go before I own almost a monopoly in the business.”
“That’s good, sir.”
“You’re dismissed.”
The woman left the room. Hubert looked out the window of the town hall. A soft red sunset was beginning to form on the horizon. It was almost time to announce his plan to the people. He walked outside to the front of the town hall and prepared himself to make his grand appearance.
* * *
Sarah made it to the town hall early and stood near the front of the forming crowd. She knew what she had to do. She knew what the guardian had meant. She was ready. “Be calm and you will know.” The voice rang out again and she closed her eyes.
“If I’m calm, I’ll know what to do.”
The mayor walked up to the stand. “Welcome everyone. I’m here to introduce Mr. Weston, who has just bought our reserve and has a proposal for new use of its land. Everyone, please welcome, Mr. Weston!” The mayor held out his left hand toward Hubert Weston, who walked forward, shook it, and took the mayors place on the stand.
“Everyone, I’m sure you know of the importance of Timberwood reserve. It contains a great amount of resources that we can use. I have come with a proposal in hopes to gain some support for my plan before I move forward.” He waited a moment and let the information sink in, then continued. “I plan to harvest part of the resources held in the reserve over a certain number of years, then move on to another part of the reserve after said time period, to give the harvested part some time to regain its magnificence. This plan will only cause part of the reserve to be altered at a time, therefore making the most of its resources and still keeping the beauty of it all at the same time.”
He waited for a bit longer and then some applause burst out from members of the crowd. Some boos where heard as well from the naturalists conforming in the back. A smile formed on Weston’s face. “So let me here you, all in favor of this plan?”
The crowd roared in approval. Weston’s smile grew larger as the ‘boos’ of the crowd were drowned out by the agreement of the rest. “So,” he said with a winning smirk, “This plan will be signed by the mayor and will be enacted in three months. Farewell.”
There was more cheering from the crowd of people. Sarah stood, stunned at the fickleness of the community she lived in. “Now,” she heard ring through her head as she ran up to the podium.
“Everybody,” she yelled over the mike. “Everybody!” she yelled even louder, trying to gain the attention of the screaming crowd. “Everybody listen up, you cannot trust this man.” The crowd got quiet and looked up at the girl at the podium. “You cannot trust his plan,” she said softer.
Mr. Weston stopped and turned around, looked at the girl, and then went back inside the building. “She won’t be able to change their minds,” he muttered to himself and shut the door.
The sky grew dark red as the sun began to end its final dip around the horizon. Sarah stood in front of the people, an image of death showing in the sky behind her. “This man wants to ruin nature and our way of life. This reserve has been a part of this town for a long time. It’s not right for us to let somebody come in and change it just because he had some extra money to spend. Think of all the life you may be destroying if you allow this plan to pass.” She looked into the eyes of the people, most of whom started laughing at her.
“Keep going,” a voice told her, “You’re doing great.”
She stood up straight and looked into the crowd. “We are all a part of this Earth, and a part of each other. If we take from the Earth unwisely, we are dooming ourselves to destruction. We cannot be so frivolous with our lifestyle and our planet. We must take care of it as we would take care of ourselves.” The sun had almost completely set, a dark red line hung in a fringe just above the horizon, about to give out completely. “If we take these things lightly, something horrible is bound to happen. If you’ve watched the news, you can see how these plans have worked for the other cities and counties this plan has been instated in. You would see how bad it has become. Don’t let this happen to our town. Don’t let this happen anywhere else. The fight to end it starts here.”
She looked out into the crowd, her eyes full of determination and hope. The sun had set fully now, stars started to speckle the night sky one by one. “The fight starts here,” she said again. The crowd stared in silence for another moment, before another cheer rang through the air, and this time from the crowd as a whole.
“You’ve done it,” rang the voice again, “We’ve done it.”
She looked out at the cheering crowd, a bright smile of forgiveness and yearning on her face, the light silhouette of a white wolf appearing in the night sky behind her.
* * *
This force of life is prevalent among all living things. It unites them all into one, while giving them all a unique sense of self and individuality. It is this individuality that can cause trouble, but it is also the freedom that provides for the greatness of an individual. Without it, we would all be governed by the same binding law, but with it we are allowed a certain aspect of freedom to act a bit past it. The one has a choice whether to pull apart from the whole and become a lone wolf unto himself, or to unite with the rest and become a master of the pack. This fight that pits wolf against wolves will surely be won out every time by the wolves, and if by chance it is not, the force of life always finds a way to correct its mistakes.
Strength that lies within the individual, is always built stronger by conforming to the pack, but yet it always takes the strong individual to unite the pack with the just cause. For this reason, and this reason alone, were the guardian wolves established by the flow of time and nature. The white wolf watches over everyone, and keeps them in check when they can’t stay in check themselves. Everybody has this chance, a chance that comes from personal choice and exploration. These are the wolves of the pack. These are the wolves of Timberwood.
