Two Wolves

Joey Cuellar was one of many students who submitted a short story for our creative writing contest. His story was chosen by the staff of the Medieval Times to be published online.

Two wolves walked together through a dense wilderness. The first was immensely large and held a strong will. The second was much smaller than the first, but held an even stronger will, especially for anything that threatened the first. Both were cubs of the same litter and the only survivors of the litter, as a group of hunters had killed their family many moons ago. Both also lived in the same den and went everywhere together.

On this night they spotted a deer and were both hungry since neither had eaten that whole day. When the bigger wolf tried to sneak up on the deer, he snapped a branch and caused the deer to flee in terror. The smaller wolf ran after the deer (as he was especially hungry) and disappeared into the brush along with the deer.

The small wolf ran and ran, blind to his surroundings, and eventually lost the deer. He was on his way back to the bigger wolf when he heard a loud and echoing roar, followed by a pained whimper. The wolf ran even faster toward the sound than when he was chasing the deer and was horrified when he saw his brother on the floor, with a bear looming over him. The young wolf was filled with anger and hatred towards the bear for hurting his brother, and without hesitation put himself between his brother and the bear. The two fought, and although the wolf was small in stature, he put up an impressive fight against the bear, clawing and biting at any opportunity he could, and weaving between the bear's large limbs. His fight was in vain though, as the bear grabbed the wolf's chest between its jaws, and crushed it, killing the wolf.

After the fight was won, the bear retreated into the brush, seeing that the wolves were defeated. The larger wolf was not dead though, and was heartbroken when he saw his brother’s bleeding corpse. He nuzzled and prodded his fallen brother for hours, but could not make him get up. The larger wolf picked up his brother's corpse and desperately wandered through the wilderness for help. After some time he smelled a strange odor near him, and when he went closer he saw a witch who was making potions. With little choice, he approached the witch and placed his brother carefully on the floor, and barked and howled at the witch. The witch did not understand the wolf but saw the corpse and the sadness that burdened the wolf and she had sympathy towards the wolf.

The witch gathered several ingredients from her camp for a potion and began brewing. She also offered the wolf some venison while he waited, but he refused to eat.

The witch worked for eight days and eight nights on the potion, and on the ninth day, she gave the large wolf a potion and told him to pour it on his brother's corpse to bring him back. The wolf brought his brother back to their den and did so, and in three days the small wolf woke up, but in agony. The large wolf was thrilled at the sight of his brother, and the two left their den to go hunt for food since both were still hungry. When they got to their den, they saw the bear come out of their cave and were horrified. But the small wolf remembered the pain the bear had caused both of them and blinded by rage attacked the bear, much to the horror of the big wolf. The bear picked up the small wolf in its jaws again and bit down like it had done nine days ago. But this time, the blood from the wolf burned through the flesh of the bear, and the bear released him in its agony. The small wolf then attacked the bear relentlessly until the bear perished.

Over the next two years, the small wolf was in intense and unending agony all around his body and expressed so to his brother. The large wolf ignored it though, as he was still overjoyed that he had his brother back and that they were living as though the small wolf had never died. Then one day, the witch somehow found their den and was scared. She told the wolves that nearby townsmen were coming to murder her, and pleaded with the two wolves for protection. The large wolf ignored her and lay down, to which the witch responded by insulting him, and reminding him that she had helped bring his brother back from death. This shocked the wolf, who had not known that his brother was the reason for his unbearable, and unstoppable pain. The small wolf sprung up and attacked his brother in a rage so blinding that he was unable to control himself, and could not hear his brother’s attempts to make him see reason. The large wolf tried his best to defend himself, since he couldn’t bring himself to harm his brother, but still continued to try and calm his brother. But the small wolf didn’t listen and pierced his brother's neck, causing him to bleed excessively. The small wolf then realized what he did, and did anything to comfort his brother in his last moments, until at last his brother perished. The small wolf howled in mourning into the full moon loud enough for the world to hear, and the witch flew in terror.

Now, to this day the wolf wanders the wilderness, and still dwells in that same den, unable to die. He howls at every full moon to mourn his brother, and sleeps next to his brother’s bones, unable to move on, still believing that there are two wolves.