The Great Eastern Wolf Pack

There once was a pack of wolves that roamed a large area on the Eastern boundary of a large tract of wilderness. Several harsh winters and clashes with other predators including cougars, bears, and other wolf packs had devastated the males leaving only about a dozen or so females of varying ages. That youngest pup was only a year-old – grown enough to travel distance, but had no hunting experience and was not yet able to conceive.

The last two male wolves had died in a skirmish with a competing pack from the North. The Alpha Male of the Eastern Pack valiantly defended his pack, but could not fight off the 4 smaller but agile enemy males. His son, about 6 months at the time of his father’s death, was dispatched instantly once his father was out of the way. The skirmish began because a number of the females of the pack had gone off to look for mating opportunities with the competing Northern pack. This led to incursions into the Eastern Pack’s territories, and these repeated “invitations” by the females in heat emboldened the desperate young males from the rival pack.

The Northern pack has not been seen ever since the final battle about two seasons ago.

All of the females were waning; their coats no longer shiny, nor their eyes as bright as they had once been. Every member of the pack could see the ribs of the other, but none dared express her concerns as the new Alpha Sister did not tolerate discord among the pack. Their big troubles began as the fall season gave way to winter. They had been roaming over the same comfortable range as they had in the past, but migrating with their prey animals was not possible. It was simply too dangerous as there were no strong males left to help with defense. In addition, the males had been raised and trained for eons to evolve into proficient navigators, hunters, and fighters. The females did everything else, including guard duty, killing small prey, and raising pups. This had worked for eons - It was quite literally in their DNA.

Nonetheless, the Sisters did a good job of maintaining boundaries and hunting in the summer months. But as the winter approached, easy prey like fawns, rabbits, and the occasional water fowl simply disappeared. Hunting and tracking in snow was a much different thing and something the males would normally do, so the females were content with living comfortably during the spring and summer, and would simply forage looking for dead or dying animals that could not keep up with their own herds. Each year, they were lucky to find a few caribou or whitetail deer.

But this season the situation was desperate. It had been weeks since the last animal was found. The few attempts at taking snowshoe hare were a complete disaster. The animals were smaller, but much more agile. And given the malnourished state of even the strongest female wolves, they simply did not have the “gas” to hunt with the agility and speed needed to land such athletic prey.

It was around the winter solstice when one wolf spoke up:

“My Sisters”, Sister 3 spoke up. “We are clearly in a desperate situation. With all due respect to Sister1, we MUST do something or we are going to perish”

There was a collective gasp. No one had confronted Sister1 like this before. Even Sister2 seemed to recoil in shock. This was suicide. Sister 3 knew this, but if she were going to die, she figured it would be better to die quickly from a fight, than die slowly over the next few months from starvation – or worse.

“Sister 3” Sister 1 chimed in. “You are only saying what all of us are thinking. So thank you for speaking out. As your leader, my job is to maintain order. But more importantly, it is to keep our pack a live and safe. That has become increasingly harder since the Alpha Male 1 perished all those springs ago. I am open to new ideas, but make no mistake – I am THE Alpha Sister of this pack and I will expect the same respect you have always given to those who came before me. So keep your comments reasonable. If you wish to challenge me, I will make short work of you. Despite my physical state, I am still the strongest among us."

"Besides," she added, "We should not fight each other – the fight is out there”

After some mumbling and nervous body language; shifting, sniffing, and other various grunts and displays, Sister’s loud bark calmed the pack. “Enough”, she snorted. “Who will speak first?”

Sister 3 took her chance. “We keep doing the same things over and over and we are losing to nature. Relaxing during the night and taking easy prey has been fun, but this approach is literally killing us. We must try to find new ways to eat. We must hunt more.”

The din of howling over such a preposterous idea could be heard across the valley.

After a thoughtful pause, Sister 1 spoke up. “Sisters. She is right. I declare that from this night on, we will send out a scout group of 4 wolves rotating each night, to hunt throughout the night. We must remain in our own territory. We shall hunt at night!”

Again, howls were heard across the valley, but these were howls of approval and delight – however diminished.

After about a week of hunting, a few more rabbits and minks were caught. Unfortunately, the hunters ate most of the quarry. (Starvation was a powerful motivator). These betrayals were met with harsh punishment. After the third night Sister 1 nearly decapitated a younger wolf for attempting to fight back. That wolf would heal, but she was permanently injured and would never regain her full strength. She was also relegated to last in line for eating going forward.

After two full weeks of rotating night shifts, it became clear that the calorie intake was not sufficient to offset the calories expended on hunting. It was a losing battle. The youngest pup was now sleeping nearly around the clock due to exhaustion. Eating was done in a hierarchical order, with the strongest females garnering the most food. Nature was cruel in this way, but deadly efficient. This approach meant that the weak would die, leaving the strongest to fend for the pack. The weaker 3-4 wolves admired the dominant females, but also lamented the lack of suitable prey for themselves. They were not sure whether to curse the pack or to curse nature. But to curse the pack would be akin to suicide. So they complied, however reluctantly.

On the evening marking that marked two weeks since the night hunting program began, Sister 3 once again spoke up...

“Sister 1, may I address the pack”

“Of course” she replied (holding back her inner concern. She knew things were quite tenuous and a challenge might arise suddenly. She steeled herself for what might come. The pack noticed, but did not see this as a sign of weakness, but rather steely eyed realism)

“Thank you great sister. First, let me say that we are all here because of your able leadership these last few years. Without you, we would surely have perished, so we owe you our gratitude and our deep fealty."

Sister 1 remained stoic. She wanted to see where this was going...

“I am loathe to admit that I am desperate. Last night I had thoughts of simply walking off into the night. We know that the pack to the north consists mainly of males. Their scent can be picked up at a great distance on warm summer evenings. We have all had the same thoughts betray us. I have seen it in your eyes, and smelled it on you as well. (The pack chuckled nervously at the thinly veiled sexual reference. None wanted to admit their darkest desires openly.)

“It seems that the night hunting is having some success, but it is not enough. I fear that we may all perish before spring arrives. We need a new idea. We need a FEW new ideas. But I do not have any myself.”

Sister 2 stepped slowly forward. To the outside, she would appear to be the top Sister. Her coat was still smooth, her eyes were bright and her musculature could be seen rippling under her soft grey fur when walking on a sunny day. Many younger females admired her more than the older Sister 1. But since Sister 1 had the hearts and minds of the pack, and could kill any two of them at the same time, they remained loyal to the hierarchy – and to Sister 1.

“Sisters. I have remained silent these past two seasons.” (She did not look to Sister 1 for approval. She had no fear, and this was now obvious) “It is not my habit to banter and skitter about. It is wasteful and it takes my attention off of the horizon. My job has been to be the pack’s eyes and ears, and to support Alpha 1 as best I can” (everyone noticed that she did not say the word ‘Sister’). “We must NOT lower our standards. There is still plenty of prey. We are simply not trying enough to hunt ALL of the prey in our own territory. And as for the northern pack, they are our ENEMY.”

(At the word enemy, she howled it out so that it could be heard far and wide. Packs north, south, and west were all able to pick up on it. It was a signal of aggression. The other packs knew too well that the timing meant that the Eastern pack was desperate. The Alpha Male of the Western pack noticed this too).

“We must double down on our night hunting. Sister 3 should be commended for such an innovation. We cannot give up! We must work around the clock sisters! The old ways taught to us by the older generation of MALE wolves are OVER! Look where it has gotten us. ALL of our problems are because we have not taken our rightful place as FEMALE wolves. We must look to the West. The weakest pack lives in that area. We rarely see them near our border. I believe we can easily defeat them in battle. Besides, they will not risk all out war over a few prey animals. I suggest we leave at once to the West in search of prey – come what may from the inferior pack!”

There was a collective howl. Every neighboring pack knew what this meant, and so they sent scouts to their respective borders with the Eastern pack. All were wondering how bad it must be for the Eastern wolves to take such a risk. After all, the ancient ways always provide virtually unlimited food for ALL. It is simply a matter of training the younger generation, finding each pack members strengths and assigning roles. Wolves are apex predators – not desperate packs of roaming dogs seeking to steal from each other.

Sure skirmished happened from time to time with younger inexperienced wolves, but this was a bad sign indeed. Desperate wolves do desperate things.

So the Eastern pack sprayed the nearby trees and trotted off enthusiastically.

Throughout the night they captured some prey. Their full bellies gave them a flush of energy and renewed hope! The new prey tasted and felt great – just like it had before these harsh times. They were entranced at how easy it was to hunt at night and how many prey were simply not prepared for such tactics. The entire pack felt superior. Surely the other packs could never have come up with such a brilliant innovation. Female wolves were surely superior. Every piece of evidence indicated this very clearly.

As they walked, Sister 1 began to worry. The mood of the pack seemed to shift towards Sister 2.This was worrisome and she realized that she would soon have to defend her role. She also knew that this was a losing strategy. She was one of the few who knew the old ways. The pack was simply not equipped to handle this new dynamic without males. And the WORST thing to do was to challenge the pack’s collective will. Each wolf must subordinate her own individual interests to the needs of the pack. To do otherwise was to be left out in the cold alone. So although she was still the Top Sister, group dynamics could be tricky.

As they approached the Western border, they slowed and rested. Most were asleep in a few minutes, leaving the two older wolves alone to talk.

“Sister 2, I am impressed at your leadership. You have reenergized the pack. For that I thank you. But I must know, do you intend to challenge me?”

Sister two whispered “ No sister. I will never betray you - living or dead, you are our most revered leader. I remember the old days when I was nothing more than a nursing bitch. I always wanted a greater role in the pack and now I have it. Thanks to you. We are too good a team to break us up. I hope you feel the same.”

Sister 1 was noticeably relieved and they both chuckled. Their partnership was sealed with submissive bowing as Sister 2 bore her teeth and presented her belly to Sister 1, who sniffed and lightly nudged as was customary. They sat looking at the western border.

Several moments later, both agreed that all of their problems were due to the older Male pack. Their ways were rooted in the past, and those ways led the pack to this lamentable state. Clearly, had female wolves helped to shape the hunting tactics of the pack they could have easily taken over a territory of twice their current land. They agreed to immediately begin to teach the pack about the Structural Imperfections of the Male Pack Structure. This was the future and it would be decided by the Females. They were not yet certain about how they would grow and replenish the pack, but procreation would have to wait. For now, their survival was at stake.

In the morning, they woke to find that two pack members went missing in the night. They had all been accounted for the previous evening, and there had been no noise in the night, so there was no question about it. They left willingly.

Nonetheless, they all stood up, sprayed the area, and moved pensively at a slow walk; heads down, ears up, and eyes keen for any slight movement. They were no longer merely hunting prey; they were now trying to avoid BECOMING prey.

After a few hundred meters they were greeted by Western Alpha Male 1 (WAM1) from the western pack. Even the largest most powerful females stood in awe at his sheer size. His mane made him look even larger. He was the most intimidating, and most beautiful male wolf they had ever seen. Several of the younger females involuntarily expressed pheromones. The Alpha Male scent was powerful - in fact it was overwhelming. He had scars on his face, and he looked to be about 2-3 years older than their own Sister 1.

Behind WAM1 stood 3 other males. They were all slightly smaller, but no less impressive. The entire remaining pack of 9 females knew that this group of 4 could quite easily dispatch them with almost no effort.

WAM1 spoke up.

“We know why you are here. Leave immediately or we you will be forced to leave. We know what happened to your pack, and for that reason we have left you alone. It is forbidden for males to attack helpless neighboring packs – especially all-female packs. It is not our way. However, enemies declare themselves and we respond accordingly. We control the entire western region. A territory so vast that ten of your territories could not fill but a small fraction of our river area alone. Depart now and no aggression will be taken against you. But know this – the ground on which you stand is ours. Your border ends by the stream 100 meters past the Aspens. Going forward, you are not to enter that area. It is no longer yours, it is now neutral territory. We too will refrain from entering it. Unless one of us is in active pursuit of prey, that land is off limits to both packs. I am not asking for your agreement, I am decreeing it.”

The entire pack stood in stunned silence. Was this possible? Was it allowed? Deep inside, they knew that no matter how any of them felt about it, this was how it would be. And there would be no debates. All of the females lowered their heads in submission.

Sister 2 spoke up. “Good neighbor, thank…”

“SIILNECE!” Barked WAM1. He stood firmly and confidently” I do not communicate with beta wolves. Shut your maw or I will shut it for you.” He spoke calmly as if he were commenting on the weather. His matter-of-fact manner was mesmerizing to the female pack and several of them involuntarily assumed submissive positions upon hearing his loud booming voice.

“Get up!” Barked Sister 1 to her own pack, feeling the sting of Biology's betrayal. She had come to despise the natural order.

“I am the pack leader, so I shall communicate on behalf of my pack” Sister 1 spoke firmly.

“There is no need to communicate, I have commanded you and you will comply. You invaded our territory and you know this cannot be allowed. We are accommodating you because we know of your desperate situation. Do not test my generosity. As the leader of my own pack, which is well over 100 members, my job is to defend our territory. I do not hunt, I do not gather, I do not navigate, and I do not raise pups. I LEAD. And you would do well to LEAD your pack out of here immediately or suffer the consequences. There will be no more words. Leave at ONCE!”

Once again, his ferocious bark struck fear into the entire pack. Even one of his own males stepped back. The missing chunk of his left ear told the tale of why he held WAM1 in such high regard. WAM1 was never harsh, until it was necessary.

The prospect of violence was hanging over both packs by a thin thread.

The other males behind WAM1 were becoming mesmerized by all the young fertile females. Their pack loyalty was being tested. After all, now that they know the new boundary, and where to find these female wolves, they too may finally one day be able to procreate.

Even if clandestinely.

WAM1 sensed this and growled looking over his shoulder. None of them dared look him in the eye. They might not like the situation, but they were well fed, well respected, and would one day procreate. There would be opportunities, it would just take patience. All must respect the natural order.

Just as the tension was at its greatest, three Western females approached from the rear.

Western Alpha Female 1 (WAF1) strode up beside WAF1. The two of them side by side were a formidable sight. Their WAF1 was smaller than every male in her pack, but she outranked them. Not a thing happened in that pack without her approval; including ALL procreation.

Suddenly the all-female pack felt small. Many of them were inexplicably angry. Everything they had been told about the old ways had been a lie. A huge lie meant to keep them in line so that Sisters 1 and 2 could maintain their positions in the pack. They felt betrayed.

And suddenly without explanation, a few of the 9 remaining females approached the Western pack, assuming submissive positions, acting like young pups begging for food.

WAF1 snapped at one who got too close.

“Cease this at once!” she roared. “You are not welcome here. We have plenty of mouths to feed and babes to raise, and we do not need your poisonous ways infecting our pack. We thrive because we reject your ways. I have been where you are, but I will not have any of you threatening me or any of my females. WAM1 rules over the pack, but I rule over the females and pups of this pack. Interlopers will not be tolerated. Now be gone!”

Sister 1 spoke again.

“Forgive us. You are right. We are starving and we intended no disrespect. We are desperate and did not knew the strength of your pack. Please allow us to leave in peace. And before I take my leave, I ask for one more favor. We are in desperate need of males. We will never be able to procreate otherwise. We have already lost two females, and I fear we will lose others. If you have any younger males we will gladly take them in and treat them as equals.”

WAF1 thought for a moment. She glanced at WAM1, who nodded in approval.

“Fine. We will grant your request.” She commanded.

A few barks and head movement signaled back to the scout party, who had been lurking in the background. Several excited male stepped forward. They could now have a chance to lead their own packs!

The members of the Western pack all knew that this was a brilliant move. It simultaneously relieved their own pack of a few mouths to feed, it eliminated a current threat (however weak), and provided a way of creating a friendly neighboring pack. If things went well, they would be good allies and would respect boundaries. This was a good move. Western Alpha Male and Female 1 earned the respect of their entire pack yet again for their wisdom and patience. They remained physically powerful, but they showed restraint, which was just as important among canines. The alternative is chaos, and chaotic leaders ensure that everyone loses. As it stood this was a win-win-win for all.

Four young healthy males slowly walked across the imaginary line between the packs.

The Eastern females immediately became aggressive in their body language. Despite the understanding of what was happening, their deepest primal instincts could not be denied. It was a confusing minute or so as the all female pack swarmed the new males, smelling, sniffing, and snipping at them. Would they be helpful or were they weak? More importantly, would they try to do the females any harm?

Sister 1 nodded and the new pack suddenly calmed and reformed. To the rear of Western Pack, Sister 2 and 1 both noticed the two members of their own pack who had gone missing in the night before.

Sister 1 immediately protested. “You have stolen two of our pack!”

The entire Western pack recoiled at the sudden aggression and teeth began to show.

Calmly, WAF1 spoke.

“They came to us willingly in the early morning. They were cold and hungry. What would you have us do? Do you always treat acts of mercy with such contempt? Now depart immediately before we change our minds”

WAM1 remained stoic. He knew that there was no combination of the enemy pack who could take on WAF1. He admired her calm dominance. She was a good choice for a partner, and a good female leader for the entire pack. He liked this - but whether he liked it or not, this was nature’s way. Still, he felt pride and confidence in that moment.

After a few whispers, Sisters 1 and 2 signaled the pack to leave. They did not look back.

_____________________________________________

Several winters later, there was a particularly harsh storm. Temperatures dipped below zero for well over a week. All of the animal species in the area took losses. An ice storm even damaged several ancient mighty oak trees. The cold snap caused much death and damage. Nonetheless, the Western pack emerged in the spring relatively unscathed with a few exceptions. One of the adopted Eastern females died of malnutrition. She was simply too damaged from her last two years with her previous pack to recover.

This left only the stronger of the two. The Eastern pack would have called her Sister 6. Now she was Beta Female (BF) 75, ranking only above the youngest female pups. Still she was happy and healthy and her coat and teeth showed this. She was also fertile and ready to procreate. She was happy, although she missed her old sisterhood. Those days, however dangerous, were exciting and new. She was raised by female wolves and she was deeply impacted by Sisters 1 and 2. She still admired their strength and courage. If not for them, she would not be here now. She thought about them often and even remembered everything they told her.

The Eastern pack did not fare so well. The new males of the pack attempted to convince their new family to try new things. They were not used to hunting around the clock. That work was tiring and the results were not worth the effort. They slowly realized that they missed the relatively leisurely life they had with the Western pack. Everyone had their role to play, and if everyone stayed focused, everyone won.

These young males also recognized that such a pack HAD to be built and nurtured and that it would not be easy. What they did not expect was the fierce resistance to new ideas – especially when they came from the males. The males were all in agreement - they must follow the herds of caribou as they migrated. Yes, there would be skirmishes, but those were minimal when prey is bountiful. Wolves simply have little reason to fight when they are fat and happy.

"NO!" “Male ideas are what led to our circumstances to begin with” Sister 2 barked. Sister 1 had died last month giving birth to a very small litter of 3 pups, and the leadership transition was not easy on any of them. “Once again you males are proving to be worthless. We chose you for your shiny coats and your ability to provide us with offspring, and we just lost 2 out of the 3 from our last litter. All you have to do is defend our borders, make babies, take down larger prey, and eat. We are not interested in your ideas, and you are not fed to think!”

The males were frustrated and wondered if they had made the right decision. Sure they could finally procreate now, but that was not very often and it was over quickly. The constant disrespect and the hunger in their bellies gave them a deep sense of regret because they knew that Western pack would never let them back in.

Such was the way of wolves.

Nonetheless, the Eastern pack waxed and waned with the changing seasons. Three years after the great frost, there remained two males and about 15 females, so the pack had grown slightly. But because of the lack of competitive pressure from the west, the males atrophied. There was rarely any large prey like Caribou or Moose, so they never had to expend to much energy hunting. So they succumbed to laziness and the harsh winters.

Nature is paradoxical in many ways. And it offered one simple rule above all others – it was not "survival of the fittest", it was survival of the most adaptable. Despite a second chance, The Eastern pack simply could not adapt to nature’s ancient ways. New ideas now drove their behavior, forsaking eons of wisdom and knowledge. So they plodded along, resorting to foraging for berries and anything else edible in the forest. And so it went for several years, until all but a few older females remained.

On warm spring evenings, when the deer were rutting, the Eastern pack could hear the male deer scraping underbrush to remove the felt from their antlers. They could smell the musky scents, which attracted them as prey animal scents do. But it also reeked of raw animal sexuality. And in those moments they talked of the glory of the old times when Sisters 1 and 2 ruled the pack and how much fun the new males were when they were in their primes. Those were the best days, they agreed, but there would be no more of those.

And in those moments, none of them would speak the words aloud, but they all wondered the same thing: “Where are all the good male wolves?”

Yet still, they did not consider merging with other packs or simply stealing away in the night to find the few lone males out trying to make their own way. Those wolves not very attractive because they were too practical and task oriented. They obsessed over hunting, fighting, and procreating with a single mindedness that scared and confused the female wolves. They needed pack–oriented wolves, who were also good hunters and had a shiny coat and a deep howling voice. Lone wolves were unknown entities. Sure they could survive on their own, which was indeed impressive, but could they conform to a female-led pack?

_________________________________________________________________

Nearly a decade had passed since the great meeting of the two packs. Generations had come and gone. As the spring gave way to the bug infested summer and the abundance of prey, a young female wolf from the Western Pack was playing with her sisters around a stream. As they barked and playfully snapped at the water, the boldest of them spoke up.

“Sisters, have you ever heard the tale of the All-powerful female Eastern wolf pack?”

The others immediately ceased their playing, and small crowd of female pups gathered round. “My mom said that there was once a mighty pack of female wolves. They conquered vast territories, and ruled over MALE wolves!”

An audible gasp erupted.

“Females? Who ruled over MALES? REALLY!?”

“Yes, really . Gather around and I will tell you all about it. But do not tell the males. For they are weak and cannot handle the truth. We must stick together Sisters. Besides, if they hear us talking they will know that their old ways are outdated, without us saying a word. They want to control us, so we must speak softly and wait for our turn. For one day we too can lead a pack of our own. Imagine if every female had an Alpha male of her own, with her own litters and her own territory!”

The little pups were mesmerized. Images of frolicking in the summer sun and making babies appealed to them greatly even at their age. They wanted to hear more of this Eastern pack of female wolves; the mightiest pack to ever inhabit these lands.