The Wolfram

Here is another picture that inspired a story idea:

 

 

"Fillin!  Fillin!  Fillin!"
"What is it Vasco?"
The wolf turned resignedly to face the young black crow that was hopping up and down and beating his wings in excitement.
"Here!  Now!  In the flesh!  Here!  Here!  Here!"
"What's here?"  Fillin interrupted.
"WHO!  Who!  Who's here!"
With a half sneeze of irritation, Fillin turned and began to lope away along the game trail.  Perhaps if he ignored the pesky, feathered git he'd give up and leave.
"Wait!  Wait!  Wait!"
Or perhaps not.
With a sigh, the wolf turned abruptly enough to make his friend start with surprise.
"Tell me what is going on...in as few words as possible...and with absolutely NO repeats...or you will be leaving with only half of your tail feathers!"
"Bad Fillin!  Bad...uh...wolfie!  Don't bite poor Vasco!  He only wanted to tell his bestest friend the most exciting news before anyone else!"
"Then TELL!" was the growled reply.
"Okay!  Okay!  Ok--KAH KAH KAH!" Vasco just barely got his tail feathers out of reach of Fillin's ivory canines in time.  He flapped over and landed on the top of a bolder just out of the wolf's reach where he continued to scold him in his own language of caws and screeches.  Fallin waited till the bird started repeating himself before barking, "Enough!  Tell me what's going on or I'll leave and ignore you no matter how much you follow me!"
"Fine!  Grouchy paws!  I tell you my hard earned piece of news!  Then you will thank me!"  He ruffled his feathers and cleared his throat importantly.  "The Wolfram is here!"
There was complete silence.  It was the crow that spoke first.  He couldn't stand silence and he'd been hoping for a much more interesting reaction. 
"Well?  Well?  Well?  Don't you know what the Wolfram is you silly ball of fur?"
"Course I do!" snapped Fillin. 
Of course he did.  Hadn't it been he, out of all five of his mother's pups who requested that story night after night after the pack returned from the hunt?
"The Wolfram is the wolf-crow.  The wolf with violet eyes.  The wolf that can see the far side of the moon, and fly there as if carried by wings of midnight.  The one who will come out of the far north.  The one who will bring the two clans together and lead them to victory against the Silver-Clawed One.  I know more legends and rumors about the Wolfram and his powers than anyone else."
Vasco bobbed up and down in excitement. 
"Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  You do!  You do!  And everyone knows it!  That's why they send me to find you!  You!  You! Y--"
"Wait!  Someone sent you to FIND me?  Who?  What for?  Why didn't you say that to start with?"
"Stop!  Stop!  Stop!  Too many questions!" Wailed the crow, shaking his head.  "The Council of Tooth and Wing sends for you!  High honor!  Very high!  Should be proud!  Your annoying obsession has paid off!"
"Why?"
"I just said.  Because you're an expert.  So to speak.  But we've got to hurry!  Hurry!  Hurry!  Supposed to take you to the Council's Fountain.  We must go!  Go!  Go!"  With a squawk, Vasco took off and flew close to the ground in a northern direction.  Fillin had to run to keep up. 
"No time to waste!  Oh my!  My!  My!  Can't believe this is happening now!  We always thought it was a legend.  A myth.  In fact, lots of us--I mean, lots of folks thought you were a bit of a nutter to be harping on all of those old stories.  That's why they sent for you!  You!  You!  Even though you've only been old enough to hunt for a few years.  They need your help!  Help!  Help!  Unexpected troubles!  Unforseen.  Strange things.  Not like they thought."
"What things?  Vasco, curse you!  What's wrong?"
"The Wolfram!  Wolfram!  Wolfram!  Can't seem to access the powers.  Can't get to the magic within.  Not working!  Nope!  Nope!  Nope!  Can't remember anything!  No memory!  Need an expert!  Need you!  YOU, Fluffy!  The Council and the Wolfram!  High honor!  High!  High!"
"That's impossible!  The Wolfram is powerful beyond any other magical power!  And no MEMORY!  It probably is just a lost Omega that straggled in from the northern packs!"
"No!  No!  No!  It's the Wolfram!  For sure!  Sure!  Sure!  Saw her!  Violet eyes!  Runs fast too!  Very fast!  Faster than you even, Furball!  And you one of the fastest!"
"Wait!  Wait!"  Fillin stopped so suddenly that a surprised Vasco almost crashed head-on into a tree. 
"KAH!  KAH!  KAH!  You stupid, bushy-tailed, flea-infested--"
"'Saw HER'?  The Wolfram's a...a girl?'"
"Yeah!  Yeah!  Yeah!  A girl!  You got fur clogging your ears or what, Fluffy?  You're acting like you've never seen a she-wolf before.  Come on, Slow-poke!  Need to hurry!  Hurry!  Hurry!"
With a feeling of growing unease, Fillin followed his talkative, cawing friend through the woods.  Somehow he had a feeling he was getting into something bigger than he bargained for.  And he wasn't sure how he liked the idea. 
Much later, someone once asked him what he'd say to himself if he could go back to that moment in time.  The time his whole life changed.  He answered them with a crooked wolf-smile:
"I'd say, Fillin...you have absolutely noooooooooo idea what you're getting yourself into..."