A wolf was born into a litter of 4 in early Spring. The snow was still melting. He was born on to a group of islands close to the mainland. This island was full of life, not just wolves. Bears, squirrels, fish, otters, beavers and eagles. The sea life was abundant. But the most interesting story is of an island wolf.

When the wolves were about 2 months old. It was their first time outside. His brother and sisters wrestled while the wolf wandered off until he could not go any further. There was a river, a tiny little pool of water and a hollow tree that was a bit bigger than an adult wolf. The pool shimmered in the daylight. He rolled around in the pool of water it made him happy.

He was collecting sticks from everywhere. After a week he collected so many sticks he had no idea what to do with them. One of the guardian wolves saw where he went and followed, the young pup was laying down by the river. The guardian wolf sat down beside him and said,” You spend lots of time near the river young one. You shall be called River.” The name made his tail wag. He had never felt this feeling before. It felt like he was rolling around in the pool of water but better. He started chasing his tail. He took one of his sticks to where his brother and sisters were. He played tug of war with his brother and felt happy.

The happiness did not last forever.

The wolves heard a loud bang in the distance. “Hunters.” One of the wolves muttered. River was scared for the first time. His tail was tucked beneath him. He ran with his mother and siblings to the den.

He saw a bright red tent. Little black shadows that look like they are on the other side. The hunters came out of the tent. They were holding a big metal rod with two holes on the end. If the hunters found them what would happen? There was a light coming from the back of the den. His brother Boulder went over to light. Boulder was the biggest of the pups and was never scared but this made him flip.

It was big and had an odd scent and could move at a fast pace, it was dripping water. Their mother was stressed as well. She only cared about protecting her pups. She led them far off from the den. Other wolves followed. They came across a river that had a log across it. His sister, Flower, went into the log; their mother went atop it to the other side. As River went through the log it broke and he fell into the river.

The river took him before anybody could jump in to retrieve him. The water was cold, and his fur got soaked. He spotted a large piece of wood and tried his best to move to it. He was running out of breath, and the current was exhausting. He made it to the wood. There was an otter easily swimming down the river. River wished he were the otter so he could make it back to his pack. River heard a noise of water running in the distance. He looked ahead and there was a waterfall. When he got there the water violently pushed him off the wood and sent him flying 10 feet down. He landed in a lake.

He managed to get out of the water. He saw a berry bush. He ate the berries to hold him over until somebody found him. He waited for hours, and he was running out of berries to eat. He went to explore. He came across a bear. River barked. The bear clawed at him. When he realized it was a wolf, he had a mischievous grin on his face. River did not know how to speak yet, but he knew one word “Hungry.” He knew that if he said it then somebody would bring him food. He said it and the bear knew he was hungry. The bear started to walk without a real purpose. He brought River with him. The Bear said, “What brings you here” River did not know how to talk so he did not respond. “Oh, ok you are a young pup.” The grin on his face came back.

After they got closer to the hunters the grizzly bear let out a loud noise. It attracted the hunters. River tried to run but he was too slow. The hunters and took River. The big metal object that scared Boulder was what he was put in. He heard the humans call it a “Truck.”

He was taken to a place that had other wolves. They looked scared. Humans were there to take the wolves. They had happy looks on their faces. The owner of the store was talking about River. He was picked up by a human that looked happy. He was put in another truck that looked a bit nicer than the one he was previously in.

He was brought to a house that had people inside. They were talking and they seemed nice, they were petting him. He stayed there for two months. During those two months He lived a nice life he got to play with a boy that the other humans called “David” He had baths which was like the pool back home. He had food that was a bit crunchy and hard, but he liked it. One day he woke up to all the humans crying. He got in the truck again and he was takin back to the log he fell through. This time he knew how to get over it. He made his way back, but nobody was there. He went to his little area, and everybody was there mourning thinking River was gone River joined in everyone there was happy when they turned around and saw him.