Immerse yourself in the intelligence, wisdom, and majesty of the wolf as you journey through wolf-history heretofore unknown by humanity. Discover what every dog knows about the true beginnings of human civilization.
It was the age of the lone wolf, a time of isolation and hostility. When the most powerful of all wolves, Arn and Versa, fight a fierce battle to a draw, they lay upon the battlefield near death. These mortal enemies quickly realize that only by helping each other they might live, behavior never previously seen in wolves. Once healed, they become The First Wolf Pack, a hunting machine dominating all lands they choose.
Lone wolves, pressed to survive, form alliances in an attempt to destroy The First Wolf Pack. While their adversaries assemble, Arn and Versa must teach their extraordinary offspring the secrets of pack life, especially the gifted Tria. Forced to grow up quickly when banished for defying authority, Tria battles her own deep flaws while countless foes try to destroy her.
Embarking on an epic sojourn, she struggles to overcome her unparalleled power, brutality, and suspicious nature -- but can she fulfill the improbable destiny that awaits her and change the course of history?
Immerse yourself in the intelligence, wisdom, and majesty of the wolf as you journey through wolf-history heretofore unknown by humanity. Discover what every dog knows about the true beginnings of human civilization.
It was the age of the lone wolf, a time of isolation and hostility. When the most powerful of all wolves, Arn and Versa, fight a fierce battle to a draw, they lay upon the battlefield near death. These mortal enemies quickly realize that only by helping each other they might live, behavior never previously seen in wolves. Once healed, they become The First Wolf Pack, a hunting machine dominating all lands they choose.
Lone wolves, pressed to survive, form alliances in an attempt to destroy The First Wolf Pack. While their adversaries assemble, Arn and Versa must teach their extraordinary offspring the secrets of pack life, especially the gifted Tria. Forced to grow up quickly when banished for defying authority, Tria battles her own deep flaws while countless foes try to destroy her.
Embarking on an epic sojourn, she struggles to overcome her unparalleled power, brutality, and suspicious nature -- but can she fulfill the improbable destiny that awaits her and change the course of history?
Chapter 1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
From the Old Land, a place of rain, rocks, peat, and poets my family comes. Born of a long line of English terrier dogs with blood lines evolved over many centuries and beyond, I am called Bingley. With manipulated genetics, I maintain a pure and sincere wolf core, like all modern dogsâbe they herding, fielding, or working specialists; or even if they be couch potato companions. For you see, we are wolves, too. We dogs (Canis familiaris) and the wolves (Canis lupus) have virtually identical genetics, enough so that we may successfully mate. We share ancient ancestors. The blood of the wolf still runs through my veins.
For countless millennia, irrevocably committed to honor our inheritance, all wolves have remembered The First Wolf Pack. We have passed down to every canine generation The Wolf Ways they developed. These lessons, built on the greatness of our ancestors, have served us well. The Great Wolf Spirit has declared that it is now time for you to know this history. Thus, I have been given the ability to speak to you in a way you will understandâan ability given to last only long enough that I may share with you wolf history.
While innumerable generations of our ancestors have lived together, never before has my race offered you humans a glimpse into the founding and the profound impact of The First Wolf Pack on both of our species.
All the wolves, the wild and the new, know that the story of our domestication told by your race is not exactly right. Maybe it would be more accurate to speak of how the ancient wolves joined your ancestors; perhaps I should even say helped enlighten them.
It is good for you to know we actually came together because of the decisions made by cunning, ancient wolves. It is for your benefit as individuals and the benefit of the entire human race that I share with you the legend of The First Wolf Pack, a momentous and fortuitous gathering of very superior creatures, each of whom you will meet. In this legend many heroes deserve recognition not for their acclaim, but for your edification and the promulgation of truth, a very special group of wolf ancestors who changed the world.
Uniquely distinct from all other animals except for you, we the new-wolves found our lives intertwined with yours, cooperating with humans from the start of your civilization. Many of your race believe that you domesticated the wolf and createdâby your intellect and experimentationâthe modern dog, which is so, but you must understand there are no common dogs. We, like you, are all unique individuals with strengths and weaknesses, personalities and styles, which makes every one of us specialâjust like you. We are products of our breed, our bloodlines. Designed for purpose, we are also products of our environment and training, but most of all we are of that gloriously special thing that has its essence in the wolf spirit we share.
As for me, your humble canine servant, my nearest ancestors came from the region of the River Aire, Yorkshire, with my very existence based on purpose. From vanquishing rats to river otters, I have the heart of a killer, yet a heart with instincts now tempered toward human advantage, fostering our eventual partnership. Now living a comfortable modern life, I retain my stout heart, canniness and intelligence. I can herd your flocks, protect your farm or home, retrieve your game, and track boars. I can join the hound pack to give it some fight, and I can even fearlessly track cougars and bears.
Within your apartment or on your farm I can guard your babies and youngsters with sweet gentleness, giving my life in their service if needed. With a dense two-part coat, I can withstand cold and storms yet offer a perfect surface for a quick nuzzle from my two-legged pack members. Give me a job to do without cruelty, train me with a leaderâs fair and firm hand, and I will give myself wholly to you. I will be at your side seeking your leadership and approval for as long as my heart beats. From my very core I seek to be of one heart and soul with you, loyal forever if you earn it. But it is also true that while I will not lie, I can quickly learn how to dominate and manipulate the ignorant, the untruthful, or the insecure.
Rising from long and varied lines of terriers specialized by your ancestors, my more distant ancestors were working dogs with ancient blood from great mastiff dogs and fabulous sighthounds. But all of usâmy modern terrier and non-terrier cousins alike, along with the ancient dogs you do not knowâoriginated from a place and time of legends, a place where the great wolves roamed the earth in magnificently-efficient packs with whom no other beasts could compete, including your ancestors. For until then no other earthly creatures had learned how to live together, hunt together, and protect one another like the mighty wolf pack founded by The Magnificent Ones. The First Wolf Pack presents the foundational account of today's wolf and reveals the origins of we new-wolves, the dogs you know and love.
Come back with me to days so ancient that only the wolf can remember events as they really happened. For we have not human-type pride to color our memory. We are creatures of pure mind and spirit. We do not know how to spin long and fanciful yarns; we do not stoke our egos with fanciful tales born of self-serving puffery. We only know what is now and what was. With unblemished sincerity we live in each moment guided by the foundation of our eternal wolfenness.
Solitary beings, the earliest of my ancestors were lone wolves. They trusted none, suspected all, and had no interaction with other wolves except for horrific, sometimes mortal, battles over prey or territory. Except for conjugal moments when the season was upon the bitch, each lived alone. But even mating could in an instant turn to vicious battle with severe injury or death.
While we have abandoned the ways of the lone wolf through the discoveries of our first wolf-heroes, it sometimes haunts us when the ugliest of primal blood is awakened. The new wolf and the old, each use The Wolf Ways to control that poisoned blood. These are the wise and noble ways that tie us together.
So, my friends, I will now tell you how our ways originated. With this story comes a warning for the gentle of spirit; nature designed powerful carnivores for a violent life. We survive at the expense of many other lives. Our history does not whisper pleasantly in delicate ears, nevertheless, it rings true to our nature, a predatory drive tempered only by The Wolf Ways.
The First Wolf Pack - A Dog's Fable tells a story of the first wolf pack, beginning with two of the most powerful wolves of their generation, Arn and Versa. It's narrated by a modern day dog, granted the ability to speak with humans to pass on the lessons of canine history. Said lessons involve cooperation, trust, and loyalty among pack mates, learned early when Arn and Versa tend to each other's wounds and learn to look out for each other over time. Eventually, they have a litter of cubs that they pass the lessons on to, including Tria, who grows to be the strongest and wisest among her siblings. However, Tria's defiance ends up getting her banished from her home, without many allies. With many enemies against her and her own struggles with her immense power and potential, she must go on a journey to survive on her own.
Admittedly, I thought this story would be different when I chose to review it. The story is well written, the concept interested me, and most of what's keeping me from rating it higher are subjective opinions that may vary among other readers. For instance, the style of narration didn't appeal to me, especially near the beginning. I try not to judge a book too quickly by it's first few chapters, especially one heavy on lore such as this, but the pace was much too slow for my liking and though it improves later on my issue with it continues throughout the book. A few tedious scenes where it felt like the same point was being reiterated could be cut or trimmed down to get to the point faster. While the conflicts and situations Tria was put through, and the trials of her parents before her, were interesting, I didn't feel like the characters themselves were memorable.
Overall, I feel my personal preferences bogged down my opinion of the book. I don't often enjoy tales about chosen ones with inherent powers, so that likely turned me off of the story. However, I maintain my high rating because I still believe this is a good book for anyone interested in a fable told from the point of view of wolves from the time before packs were common. It's a good read for fans of personified animal tales, dangerous adventures, and powerful female leads.