The Collector Series: The Wanderer

It was a happy troupe that crossed the last sand dune and looked down into a broad, fertile valley, filled with life and green plants. Off in the distance, they saw wild cattle and there were sheep grazing on the hillsides. The human's eyes widened as they took note of the large trees ready for building homes and broad fields waiting to receive the seed they had brought with them. The wolves ranged their minds across this fertile land and could detect no dangers that might threaten their humans. It was almost too good to be true.

Wander watched as the humans he had brought with him spread out to investigate the meadow they had discovered. There was a freshwater spring and a small creek lined with willows that ended in a pond. The nearby trees shaded the meadow, but did not block out the sun.

A nearby tree looked suspiciously like an apple tree, when he walked over to it, Wander found his suspicions correct and the apples were ripe! It had been more than a thousand years since he had last eaten a fresh, ripe apple! He grinned in pleasure as the tart juice ran down his chin and his mouth puckered up, begging for more.

The trees along the creek were festooned with vines that were loaded with sweet berries and there was a wild cow nearby just watching them, making no attempt to run away! It was obvious she had a calf nearby as her udder was heavy with milk. She moved a little nervously when Gar came up to Wander, but she still did not seem afraid.

The boys found the berries first and soon their faces were painted with scarlet berry juice as they gorged themselves on the bounty of the vines. They then lay down in the soft grass under the apple tree and were soon sound asleep.

Ton and Jan set their folk to making a camp near the pond, they had some of the grass cleared and the cooking pot set up. There were rabbits in great abundance, Ton used his throwing stick to bring down several of the rabbits and he quickly skinned them and made them ready for the pot.

They found wild onions and some white-fleshed, starchy tubers that also went into the pot. Wander recognized the tubers as potatoes, but he kept that information to himself for the moment. The potatoes would provide a welcome addition to the foods they would need to store for the cold time.

They threw in a little sage they had collected along the way and soon, the smells of the cooking stew brought a ring of children sniffing and looking through their packs for their bowls and a spoon.

While the adults watched the children with amusement, they also were beginning to drool as the stew thickened up, the starchy potatoes made the stew thick as it neared ready to be eaten. The long walk had sharpened everyone's appetite as well as the fresh sage leaves they had added to the stew. The sage from their old home was weak and stunted, these bushes stood tall and their leaves were tender and pungent.

The older boys set some of the stew out in bowls to cool for the small wolf pups and the humans sat in the soft grass enjoying their first meal in a place they were to name, "PARADISE". There was abundant game and the adult Wolves were laid out in the grass, their bellies full and contented looks on their faces as they watched their pups play after they had gorged themselves on the stew.

The only thing that marred their total contentment was the tracks of a Giant Feline in the soft mud that surrounded the pond. As the shadows began to reach across the glade, Jan detailed human guards to protect them during the night, Gar did the same with the wolves, they set a human and a wolf as partners all around the meadow.

The Giant Felines were their ancient enemy and had been since the before times. They were the first creatures to attain giant size after the terrible bombs had ceased falling. Those tracks plainly said there was a very large feline in the area and the adults were watching the younglings closely and their sticks were already in their hands.

Ton and Jan sat up talking with Gar and Wander after most of the humans had bedded down for the night. The two human younglings were growing fast and it was evident they were going to be the leaders of the future. They were both very tall, shoulder high to Wander himself, and they showed early promise that they would be huge of chest and shoulders.

They were both strong mind-speakers and they showed promise of also being shape-shifters, there had not been a shape-shifter among them in more seasons than a man could count. They held the respect of their fellow humans as well as that of the wolves and Gar had told Wander that they were both very intelligent.

Wander knew that he would have to train them soon, otherwise, their shape-shifter forms might go feral. There had been legends of such in the before times and this new start did not need a repeat of those ancient legends of feral vampires and rampant ghouls.

There were no alarms during the night, even though both Ton and Jan had gotten up several times to make the rounds of the guard posts. Both younglings were uneasy about something that they could not quite define. Wander was watching them closely as they took on the cloak of leadership.

The next day, Wander got all the several Family Chieftains together and they marked off village areas for each family. There was no shortage of good land and there was no need to worry about crowding in near future.

Wander showed them how to make mud bricks with dry grasses mixed in the mud for additional strength. He also showed them how to bake them in the fire to harden them against the rain.

Soon, small buildings were seen going up as the humans settled their families and set up housekeeping. With such fine building materials so close by, each home tended to be larger than the ones they had originally, back in Nev.

Some of the teen boys gathered a few of the wild cattle and built a pen for them. Within days, milk and butter were being traded for new loin clothes or foot coverings. The cattle seemed docile and were easy to get their milk. Instead of being thin and sour, the cattle here produced milk that was rich and sweet tasting.

Three enterprising youngsters traded plowing a field for a year's worth of fresh bread. They had devised a crude plow and had enticed a young bull to pull it. The bull protested at first, but Wander showed them how to place a braided cord through its nose and the animal quieted down and pulled the plow with ease.The three boys could plow in a single morning what it took a fully grown man to do in a week of hard labor with a sharpened stick.

The grain seeds they had brought with them sprouted quickly and there would be a full crop before the cold time came around again. Even green, the grain plants were healthy looking, not the sparse, thin plants they were used to.

Soon, the new village areas took on a settled appearance. They were not so far apart that the humans could not visit on a regular basis and the wolves were visiting back and forth on a regular basis.

They had left the trees near the new houses so they would provide shade and the adults could sit there, watching their younglings at play. They had built shelters for their wolves, but, while the weather remained pleasant, the wolves preferred to sleep out in the open, usually some distance from the villages so they could intercept any trouble coming from the forest. The thought of the Giant Felines was always on their minds and they occasionally detected a whisper of feline thought.

The two orphan wolf cubs, Tor and Lok, had formed a bond with Ton and Jan and were usually to be found lying on the mat in front of the fire in Ton's and Jan's new home. They looked on with humor as the village girls tried to interest either of the two boys, the two wolves both knew the girls' efforts were doomed to failure, but they said nothing as both Ton and Jan enjoyed the company of visitors even if they were not interested in them for mates.

As the warm time began to show signs of ending, Tor and Lok urged their humans to cut the lush grasses and let them dry, to be used as food for the cattle during the cold time. They had built special houses to store the dried grass and also the grains that they had grown. By the time the first fingers of cold began seeping across their fields, all the storage huts were filled with grains and dry grasses that Wander told them was called hay.

Some enterprising youngsters had trapped some large birds and penned them up, feeding them some of the grain. They were rewarded with a daily supply of fresh eggs and sometimes a bird to roast over the fire. This was a new thing for them, to have live animals during the cold time for food. Always before, they had had only dried plants and leaves to eat when the cold came. It was always a time of hardship and many younglings died during that time.

All the people, wolf and human alike, looked sleek and well-fed as the cold time began to slip its cold fingers into their warm homes. They fitted wooden panels to cover the doors and windows of their homes, leaving only the smoke hole on the roof to vent the smoke from the wood fires.

One of the villagers had devised a small fired clay dish with some braided grass in a pool of animal fat. When he lit the braided grass, it provided light at night and a little heat. The braided hay had to be renewed after a couple of dark times, but it was the first time anyone had light after darkfall. The villager, Aal, traded his fired clay dishes for additional milk for his baby son as his mate did not have enough to provide for the fast-growing child.

They had worked hard all during the warm time and their store rooms were full, they were sure they had sufficient food to carry them through to the next warm time. Unlike the high elevation where they had lived before, they would not get very much snow in Paradise and they would be able to hunt during the cold time.

Gar held classes for the humans during the cold time, he taught them simple arithmetic and organized thought. For those who had the ability, he taught them shape-shifting and how to project pictures into another person's mind.

He spent much time with Ton and Jan, they were becoming powerful far speakers and they could push their minds all the way back to the old villages they had left. Unlike the others, the two were always in mind-contact with each other, no matter how much distance was between them. This would prove to be a great boon to the village in the near future as they developed their shape-shifting skills.

They never found any indication there were any humans living nearby, but they occasionally would see a strange wolf off in the distance. Ton and Jan had closed up their house for the night and were sitting beside their fire talking of plans to enlarge the grain field the next warm time. During a lull in their conversation, they heard a strange sound, a scratching at the door. Jan got up and opened the door a crack, there was a very wet and injured young wolf scratching at their door.

Jan screamed and Ton came running, they brought the young wolf in and laid him on a warm fur before their fire. Ton got dry furs and dried the wolf off and wiped him clean. They bound up his wounds with strips of thin hide and pressed healing leaves into those wounds.

He began to come around and sent so weakly, they almost missed what he said, "Lords Pack Leader, help us, help us!" Jan sent a mental blast for Wander and they got some warm broth into the wolf. Ton held the young wolf in his arms, sharing his own body warmth with the shivering wolfling.

As Wander came running in the door, the young wolf was sending, "Our pack was attacked by giant felines, many are dead...... my mate and pup are dead........ Help us, please help us. We ask in the name of our ancient bond, help us!"

By now both wolves and humans were arriving in response to Jan's call for Wander. Wander asked the young wolf, "Are you strong enough to lead us to where your pack lives?"

The young wolf struggled to his feet and sent, "I must, my Lord Leader of us all, otherwise all will die!" Both Ton and Jan clearly heard in their minds what the young Wolf had called Wander. They had always sensed he was more than he had told them and now, they were sure they were right. Now, however, was not the right time to ask difficult questions.

The warriors made ready, they got their spears and throwing sticks, gathered up their knives and axes and gathered at Jan's and Ton's door. Gar had taken up residence with Jan and Ton and he was right there to lead, Tor and Lok, also living in the household, stood with the injured wolf between them as they started off on a rescue mission.

The injured wolf could not run very fast, but they made their way to the east. The sky was just beginning to lighten when they entered a glade beside a small pond. There were wolf bodies thrown all around, some were still whimpering.

The humans went to work as fast as they could, trying to save the lives of those wolves still living. They found the body of a young female wolf and they went to move her to the growing pile of those wolves who had not survived. As they picked her up, a tiny ball of fur rolled away and began to whimper and cry. Ton picked up the tiny wolf pup and cuddled it in his arms. They dried it off and tended its wounds, discovering it was a very young male wolf pup.

As it got light, the wolf who had led them there was limping around, nuzzling the stiffening bodies of his pack, he sent, "I have found my mate, but my pup is gone. Did those fiends devour him?"

Jan wondered, "Is the pup that Ton found ......?" He sent to Ton to bring the pup outside. Ton brought the tiny ball of fluff, now dry and warm. Ton had dripped some warm milk into the pup's mouth and he was fast asleep in Ton's arms with a contented look on his face. As Ton moved, the tiny wolf snuggled deeper into Ton's arms, never even waking up.

Jan asked the injured wolf, "Is this your son, your pup?" He pointed to the tiny wolf in Ton's arms, the young wolf hobbled over to Ton and sniffed the little wolf. His mind shriek would have awakened the dead, it was his pup!

Ton sent, "Let me hold him and care for him, when we go back to our village, we ask that you live with us and we will help you care for your pup." The Wolf Pup had wakened at the noise and was peering at the young wolf standing there, his eyes were big with fear. Ton wound his arms around the tiny wolfling in a protective embrace.

The injured wolf stood up straight and sent, "I am Lor, my sire was Pack Leader, now that task must fall to me, to care for those who have survived. If you will accept us, we will come and live with you. I will rebuild my pack and we will protect your human folk with our own lives, if need be. We are yours to command."

Ton replied, "We command none, we ask that you come with us and be part of our family as equal members of our village!" We will assist you in feeding your younglings and provide warm, dry places where you and all your pack may live.

The Wolf Pack of Lor would be companions to Ton and Jan and their village for generations into the future. His pup, Zac would lead all the wolves of this new land into a new era, working hand in paw with his humans to build a new life for both the humans and the wolves of Paradise.

Lor moved into Ton's and Jan's home to be close to his son, Zac. The young pup was precocious, and was into everything. He tormented his sire with demands to hunt until, in desperation, Lor agreed to take the pup on a short hunt. They jumped a rabbit that had been hiding in the grass near the pond, Lor was amazed to see the rabbit stop in mid-leap and slowly hop back to them.

After Lor had crunched the rabbit's neck, he asked his young pup, "Did you stop the food animal and force it to return to us?"

Zac looked up at his sire and sent, "Yes, Papa, did I do wrong?"

Lor nuzzled the youngling and replied, "No, my son, you just startled me. No wolf has ever been able to do that before!" He looked at his offspring and wondered just how much more was he going to demonstrate, he was but a first-season pup and he could command animals, something only the eldest and wisest among them could do!

The cold time finally settled in and Gar took the opportunity to teach both the human pups and the wolf pups the many skills they would need to work together. He taught them the rudiments of shape-shifting, some were more skilled than others. Some of their first attempts resulted in some strange creatures wandering around Ton's and Jan's home, until their skills improved.

One cold and windy night, the classes had ended and everyone was enjoying the warmth of the fire in Ton's and Jac's central room. They heard the very faint, far-off call of a Giant Feline, Zac's hair rose on his neck and, suddenly, there was a beast standing there unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. It was fully the height of a man and had terrible claws for hands, its arms were long and like snakes and its awful claws opened and closed in anger.

As the strange being faded back to a young wolfling pup, Zac sent, "Never again shall a Giant Feline torment us!"

The witnesses shuddered, and Gar wondered, "Could the wolfling create a flesh-and-blood apparition?" Gar heard, "Yes, Uncle Gar, I can do that. I need only to grow stronger before I go feline hunting!"

After Gar had related the incident to Wander, neither of them slept well that night! There had been ancient legends from the Before Times of such creatures, but they had always been thought to be myths. Apparently, the myths were alive and well in their own times, in their own village!

The cold time was much shorter than it had been in their old home place and, as the warm time began, new grasses and plants started sending up their shoots. In a matter of a few weeks, the village lay in a carpet of new green plants. Already, buds were swelling with new life to repeat the bounty of the prior year.

The wolf pups from the prior year were nearing adult size and the human younglings had shot up like the wild plants. Ton and Jan were near adult in their size, their shoulders had become broad and the muscles rippled across their backs like braided vines. The only human they did not tower over was Wander himself. Their build and muscles were a near copy of Wander and he could have easily been their sire. Wander knew he had to instruct the two soon, otherwise, disaster would result!

As their fangs began to develop, Wander took them aside and told them what they were and how to guard against the excesses that had once taken place in the Before Times.

He told them that not all humans would develop fangs and those who did would all be males. Only the male humans who had sufficient food during their youth and carried the seed within them, would attain their ancient heritage.

In the time of the ancients, they would have been called Vampires, but only those who had not been trained properly ever became dangerous. They were supposed to be the protectors of humankind, not their tormentors!

Zac had completely attached himself to the two brothers, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was their wolf! Many of the villagers referred to them as the "Three Brothers". Those villagers had no idea just how close they were to the truth of the matter!

Ton and Jan could wrestle the plow in the fields like no other, their furrows were string straight and the soil was always turned from as deep as plow-stake could reach. Whenever a new field was to be plowed, they were always the ones asked to do the plowing. Zac would stand guard over the two young men, making sure there were no enemies nearby that could hurt his two brothers.

Early in the warm time, all the fields were plowed and the seed was beginning to sprout. The brothers were just finishing their mid-day meal when a runner from the other village came running in, panting and retching from his trip. He lay on the ground trying to catch his breath, "Atta,,,,attack, fe, fe felines, killed folk and wolves! Hee he heeellp us!" he panted out.

Zac's hair stood on end and he sent to Ton and Jan, "Now, my brothers, it is time! We must stop this thing before more are lost to these fiends!"

Jan sent out a mind shriek calling the hunters they had been training, and telling them of the attack. The human and wolf team members responded at a dead run, the humans had their weapons and hunting gear already in their hands.

The young wolf members of the team were barely holding their shape-shifting in control. The great beast that Zac had once shown them was phasing in and out as the angry young wolf waited impatiently for help to arrive.

Ton and Jan began to change, their fangs dropped from their mouths and their eyes went blood red. Great curved claws extended from their fingers. They both had been warned of these changes, so they were not overly surprised. Wander had taught them how to control their new bodies and to direct their killing instincts against those who had threatened their folk.

Wander made ready to accompany them when Gar sent to him, "No my brother, let these hunters take care of the problem, it is their destiny. This is what Zac and his brothers' Ton and Jan were born for!"

The hunting pack, led by two huge vampires and a giant werewolf, sped out of the village at a dead run, their long legs would make short work of the distance to the next village. Within minutes, the pack arrived at the village of Harmony.

There were dead and injured humans and wolves alike spread around the village. Knowing the folk from Paradise were on their heels behind them, they asked the survivors which direction the felines had gone. The villagers pointed the way the awful felines had taken and they found their tracks easily, their newly heightened senses seemed to see the trail as a glowing set of prints.

They identified the track of eight felines, their tracks showed the felines were in no hurry and expected no retaliation from the humans or the wolves of the village. They were wrong, in this case, dead wrong!

The pack took after them, running in silence so that the felines would have no warning of their pursuit. Twenty minutes running time from the village, they caught up with the giant felines.

Those wolves that could, shifted their shapes to the most terrifying shapes they could imagine, the two human hunters descended on the felines in a fury of giant claws, swinging weapons and stabbing spears. Creatures straight from the ancient legends, with glowing eyes and dripping fangs!

The huge felines did not have even enough time to turn around and face their enemies, Ton and Jan were swinging huge clawed hands, smashing the spines of the felines as they passed them up, leaving them paralyzed upon the ground for the wolves to finish off. Jan's great creature was slitting the throats of the felines and he tossed them to his side in an ever-growing pile of bodies and Ton was smashing feline bodies with a swing of his huge fist. Zac's huge werewolf snapped feline spines in a single crunch.

In less time than the telling, the feline raiding party was down, some still trying to crawl under a bush to hide, thinking it would save them. The enraged werewolves soon reduced the felines to piles of parts and slime and gore sinking into the soil. There were no survivors!

The last thought the leader of the felines was able to send out was that they had been attacked by terrible monsters whose arms were like snakes and claws that ripped chunks from their bodies at every swipe!

There were no further attacks by the felines that warm time! In fact, their best mind-speakers could detect no trace of the felines at all, it was as if they had disappeared from the land.

The hunting pack returned to their normal shapes and headed back to Harmony Village. They assisted the villagers from Paradise in caring for the survivors, their fearsome shapes carefully hidden, but the villagers sensed something new was among them.

Wander started to ask Ton and Jan about the raid and Gar sent to him, "Do not ask, Brother, you don't want to know what they did!" When he had seen the piled feline parts at the place where the battle had taken place, he agreed with Gar and he never again asked. He knew that the ancient's legends of the "beast" were true and that they lived among them, not killing, but protecting them. He was one among them, so he knew what they could do!

The warriors returned to their home in Paradise and bathed themselves in the stream before entering their home. None ever spoke of what they had done or had witnessed, but they were forever bonded together. They were WARRIORS and they knew now about Ton and Jan, not fearing them, but rather loving them for what they were!

The crops came in and both villages were forced to build additional space to store the bounty of their fields. The cattle had multiplied and the birds were overflowing their pens. It showed in the children of the villages, they were growing strong and healthy, and lots of milk, eggs, meat and fresh fruits and vegetables were growing them like the weeds in their gardens.

The children were all going to be bigger, taller than their parents, already, young boys were able to look their fathers straight in the eyes, another year and they would tower over their parents. Stories had been whispered of Ton and Jan and the village teens looked upon the two with awe and envy, hoping they also, could learn to make that change. Some did and, like Ton and Jan, they were careful to hide their abilities from those who could not make the change.

There were new human babies in almost every household and the wolf litters were larger. Where, in the past, a litter would consist of one or two pups, now they were five and six puppies in a litter! There were many proud sires and dams walking the village with a string of wolf puppies toddling after them, their tummies so round, they dragged in the dirt!

About halfway through the warm time, a small delegation of humans and wolves arrived from their old village. They asked, "There are more behind us, is there room for us in your village?" Our food is gone and the village can no longer feed us all. We must move or we will all die.

The visitors were astounded when they were told that there were two villages and, YES, they would all be welcome to come. Local families were bringing out foodstuffs for the travelers to eat. The visitors from the old village were astounded at the amount and variety of food the youngsters brought out for them.

A young human from the newcomers said, "I will go back and tell them that it is safe to come out of hiding and join us here." Ton spoke up and said, "No brother, WE all will go back and tell them.

He, Jan and Zac accompanied the human youngling back up the trail to where the newcomers were camping. Their food supplies were almost depleted and they all looked haggard and worn. Ton and Jan had thought to throw some fresh baked bread and fruits in their backpacks, they cut up the fruit and bread, giving each newcomer a share to tide over their hunger. The newcomers were starving as their meager supplies had not lasted long enough to get them to the new villages. Their gaunt bodies were all hunched over in the pangs of starvation.

An older man stared at the two young men and he finally said, "You are the boys Wander raised, you are Ton and Jan!" The boys smiled and told him they were.

The two young men unconsciously bunched up their shoulder muscles and threw their chests forward, all the man could do was shake his head, both young men were head and shoulders taller than any of the men among the newcomers and more powerful than any three of them. The newcomers could see their eyes turn red and their fangs showed between their lips. The newcomers knew in that instant that their most ancient legends were standing before them.

Ton and Jan mind-spoke with a fearful strength and were using words and ideas the newcomers were unable to understand. Nonetheless, Ton and Jan made the newcomers welcome and led them down to the village.

The old men of the village, those who had watched these younglings from their birth, looked at each other, knowing that their most ancient and precious legends had come among them and that the survival of all of them was assured.

The wolves welcomed their kinfolk as well, Pack Leader Ray looked at the young wolves who had come to welcome them and shuddered, there was no way he would ever be able to retain his leadership with these young wolf giants living in Paradise and who had a second soul within them.

Two wolf younglings came up to him and bowed, "Welcome Lord Pack Leader Ray, we welcome you to our lands." They escorted him to Ton and Jan, "We present to you Pack Leader Ray. He brings his pack to live with us in Paradise."

Both young men bowed to the Pack Leader and replied, "Welcome Lord Pack Leader Ray. You and your pack are welcome here, you may live in Paradise or in our sister village, Harmony. We wish you and your pack long life and many puppies." Ray's eyes opened wide, these two humans also had a second soul within them, a soul their ancient legends told them were The Protectors!

Ray was thinking, "They said nothing about taking over my pack...." One of the wolf younglings sent to him, "Never happen, Uncle Ray, your pack is your own and you are made welcome here."

Ray was astounded, never before had any wolf or human been able to penetrate his shields. The two youngling wolves, Mot and Len, sauntered off, leaving a perplexed and not a little frightened wolf pack leader staring at them. When he encountered Ton and Cal in mind-speech the first time, he truly wondered if it had been a good idea to come there! He saw through their human façade and saw a giant Vampire from their most ancient lore!

The newcomers elected to stay together and they built themselves a new village near the small lake some distance from both Paradise and Harmony, about a half hour's walk from either village.

The newcomers named their village, "Peace" and the two other villages helped them get in some quick crops and build their buildings and homes before the cold time arrived. Those who were already there promised the newcomers that they would supplement their crops so there would be no hunger in PEACE.

The newcomers elected Gor as their Headman and he and his wolf counterpart, Ray, settled down to the business of their village. Peace was a bit smaller than the other two villages, there being only about twenty families.

Their new crops came in quantities the humans had never even had heard of and they had to hurry to make baskets and containers in which to store the bounty. The people of Harmony and Paradise had given them some cows and, already, they could see their children growing bigger and stronger.

A few of the boys were already as tall as their sires and their childhood growth was not yet complete! Two of the youngling human boys were seen with immature fangs protruding from their young lips!

By the midpoint of the cold time, it was apparent there was going to be a population explosion among both the humans and the wolves of Peace! Between the crops, they had been able to harvest and the generosity of their neighbors in Paradise and Harmony, there were no hungry humans or wolves in Peace!

When the wolf puppies began to arrive, sires and dams were amazed at the size of their litter and worried about how they were going to feed them all. Human mothers were sure they were going to birth twins, many did!

The following warm time was filled with the joyful sounds of pups and babies. It was a song long absent from their people and those who were observant, saw two huge Vampires watching them with smiles of happiness and contentment on their faces.

Between hunting and their new cattle and birds, every table had meat on it, fresh bread and milk were available and the local trees were loaded with edible fruits. They were given seeds for melons and root vegetables, some of which they had never seen before. Gone were the pleas of their children that they were still hungry, even after the meal had been eaten.

It took many mothers a while to learn the new eating habits of their families and fathers were amazed when they had to look up to meet the eyes of their sons. Wolf parents had already discovered their pups were bigger and more powerful.

Over the next several years, the population of wolves and humans greatly increased, Gar was hard-pressed to hold school and had to delegate other wolves to assist him in the distant villages. The students, both wolf and human, were pushing their teachers for more and faster! It was the sign that Gar and Wonder were looking for, the genetic differences between the wolf kind and the humankind were blurring, humankind was coming home!

With adequate food, the younglings of both races, human and wolf, outgrew their parents and both were seen acquiring more powerful mental skills. Predators were learning to stay far away from the three villages and those who failed to heed that advice were never seen again.

There were no problems with the Great Felines during that time, what Ton, Jan and Zac had done to them had thoroughly frightened them. But, it was not to last, the Great Felines thirsted for revenge and they plotted and planned while licking their wounds in the deep canyons of the surrounding mountains.

TBC

The society of the Humans and the Wolves is thriving, towns are being built and their numbers are increasing. The only smoke on the horizon is the hatred of the Great Felines, the next battle with them must be to the finish, otherwise the races of man and wolf would disappear from the world of their birth.