Julie of the Wolves Read Free Page A

During a minute of surprised recovery there was no action. Then the black pup flashed his tail like a semaphore signal and they all jumped on Jello again.
    Miyax rolled over and laughed aloud. “That’s funny. They’re really like kids.”
    When she looked back, Jello’s tongue was hanging from his mouth and his sides were heaving. Four of the puppies had collapsed at his feet and were asleep. Jello flopped down, too, but the black pup still looked around. He was not the least bit tired. Miyax watched him, for there was something special about him.
    He ran to the top of the den and barked. The smallest pup, whom Miyax called Sister, lifted her head, saw her favorite brother in action and, struggling to her feet, followed him devotedly. While they romped, Jello took the opportunity to rest behind a clump of sedge, a moisture-loving plant of the tundra. But hardly was he settled before a pup tracked him to his hideout and pounced on him. Jello narrowed his eyes, pressed his ears forward, and showed his teeth.
    “I know what you’re saying,” she called to him. “You’re saying, ‘lie down.’” The puppy lay down, and Miyax got on all fours and looked for the nearest pup to speak to. It was Sister.
    “Ummmm,” she whined, and when Sister turned around she narrowed her eyes and showed her white teeth. Obediently, Sister lay down.
    “I’m talking wolf! I’m talking wolf!” Miyax clapped, and tossing her head like a pup, crawled in a happy circle. As she was coming back she saw all five puppies sitting in a row watching her, their heads cocked in curiosity. Boldly the black pup came toward her, his fat backside swinging as he trotted to the bottom of her frost heave, and barked.
    “You are very fearless and very smart,” she said. “Now I know why you are special. You are wealthy and the leader of the puppies. There is no doubt what you’ll grow up to be. So I shall name you after my father Kapugen, and I shall call you Kapu for short.”
    Kapu wrinkled his brow and turned an ear to tune in more acutely on her voice.
    “You don’t understand, do you?”
    Hardly had she spoken than his tail went up, his mouth opened slightly, and he fairly grinned.
    “Ee-lie!” she gasped. “You do understand. And that scares me.” She perched on her heels. Jello whined an undulating note and Kapu turned back to the den.
    Miyax imitated the call to come home. Kapu looked back over his shoulder in surprise. She giggled. He wagged his tail and jumped on Jello.
    She clapped her hands and settled down to watch this language of jumps and tumbles, elated that she was at last breaking the wolf code. After a long time she decided they were not talking but roughhousing, and so she started home. Later she changed her mind. Roughhousing was very important to wolves. It occupied almost the entire night for the pups.
    “Ee-lie, okay,” she said. “I’ll learn to roughhouse. Maybe then you’ll accept me and feed me.” She pranced, jumped, and whimpered; she growled, snarled, and rolled. But nobody came to roughhouse. Sliding back to her camp, she heard the grass swish and looked up to see Amaroq and his hunters sweep around her frost heave and stop about five feet away. She could smell the sweet scent of their fur.
    The hairs on her neck rose and her eyes widened. Amaroq’s ears went forward aggressively and she remembered that wide eyes meant fear to him. It was not good to show him she was afraid. Animals attacked the fearful. She tried to narrow them, but remembered that was not right either. Narrowed eyes were mean. In desperation she recalled that Kapu had moved forward when challenged. She pranced right up to Amaroq. Her heart beat furiously as she grunt-whined the sound of the puppy begging adoringly for attention. Then she got down on her belly and gazed at him with fondness.
    The great wolf backed up and avoided her eyes. She had said something wrong! Perhaps even offended him. Some slight gesture that meant nothing to