Outside the big city, suburbs came abruptly to an end, falling off into ancient lands dotted with small towns and strange winds. Long country roads tied together fenced off ranches of all sizes both large and humongous. There, at the crossroads of two such roads, a rather unusual woman and her husband found themselves craving a long walk. To get to the smaller, less trafficked country road, they would have to walk a short ways on The Road Of Death, a high speed road surprisingly full of cars and trucks and trailers and all manner of vehicle, and all manner of roadkill. At night, headlights shone into the fences along the sides of the Road Of Death, highlighting the countless eyes of as many deer each waiting their turn to take their chances in crossing. Most made it across.
They started their journey at Noon. Sun shining. It was warm, but not hot. They might have taken this road all the way into town, but as much as she enjoyed a little danger, this road was far too much. They scooted along the shoulder, dodging soda cans and remains, making their way to the smaller, longer, and more peaceful road that would wind its way into town all the same.
It was six miles of gentle hills and long flat places, big skies, small personal herds of cattle, the occasional snake or goat, hawks, herons and lots of armadillos. She rarely ever saw another human soul on that road, as many times as they walked it. What they did see, was far more interesting than anything any person could offer.
One day, about halfway to town, She Who Sees was deep in conversation with her husband, as they always were on their walks. They talked about the universe, about sound and gravity, and…. and just then, shots rang out. Across the small river, just on the other side of the banks too thick with overgrowth to see, they heard it in detail. One shot… the cry of an injured wolf… another shot… another cry. They stopped and listened as a dozen shots took what seemed like eternity to dispatch the now tortured soul of the wolf that dared to enter the farm that day. The woman and her husband walked slowly on, trying to shake off the suffering they had witnessed.
The woman, called by source, gave herself to the vision. She saw them. A young boy, about 12, who thought himself a much better shot than he was. A father who told him to guard the farm. A meeting of boy and wolf that didn’t go at all like he pictured it in his head. Shaky hands. Sweat in his eyes. Pain. Suffering. A job poorly done. Source called for the lesson to be delivered. She Who Sees complied. Holding the image of the boy and the wolf in front of her, she took the suffering from the wolf, and placed it into the heart of the boy, that he would experience the full truth of what he had done. She bid that the wolf stay with the boy until it resolved. The wolf agreed. The boy was oblivious.
The boy did not mention the incident to his parents. That night, the boy was seized by vivid suffering. In his dreams, he was the wolf. In his awakened moments, the wolf watched him from the corner of his room, staring neutrally, half guarding, half enjoying the swift karma. For several nights, he was forced to face his own humanity, his failure to form a compassionate end, his causing of suffering, and the forever-stain of regret on his soul, all under the watchful gaze of the wolf.
But the lesson would not be learned so easily. The boy, broken from lack of sleep and wracked with desperation, told his father what happened, and how the wolf had haunted him these last few nights. The father saw his son’s suffering and resolved to end it. Show me where you left the wolf. The boy took his father to the place where the wolf had finally fallen. It was still there. Nature was taking its course, slowly but surely. Being the superstitious kind, the father resolved that the only way to end the haunting was to chop off the wolf’s head and send it far away. And that they did. They buried the body and took the head down the road, flinging it out of the truck a few miles farther on.
This came as a great surprise to the woman and her husband. Walking along on their now regular pilgrimage, they spied something odd on the side of the road. It was the wolf’s head. She understood what had happened, and pitied the boy even more than the wolf, because she knew it was not yet over. Despite their efforts to end the haunting, that night, the wolf returned. Again, the boy felt the wolf’s suffering in his dreams. Again he was forced to confront the wolf when he woke. The wolf in the corner was patient. Another night. And another night.
On the next night, the boy couldn’t take it anymore. In his torment, he approached the wolf in the corner. Unafraid, he begged for forgiveness. He pleaded with the wolf to see his humanity. See his regret. He will practice. He will aim true. He will never let another animal suffer from his incompetence. Please, please, please forgive. Now the wolf knew why the woman told him to stay with the boy. The wolf was the only one who could release him. It was the wolf’s choice.
Seeing his role in the larger web of life and learning, the wolf forgave and released the boy, sending the suffering out of his heart and into the earth, to be transformed. The boy thanked the wolf for releasing him and vowed to make good on his promise. The wolf, quietly turned and walked into the night, dissolving into spirit like a thousand campfire sparks, rising to the stars to join his celestial pack. Balance restored… almost.
A few nights later, while She Who Sees was in deep meditation, the wolf came to visit. But he was not alone. The wolf introduced his spirit pack to the woman. The wolf explained who she was and what she had done for him. Surrounded by the pack, the woman was consecrated as one of their own. A favor granted, in the form of protection to be summoned as needed.
Honored by their presence and offering, she thanked her wolf pack and welcomed them with gratitude. As they wound their way back into ether, the woman watched in awe, taking in the lesson… in loving, I am loved, in serving, I am served, in protecting, I am protected.
And so it is.
