A Visit to Aunt Lilly and Uncle Garth.
On a pathway on an old hill in Jasper National park, three adult wolf siblings were making their way towards a field of tall grass near the hill's base. They would occasionally stop to sniff the air or listen for prey before going downhill to reach their destination.
The largest of the trio was Smokey, a male with blue eyes, black fur and gray underbelly and facial fur that was showing signs of becoming black like the rest of his coat. The oldest of the trio was Claudette, a female with brown eyes and gold fur, a curled mane that was forming all around her neck, and the fur on her face was slightly darker but still gold. The third wolf was Runt, another male with blue eyes and a gray fur coat that was losing more and more color, he had white underbelly and facial fur and a black mane. He was the smallest and youngest of the trio, but an adult all the same, he was just 4 minutes younger than them after all.
"C'mon y'all. Aunt Lilly and Uncle Garth's place is literally just downhill." Said Smokey.
"I still can't get it in my head that they finally had pups." Replied Claudette.
"I'll never forget how Aunt Lilly looked when she finally had those pups." Runt marveled. "She never looked so happy."
A while later, they reached the field, Smokey howled a great howl, followed by Claudette and Runt. The air rung and echoed with the trio's combined howl. Finally they stopped.
"You think Aunt Lilly and Uncle Garth know that we're here?" Claudette asked.
"Oh. They know." Smokey reassured confidently.
Runt raised an eyebrow at his older brother. "What makes you so sure?"
Then, as if on cue, the howls of two different wolves came from the midst of the field. The trio saw the grass moving and out of the tall grass came a large red-furred male with blue eyes and some gray forming around his muzzle.
"Hey Uncle Garth!" Smokey greeted the wolf.
"Somebody bite me. I must be dreaming." Said the wolf called Garth. "And to think, you guys started out looking your Mom and Dad. Now look at you. Different doesn't even describe this. This keeps up, and the next time I look at you, I'll hardly recognize you."
"The shame that would be." Runt teased. " How are you not going know your Forest King when you see him?"
Claudette rolled her eyes. "Easy now, Your Majesty."
Garth shook his head. " Come on. Your Aunt Lilly will like to see you guys too." With that, he led them in to the prairie. After several minutes of rustling through some very tall grass, the group stopped when they reached a small open space at the very heart of the prairie. In that open space was a fair-sized hole. Garth turned towards the trio and said, "Welcome to my home."
Smokey, Claudette, and Runt looked at one another then back to Garth. They were absolutely unaware that their Aunt Lilly lived this deep in a prairie full of 4 feet tall grass. Before they could say anything, a slender female wolf came out of that hole. She had white fur but gray roots, violet eyes, and the fur on her head was brushed back, revealing both her violet eyes.
"Hello Aunt Lilly." Smokey smiled.
The white she-wolf tilted her head at him, then she gasped. "Look at you. Look at all of you!"
Garth chuckled. "I know, right? They were looking like their parents the last time we saw them. Now check them out.
Lilly walked up to Smokey and nuzzled him. " I don't know why your Dad wanted to call you "Stinky.' Kate was right in listening to me." Smokey laughed at this.
Lilly pulled back from him to greet Claudette. "Well, at least you're still Mini Kate." she chuckled.
"Oh Come on, Aunt Lilly. You know nothing is gonna happen to me." Claudette scoffed.
After Lilly finished, she she released her hug on Claudette and shot a smile towards Runt. "And you: Don't think I didn't notice you. What is going on!?" She joked.
"Yeah well, you see," Runt began "Nature has a funny way of doing things. So-"
"So it decided it be best you look like your old Aunt Lilly?" Lilly finished. As she asked the question, she was gently stroking the fur on Runt's face and shoulders with her right paw before hugging him anyway.
"Well, it kinda does look like that at this moment." Runt grinned.
"Mom! Dad!" A voice cried from the burrow, then a adolescent male wolf came the hole. He had violet eyes and grayish white fur like Lilly, but his body was built with muscular detail and size like Garth. "Star keeps on bi-... Oh, look at this Smokey, Claudette, and Runt are here. Hi guys."
"Jared, you've gotten a whole lot bigger since the last we saw you." Smokey said as he rubbed his paw on the adolescent wolf's head, slightly messing up his hair.
"Aawwwwwee. Look at you. You're so big and handsome now." Claudette said while nuzzling him and pinching his cheeks.
Runt just looked at the almost-grown pup. He was almost getting upset because he found out how small he truly was. Even a teenager was almost getting to be as big as him if not bigger. " Darn." He thought to himself.
"You wanted to talk to us about something, Son?" Lilly asked.
"Hmm?" Jared gave his mother a puzzled look before remembering. "Oh yeah. It's Star. She keeps on biting my tail and I asked her to stop."
"Oh really?" Garth wondered. Then, he put his head of the burrow. "Star?"
On cue, a small female wolf pup came bashfully out the burrow. She was very small for one her age, yet still bigger than Runt was growing up. She had red fur, violet eyes, and some of her hair always hanging over her right eye. No doubt this was Lilly and Garth rolled up into one.
"Were you biting your brother's tail even when he had asked you to stop?" Lilly asked patiently.
"Yes Mama." Star answered. " But only because he kept flopping it around in our sleep. It was driving me nuts!"
"Well, forgive me if I have no control over my body when I'm asleep!" Jared replied.
"I can see you and your sister are still a mess." Smokey smirked.
"I know I am." Jared admittedly replied. "But she's harder to clean up."
Star scoffed. "Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!
"Are too."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too .... ..... Am not."
"ARE TOO." Star shouted. She then let out a gasp because she found her brother tricked her. She was so angry, she crouched down on her little legs and then with all her strength, lunged at her brother.
Runt caught her in mid- air before she could reach Jared. "Careful now. Don't need you hurting yourself now, do we?"
"Nooo." Star moaned.
After everyone was settled down, they spent the whole day getting caught up, telling jokes, and just reaffirming old family bonds. Star managed to convince the trio to play hide and seek with her. She knew the prairie like the back of her paw, not because she could hide anywhere in the grass and not be found, but because when it was her turn to seek, she could pin-point exactly where Smokey, Claudette, or Runt were hiding.
"Geez, child." Claudette gasped startled as Star pounced on her nose and spooked her out of hiding. " You're good. Way too good. If you were older and if we were prey, we'd be done for."
" No kidding." Runt grinned sheepishly. He and Smokey were found and spooked by Star in likewise manners.
Smokey looked towards the west to find the sun just mere "inches" from touching the horizon. " Claudette, Runt; We gotta move."
"Aawwwwwee." Runt and Star groaned.
Claudette walked up to her brother with a pouted face and pressed her nose into his. " Is it really time to go, Big Black?"
Smokey chuckled and answered. " It's time to go."
"Can I get a hug? " Star asked.
"Of course you can." Runt looked down at her. Then, he turned to Claudette and Smokey. " Y'all get on over here so we can give Star a proper goodbye."
Star watched as Smokey and Claudette walked over to her and in one second, her little body was completely covered in hugs from all sides. Smokey nuzzling her right side, Claudette on her left, and Runt was nuzzling her from the rear to make sure she couldn't get away. She laughed so hard, she was squealing.
Jared just watched this affection shower fall over his baby sister, and was going to shake his head in pity until he saw the adult wolves come to do likewise to him.
" It's your turn, Jared!" Runt teased.
" It is so not!" Jared exclaimed as he fast-walked back to the burrow, but he was not fast enough. All of a sudden, he felt a grab his shoulders. He closed his eyes as he was pulled backwards, then he opened them to see his older cousins group-hugging him the same order they did his sister. He let out an annoyed sigh as he was finally released. He looked up to see them nuzzle his parents and bid them also farewell.
"Don't be strangers, you guys." Garth laughed. " I'm serious. You're all looking more and more different everytime I see you now. I mean it when I say this: Come. Back. Soon. Capiche?"
"Absolutely." Claudette smiled. "Bye now. Love y'all."
" Good bye, Aunt Lilly. Be safe pups!" Runt said heading back out into the tall grasses.
"We'll be seeing you." Smokey finished before following his younger siblings.
"Say hello to your parents for us. " Lilly wagged her tail.
As his tail disappeared into the grass Smokey called to his aunt. "Count on it."
On a pathway on an old hill in Jasper National park, three adult wolf siblings were making their way towards a field of tall grass near the hill's base. They would occasionally stop to sniff the air or listen for prey before going downhill to reach their destination.
The largest of the trio was Smokey, a male with blue eyes, black fur and gray underbelly and facial fur that was showing signs of becoming black like the rest of his coat. The oldest of the trio was Claudette, a female with brown eyes and gold fur, a curled mane that was forming all around her neck, and the fur on her face was slightly darker but still gold. The third wolf was Runt, another male with blue eyes and a gray fur coat that was losing more and more color, he had white underbelly and facial fur and a black mane. He was the smallest and youngest of the trio, but an adult all the same, he was just 4 minutes younger than them after all.
"C'mon y'all. Aunt Lilly and Uncle Garth's place is literally just downhill." Said Smokey.
"I still can't get it in my head that they finally had pups." Replied Claudette.
"I'll never forget how Aunt Lilly looked when she finally had those pups." Runt marveled. "She never looked so happy."
A while later, they reached the field, Smokey howled a great howl, followed by Claudette and Runt. The air rung and echoed with the trio's combined howl. Finally they stopped.
"You think Aunt Lilly and Uncle Garth know that we're here?" Claudette asked.
"Oh. They know." Smokey reassured confidently.
Runt raised an eyebrow at his older brother. "What makes you so sure?"
Then, as if on cue, the howls of two different wolves came from the midst of the field. The trio saw the grass moving and out of the tall grass came a large red-furred male with blue eyes and some gray forming around his muzzle.
"Hey Uncle Garth!" Smokey greeted the wolf.
"Somebody bite me. I must be dreaming." Said the wolf called Garth. "And to think, you guys started out looking your Mom and Dad. Now look at you. Different doesn't even describe this. This keeps up, and the next time I look at you, I'll hardly recognize you."
"The shame that would be." Runt teased. " How are you not going know your Forest King when you see him?"
Claudette rolled her eyes. "Easy now, Your Majesty."
Garth shook his head. " Come on. Your Aunt Lilly will like to see you guys too." With that, he led them in to the prairie. After several minutes of rustling through some very tall grass, the group stopped when they reached a small open space at the very heart of the prairie. In that open space was a fair-sized hole. Garth turned towards the trio and said, "Welcome to my home."
Smokey, Claudette, and Runt looked at one another then back to Garth. They were absolutely unaware that their Aunt Lilly lived this deep in a prairie full of 4 feet tall grass. Before they could say anything, a slender female wolf came out of that hole. She had white fur but gray roots, violet eyes, and the fur on her head was brushed back, revealing both her violet eyes.
"Hello Aunt Lilly." Smokey smiled.
The white she-wolf tilted her head at him, then she gasped. "Look at you. Look at all of you!"
Garth chuckled. "I know, right? They were looking like their parents the last time we saw them. Now check them out.
Lilly walked up to Smokey and nuzzled him. " I don't know why your Dad wanted to call you "Stinky.' Kate was right in listening to me." Smokey laughed at this.
Lilly pulled back from him to greet Claudette. "Well, at least you're still Mini Kate." she chuckled.
"Oh Come on, Aunt Lilly. You know nothing is gonna happen to me." Claudette scoffed.
After Lilly finished, she she released her hug on Claudette and shot a smile towards Runt. "And you: Don't think I didn't notice you. What is going on!?" She joked.
"Yeah well, you see," Runt began "Nature has a funny way of doing things. So-"
"So it decided it be best you look like your old Aunt Lilly?" Lilly finished. As she asked the question, she was gently stroking the fur on Runt's face and shoulders with her right paw before hugging him anyway.
"Well, it kinda does look like that at this moment." Runt grinned.
"Mom! Dad!" A voice cried from the burrow, then a adolescent male wolf came the hole. He had violet eyes and grayish white fur like Lilly, but his body was built with muscular detail and size like Garth. "Star keeps on bi-... Oh, look at this Smokey, Claudette, and Runt are here. Hi guys."
"Jared, you've gotten a whole lot bigger since the last we saw you." Smokey said as he rubbed his paw on the adolescent wolf's head, slightly messing up his hair.
"Aawwwwwee. Look at you. You're so big and handsome now." Claudette said while nuzzling him and pinching his cheeks.
Runt just looked at the almost-grown pup. He was almost getting upset because he found out how small he truly was. Even a teenager was almost getting to be as big as him if not bigger. " Darn." He thought to himself.
"You wanted to talk to us about something, Son?" Lilly asked.
"Hmm?" Jared gave his mother a puzzled look before remembering. "Oh yeah. It's Star. She keeps on biting my tail and I asked her to stop."
"Oh really?" Garth wondered. Then, he put his head of the burrow. "Star?"
On cue, a small female wolf pup came bashfully out the burrow. She was very small for one her age, yet still bigger than Runt was growing up. She had red fur, violet eyes, and some of her hair always hanging over her right eye. No doubt this was Lilly and Garth rolled up into one.
"Were you biting your brother's tail even when he had asked you to stop?" Lilly asked patiently.
"Yes Mama." Star answered. " But only because he kept flopping it around in our sleep. It was driving me nuts!"
"Well, forgive me if I have no control over my body when I'm asleep!" Jared replied.
"I can see you and your sister are still a mess." Smokey smirked.
"I know I am." Jared admittedly replied. "But she's harder to clean up."
Star scoffed. "Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!
"Are too."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too .... ..... Am not."
"ARE TOO." Star shouted. She then let out a gasp because she found her brother tricked her. She was so angry, she crouched down on her little legs and then with all her strength, lunged at her brother.
Runt caught her in mid- air before she could reach Jared. "Careful now. Don't need you hurting yourself now, do we?"
"Nooo." Star moaned.
After everyone was settled down, they spent the whole day getting caught up, telling jokes, and just reaffirming old family bonds. Star managed to convince the trio to play hide and seek with her. She knew the prairie like the back of her paw, not because she could hide anywhere in the grass and not be found, but because when it was her turn to seek, she could pin-point exactly where Smokey, Claudette, or Runt were hiding.
"Geez, child." Claudette gasped startled as Star pounced on her nose and spooked her out of hiding. " You're good. Way too good. If you were older and if we were prey, we'd be done for."
" No kidding." Runt grinned sheepishly. He and Smokey were found and spooked by Star in likewise manners.
Smokey looked towards the west to find the sun just mere "inches" from touching the horizon. " Claudette, Runt; We gotta move."
"Aawwwwwee." Runt and Star groaned.
Claudette walked up to her brother with a pouted face and pressed her nose into his. " Is it really time to go, Big Black?"
Smokey chuckled and answered. " It's time to go."
"Can I get a hug? " Star asked.
"Of course you can." Runt looked down at her. Then, he turned to Claudette and Smokey. " Y'all get on over here so we can give Star a proper goodbye."
Star watched as Smokey and Claudette walked over to her and in one second, her little body was completely covered in hugs from all sides. Smokey nuzzling her right side, Claudette on her left, and Runt was nuzzling her from the rear to make sure she couldn't get away. She laughed so hard, she was squealing.
Jared just watched this affection shower fall over his baby sister, and was going to shake his head in pity until he saw the adult wolves come to do likewise to him.
" It's your turn, Jared!" Runt teased.
" It is so not!" Jared exclaimed as he fast-walked back to the burrow, but he was not fast enough. All of a sudden, he felt a grab his shoulders. He closed his eyes as he was pulled backwards, then he opened them to see his older cousins group-hugging him the same order they did his sister. He let out an annoyed sigh as he was finally released. He looked up to see them nuzzle his parents and bid them also farewell.
"Don't be strangers, you guys." Garth laughed. " I'm serious. You're all looking more and more different everytime I see you now. I mean it when I say this: Come. Back. Soon. Capiche?"
"Absolutely." Claudette smiled. "Bye now. Love y'all."
" Good bye, Aunt Lilly. Be safe pups!" Runt said heading back out into the tall grasses.
"We'll be seeing you." Smokey finished before following his younger siblings.
"Say hello to your parents for us. " Lilly wagged her tail.
As his tail disappeared into the grass Smokey called to his aunt. "Count on it."