Return of the Wolf

By Dorothy Patent

What's it like to be a wolf living in the wilds off her own wits and strength? You can find out by reading about Sedra, a young wolf driven away by her packmates, who settles down in completely new territory. There she meets Jasper, a young male wolf also in search of a home. Sedra and Jasper hunt, play, learn their territory, and, with the coming of spring, begin a family—a new wolf pack.

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent draws on her extensive knowledge of wolf behavior, gained by helping raise a litter of wolf pups in captivity, taking long walks in the woods with a captive wolf named Koani, and observing wild wolves in Alaska, to create a dramatic story told completely from the wolf’s point of view. Realistic and quick-paced, Return of the Wolf provides fascinating details of the animals’ communication, wolf pups’ birth and training, and the wolves’ struggles to overcome obstacles and survive.

Written by an award-winning author of books for young people and adults and originally published by Clarion Books in 1995 in an illustrated version, this book popular with readers has been out of print for several years but is now available as an ebook.

School Library Journal wrote in a review, "Patent offers such close-up natural descriptions and keen observations that readers will feel as though they were in the wild...A wonderful read-aloud." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books' review said, "The writing is brisk and direct, finding a narrative line without imposing an unnatural plot."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorothy Patent
• Release date: Jul 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476287850

Dorothy Patent

Dorothy has devoted her career to writing nonfiction trade books for children. She has written more than 130 books and won numerous awards, including the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award for the body of her work. "Return of the Wolf" her one novel, honors one of her favorite animals by imagining the life of a young wolf rejected by her pack, who struggles to make a life for herself in a new location. Dorothy and her husband, Greg, an award-winning food writer, live in Missoula, Montana, on the edge of a national forest she shares with deer, bears, mountain lions, and more.

Book preview

RETURN

OF THE

WOLF

~

By

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Return of the Wolf

Copyright 2012 by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Smashwords edition

Skyview Books

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Cover photo of Koani, courtesy of Bruce Weide, Wild Sentry

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, digital, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, reprinting, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher or copyright holder.

For Bruce, Hanneke, Jeanette, Peggy, and Wendy, who helped me all along the way, and to the memory of Koani, who never had a chance to live wild and free.

Reviews

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Return of the Wolf was originally published in 1995 by Clarion Books and has been out of print for several years. The book was chosen as a National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children in 1996 and received stellar reviews with comments like these:

From School Library Journal: Patent offers such close-up natural descriptions and keen observations that readers will feel as though they are in the wild….A wonderful read-aloud.

From Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: The writing is brisk and direct, finding a narrative line without imposing an unnatural plot.

CHAPTER ONE

Lone Wolf

~

Sedra crept slowly toward her packmates, as they devoured the carcass of a freshly killed elk. Her tail was tucked between her legs, and she carried her head low. Her yellow eyes focused intently on the torn flesh, and she hungered for a taste of it. Before she could take even one mouthful, two of the other wolves turned on her, biting and slashing at her flanks and shoulders. She instantly rolled over on her back showing her vulnerable belly, but they didn’t let up. Sedra quickly flipped back onto her feet and ran.

When she was safely away from the feeding pack, she turned and lay down on the soft snow that blanketed the meadow. She rested her dark muzzle between her outstretched front legs and focused her bright, yellow eyes on the other wolves. She watched as they finished filling their bellies. She turned her head and used her long, pink tongue to lick away the blood oozing from a deep gash in her shoulder.

Sedra was one wolf too many for the large pack. The other wolves would never accept her again, would not let her share in the kills. It had been too long since she had eaten, and she realized she had to leave her family and go off on her own to find food. Her eyes gradually closed. Sedra drifted off into sleep, giving her mind and body a rest.

When she awoke, the full moon shone silver-bright on the snowy landscape. She rose slowly, her right shoulder stiff from its wound, and shook her thick, soft coat of blue-black fur, fluffing it out in the cold night air. She stretched and whined softly, then trotted slowly away from the pack. She did not look back. She skirted the rock pile at the meadow’s edge and climbed the slope into the forests across from where the other wolves lay sleeping. She limped slightly, but the more she moved, the looser her stride became. She was on the own for the first time in her life.

******

Sedra didn’t know where she was going, but she knew she had to go. She headed toward the boundary of the pack’s territory, then turned south along the edge, staying just inside her family’s area. That way she would avoid a different wolf pack just to the east, who would surely chase her down and kill her