The deep blue Autumn sky framed golden leaves as the sun turned them molten. The air was crisp and clear with moisture from the rain the night before. A group of humans walked by a fence. The walk was their usual one, a frequent passage. The wolf hanging from the fence, caught in the slats, was new. The young men hung back, afraid but the old woman, stepping forward, murmured softly to the young female. “I can help you if you stay calm. No biting.” She made pictures in her mind of a calm pond, the wolf relaxed beside it, as she breathed slowly. The wolf’s eyes changed from rageful fear to wary stillness. The woman grabbed the she-wolf’s scuff quickly and held her up slightly. “I’ve got you, easy now.” “Quickly, now, Guys. Open the slats.” Her voice impatient and demanding. They moved forward  cautiously. “Focus on your work, not your fear.” She urged. “Breathe.”

The men moved quickly and fluidly. Some helped another over the fence and others lent their brawn to pulling on the slats. One helped the woman hold up the wolf as her labored breath and shaking arms became plain.

The wolf’s leg was freed and all sighed in relief. “Easy now, calm,” The old woman murmured as the wolf was put down. She kept her breathing slow and deep and the pool in her mind still. The wolf slowly steadied herself. “Make a path for her, step back,” said the woman.

And so they did. The she-wolf walked slowly, her nose turned to each in turn as she made her way through the uneasy gauntlet of fence and humans.

When she was past this and at the edge of the trees she looked back at the old woman and, ever so slightly, dipped her head. The woman smiled.

A collective sigh breezed through the humans. “Well done,” said the woman.

The next day broke stormy and cold. Wind and rain whipped against the common house as they all came to break fast. The woman was a late riser and they had all gathered when she entered the welcome warmth and comfort of the Commons from the bluster of wet and wild.

She saw them gathered in a cluster as all eyes turned to her when she entered. “What?” Looks of wonder, discomfort, joy and unease met her query.

The collective parted and she saw a large, dead, wild rabbit laid out on the table. The first person to enter the Commons had found it on the doorstep in the early hours.

One particular lad was full of consternation. Wonder and distress contorted his face. “I’m Vegan!” he wailed.

 

Photo Credit: Lisa Hart

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