Family


Spring is almost here.

Snow still hides in the shadows but slowly the forest is wakening from it's winter slumbers.

Trees are budding and the scent of new growth is everywhere.
My family and I spend as much time as we can walking in these woods.
We especially like it when my brother comes along. My brother is a little slow. It's not his fault, he was born that way. His eyesight isn't very good, and his hearing is weak. In a lot of ways he is closed off from the world around him, but we like to show him things we find that he might otherwise not notice.

My family and I keep an eye on him when we are out in the woods. One of us is always near in case he stumbles or loses his way. He likes to think he watches out for the family and that's OK with us. The family loves my brother and will stop often to let him catch up.

He tries to talk to us but his words make no sense. We can tell by the tone of his voice though that he loves us too.

Today while my brother and my family and I were walking, we came to the edge of the forest where it ends at a cliff.

My brother and I stepped out on a rock that lay bare and overlooks the valley below.

I stood between my brother and the edge but just a little off to the side. Close enough to grab him if I needed to, but far enough away so he could feel the freedom of the view.

While we stood there I could feel the breeze in my face and felt it ruffle my hair. I could smell the new green shoots of the forest laid out below us. Looking down into the canopy of the forest I could feel the teeming life it sheltered .

The trees all stood shoulder to shoulder, pines sheltering beside maples and aspens, all sharing the sun and the good rich earth.

I watched a Blue jay flying with a twig in it's beak and could see it was headed to the high branches of a maple tree. I didn't have to see his mate to know they were building a nursery for their children.

I could feel a herd of deer grazing in the valley below. Some where near by was a young bear that lived in these woods. He would soon be waking up and wandering these shadowed paths to break his long fast.

I looked up at the fluffy clouds suspended above us and I could feel the endless depth of the blue sky they sailed.

As I stood there basking in the glories of spring in the forest, I could feel my heart swell and my legs tremble, wanting to run.

There is nothing like running into a bright spring morning. Feeling your muscles freed of the winters long rest. The wind washing back into my face carrying with it an intricate tapestry of scents and feelings.

As I stood there imagining the wild feeling of running in the forest, I looked at my brother and I felt a little sad. He would never know the joy of being fully alive in these woods. I try to tell him but he doesn't understand.

Reluctantly I turn away from the beautiful valley below us, and my brother and I walk back into the forest. As we begin to retrace our path back toward home, my family gathers around us, everyone talking at once about all they had seen and felt today.

There will be many more days like this. Eventually my children will go to find their own lives and families.

I will stay here with my brother. We will walk in the woods and I will continue to show him the things he can't see or hear. Maybe some day he will begin to see them on his own, or at least understand the peace and joy that comes from living in the woods.

Until then I will watch over him and love him because he is my family, and I am a wolf.

My brother calls me Harley .

Mercenary1970@aol.com