Washer the Raccoon

by Amanda M. Douglas

  "Little Brother, don't talk like that. I'm going to take you tomorrowto the council, and Black Wolf shall listen to me. My people mustprotect you. If Black Wolf says so none of them will dare harm you.Come now, and don't feel sad any more."

  Washer tried to dry his eyes and look cheerful, but it was not veryeasy to do this. His own people had denied him, and he dreadedappearing before the wolf pack. He knew that Sneaky would condemn him,and try to drive him away, and the very thought of Black Wolf made himshudder. What kind of a leader was he, and would he listen to MotherWolf's pleadings? In the next story you will read of how Mother Wolftook him to the council and pleaded with and defied the leader of thewolf pack.

  STORY ELEVEN

  WASHER IS INTRODUCED TO THE WOLF PACK

  Washer was taken with the cubs the following night to the wolf councilwhere they were to be introduced to the pack and formally admitted asmembers. All young wolves when they reach the hunting age had to beintroduced by their parents, and the leader of the pack then announcedtheir acceptance and gave to each a name. Until that time they weresimply cubs, unfit to hunt with the older wolves.

  The council was held in the deepest, thickest part of the woods whereno wild animal or hunter would be likely to disturb them. Once a monthin the full of the moon the pack assembled around a big flat rockoverlooking a pool of water. Here they waited until Black Wolf, theirleader, came and called the council to order.

  Mother Wolf was anxious to get to the council early, and she startedher family off long before moon was up above the tops of the trees.Sneaky led the way, with the cubs filing behind him, and Mother Wolfbringing up the rear.

  They were so early that they met none of the other wolves on the way,and Mother Wolf gave a sigh of relief when she found no one ahead ofher. She drew up her little circle of young ones in the shadow of aclump of birches on the right of the council rock, and then droppeddown to rest.

  All was quiet in the woods. Not even Hoot the Owl or Whip-Poor-Willwas abroad to disturb the silence of the great woods. Occasionally ashadow drifted across the flat rock, and a wolf would take his placein front or on one side of it. The moon rose slowly until it cast aflood of white light upon the top of the rock. Almost at the samemoment there was a howl nearby, and out of the thickets sprang BlackWolf, the leader. He stood a moment looking at the crouching pack, andthen he leaped to the top of the council rock. The whole pack rose asone and gave vent to their hunting cry.

  This was their way of recognizing their leader. Black Wolf stood amoment, a tall, gaunt, powerful creature, in the white moonlight, asif challenging any opposition, and then he dropped down with his frontpaws curled under him.

  "The council is open," he announced. "Has any one a message for thepack? We're all here."

  Sneaky rose from his position near Mother Wolf, and trotted in frontof the rock. "O Black Wolf, noble leader of the pack," he began, "Ibring my cubs for your inspection. May they please you, and proveworthy of their sire."

  "Bring them forth!" replied Black Wolf. "They should be good cubs ifthey take after you, Sneaky."

  The different members of the pack craned their heads forward to seeSneaky's cubs, which, at the bidding of their parent, filed out in arow and stood before the council rock. Black Wolf surveyed them insilence, inspecting them with his fierce dark eyes.

  "You have done well by the pack, Sneaky," he announced finally. "Iname the first one Curly because his beautiful fur curls backward atthe tips. The second one shall be known as Spotted Wolf, for I seegray spots under his neck. And the last one shall be known as TigerWolf because of the fierceness of his eyes. I have named them, and soshall they be known to the pack."

  He stopped and looked hard at Sneaky, as if expecting him to say more;but Sneaky was pleased with his presentation, and backed slowly away.

  "Is there any more, Sneaky?" the leader asked.

  Before Sneaky could reply, a tall, gaunt figure of a wolf rose fromthe shadows of the birch trees. It was Mother Wolf. She was going tospeak for her foster child, and not let Sneaky introduce him. Shetrotted to the front, and swung around to face the pack an instant,and then turned to the council rock again.

  "O Black Wolf, mighty leader of our pack," she began, "I have anotherchild, which I have nursed and brought up in my den, and I wish toadmit him to the pack. A foster child brought to me one day by Sneaky.I have cared for him and loved him as my own. I have taught him theways of our people, and with us he must hunt, for his own people havecast him out."

  All the wolves pricked up their ears at this strange announcement, andBlack Wolf half rose from his sitting attitude; but his eyes hadnarrowed and darkened, for he knew from what Sneaky had told him thatthis thing might occur.

  "O Mother Wolf, you have spoken well, but we must see this fosterchild of yours," he said. "Is he a wolf cub from another pack?"

  "What matters it if he's from another pack or no pack at all?" repliedMother Wolf. "A mother's love is great enough to take to herself anychild that is homeless and friendless. Is it not on record that longago a Mother Wolf nursed and brought up a man child, giving to him asmuch as she gave to her own offspring? Then, if she can adopt a manchild, why can she not take the offspring of any other animal of thewoods--of Puma the Mountain Lion, for instance, or--"

  "Puma's offspring would bring disaster to us if we adopted him,"replied Black Wolf hastily, and the others shuddered at the meremention of Puma's name. "No, we could never admit a Puma as a memberof the hunting pack."

  "No! No!" cried many voices.

  They jumped to their feet, ready to enforce their protest by actions.A young Puma would stand little chance in that company of angrywolves.

  "It is not Puma's offspring," replied Mother Wolf, smiling. "I couldnever learn to love anything that came out of Puma's den."

  "What animal is it then? Where is this foster child?" several cried.

  "You hear them," added Black Wolf. "What have you to say? Where isthis one you plead for?"

  "He is yonder in the shadow of the birches. I shall call him out ifyou'll give him protection. If not--"

  "He shall be protected," interrupted the leader. "It is the law of thecouncil."

  Mother Wolf turned her head ever so slightly, and called: "LittleBrother, come here!"

  Washer, with his heart beating fast, but confident that Mother Wolfwould protect him, emerged slowly from the shadows and trotted towardher. At first the wolves could see nothing, so small was he, and thenthey could make out only a shadow that seemed to drift between themand the woods. But when Washer reached the foot of the council rock,the bright moonlight fell full upon him.

  "Here is my foster child!" exclaimed Mother Wolf proudly. "And my lovefor him is as great as for my own cubs. He is as wise as they, asbrave, and as quick-witted. Look at him, and accept him."

  Black Wolf rose to his feet and stared down at Washer. All the otherwolves leaped to their feet and closed in to get a better view. Thensuddenly, before their leader could speak, a howl of derision went upfrom a score of throats.

  "A raccoon!" they shouted in merriment. "A raccoon! And he wishes tohunt with the pack!"

  For a moment the gale of merriment was so great that no one could beheard. Black Wolf tried to preserve order and his own dignity. Washerfelt suddenly abashed and frightened, and wished there was a tree nearthat he could climb. In the next story the wolf pack try to killWasher, but Mother Wolf comes to the rescue.

  STORY TWELVE

  BLACK WOLF DEFIES THE PACK

  Mother Wolf was even more annoyed and dismayed than Washer by thesudden outbreak of merriment when the pack caught sight of the raccoonstanding before the council rock. Sneaky, from a position behindapparently enjoyed the embarrassment of his mate, for a broad grinspread over his face and he chuckled with the others. The young cubsstood by their father, but as the scene was a little puzzling to themthey remained silent and motionless.

  "Give me the raccoon for my hunting companion!" shouted a big graywolf. "I won't go far the
n for my dinner!"

  The others began crowding around the council rock. "No! No! We wanthim!" they cried. "Turn him over to the pack!"

  Mother Wolf swung around and faced the circle of wolves, displayingher teeth and growling angrily.

  Black Wolf arose to his hind legs and let out a roar that brought thewhole pack to its senses. The cries stopped, and every member slunkback to his position. The big leader glared hard at them and waited afull minute to see if any dared oppose his authority.

  Then he turned slowly to Sneaky, and said: "Sneaky, do you bring thisraccoon as your foster child?"

  "No, O mighty leader, he is none of mine," was the prompt reply. "Ibrought him to my den for food one day after I'd fished him out of theriver. I wanted to kill him for the children, but Mother Wolfprotested. I had nothing to do with his rearing. He would have diedlong ago if I'd had my way."

  The members of the pack nodded their heads, and Black Wolf turned toMother Wolf. He looked at her in silence for some time. Then, in a lowvoice, he said: "No foster child can hunt with the pack unless he's awolf. It's against the law of the woods. If we permitted it Puma theMountain Lion would be filling our homes with his young so they mightgrow up with us and destroy us. And Loup the Lynx would do the same sothat he could betray our hiding places. There would be no safety forus after that."

  "But Little Brother is a raccoon," pleaded Mother Wolf. "Surely you'renot afraid of the raccoons. They could not hurt us nor betray us."

  The whole pack sniffed in disgust at the idea of the raccoon tribehurting the wolves.

  "That is true, O Mother Wolf," replied Black Wolf, "but if we let youintroduce a raccoon as a foster child, we could not prevent anotherbringing a young Puma or Lynx. We must obey the laws of our tribe, andkeep from it all other animals."

  A great sadness settled on Mother Wolf's face. She looked down atWasher and began licking his head. She knew that Black Wolf's wordswere law, and she could not defy them.

  "Then must I give up my foster child?" she asked.

  "No," replied the leader, "you can take him home and keep him, but heis not under the protection of the pack. If they hunt him down andkill him you can blame no one. I cannot interfere."

  There was a murmur of applause, and every wolf began licking his lipsas if in anticipation of the feast ahead. The sight of their cruelgreediness aroused Mother Wolf. She raised her head proudly, and said:

  "They will not dare touch him in my cave--not one of them! I shallprotect him!"

  There was an ugly, defiant look in the eyes which made more than onewolf cower and slink back out of sight. Mother Wolf was a big, gaunt,powerful creature, and no one cared to measure his strength with herwhen she was defending her young.

  "The council is ended then?" she added, turning to the leader. "Yourefuse to accept Little Brother in the pack?"

  "It is so decided, Mother Wolf. And the law cannot be changed."

  "Then I shall go home. Come, Little Brother, we must start at oncebefore the moon grows dark. It is a long way, but--"

  "One moment!" cried a big gray wolf. "Does the law of the woods giveus the right to hunt for our food now? We're hungry, and if thecouncil has ended we may begin the hunt at once. Is it not true, OBlack Wolf?"

  Now the leader and Mother Wolf both understood the meaning of thischallenge. The pack wanted to pounce upon Washer at once and devourhim before he could ever reach the cave. Even Washer knew what wascoming, and a great trembling seized him. He looked around him, butthere was no tree near the council rock, and the whole pack stoodbetween him and the woods. He had no chance to escape them.

  Black Wolf seemed troubled by the gray wolf's questions, for he knewthat he had no authority to change the law. Once his decision wasgiven there was nothing more for him to do. The whole pack had aright to fall upon Washer and kill him in sight of Mother Wolf. It wasa dangerous situation.

  But Mother Wolf suddenly changed her attitude. She backed up againstthe council rock, with Washer behind her, and bared her white teeth tothe pack. The hair stood up straight on her head, and the bushy tailbegan swishing slowly back and forth. The yellow eyes were so luminousin the moonlight that they seemed to shoot sparks of fire.

  "If you're hungry," she growled, "and want to eat Little Brother, youmust do so over my dead body. Not one of you shall touch him untilyou've felt the sting of my teeth. Come on now, Gray Wolf, and I'llshow you what mother love can do to save her young!"

  Gray Wolf hesitated, backing off a little, for Mother Wolf was apowerful antagonist. Alone he could not overcome her. Indeed, in herpresent frame of mind, she could probably whip two or three ordinarywolves. She was crouching for the spring, with dripping jaws snappingdefiantly.

  "Why should we be defied by one wolf!" cried the big gray fellow. "Wemust have the raccoon. Close in on him on all sides. Sneaky, you leadon that side, and I'll do the same here."

  Mother Wolf cast a look at Sneaky that made him hesitate, but at thesame time the wolves on the outside of the circle began crowding in.They pushed and shoved until the circle was narrowed. Those in thefront came within a few feet of Mother Wolf.

  With a growl she snapped at the nearest and caught him by the frontpaw. With a howl of pain, the wolf leaped over the backs of the othersand disappeared in the woods. Mother Wolf sprang at another and sunkher sharp teeth in his neck.

  But in spite of all this the circle was growing smaller. The pack wasclamoring for the blood of Washer, and it was only a question of timebefore they would overcome Mother Wolf. She could not hope to fightoff the whole pack. She seemed to realize this, but she was determinedto die in the defense of her foster child.

  "Close in!" cried Gray Wolf. "Come on, Sneaky, do your part, or we'llbelieve you love the raccoon too."

  Now the battle would have ended shortly if something hadn't happenedto surprise all. With a roar of rage and challenge, Black Wolf leapedfrom the top of the rock and landed by the side of Mother Wolf. Facingthe pack, he cried:

  "Not as your leader, but as one fighting for fair play, I shall defendMother Wolf. The first one that touches her shall pay with his life.Back now, or fight me!"

  There was a moment of silence; then a low murmur of voices as thecircle broke and fell back, leaving only Gray Wolf and Sneaky in thefront. Finding themselves deserted by the pack, they quickly ran, too,and disappeared in the woods. In the next story Mother Wolf takesWasher to the Silver Birch grove where his people live.

  STORY THIRTEEN

  WASHER GOES TO THE SILVER BIRCH GROVE

  Black Wolf's unexpected defense of Mother Wolf and Washer saved themfrom what might have been sure death to the latter and serious injuryto the former. None of the pack dared to offer battle to their leader,and the moment he sided with Mother Wolf they broke ranks and ran offinto the woods.

  When they were gone, Mother Wolf turned gratefully to the big leader,and said: "You have saved my life, Black Wolf. What can I do to repayyou?"

  "Hurry home with your foster child, Mother Wolf, before the packchanges its mind and returns. I will accompany you."

  More than ever grateful now for seeing that she got back to her den insafety, Mother Wolf led the way through the woods, with Washer closebehind her, and the leader of the pack bringing up the rear. Silentlyand noiselessly they stole single file through the woods, with eyesand ears alert to catch any unusual sound.

  But nothing happened on the way. They reached the cave in safety,where Black Wolf stopped. "I'll not go in," he said. "Now you're homeyou'll know how to defend yourself."

  "Yes, I can defend my home," she replied. "I'll not need any help now.Thank you a thousand times for helping me."

  "I did it, Mother Wolf," replied the leader, "because I remember howwe used to play together when young, and because I wanted to seejustice done. But now that you've got your foster child home, what areyou going to do with him? He can't hunt with the pack, and not beingunder their protection they will hunt him down and kill him. Whereverhe goes they will follow. You can't always s
tay in the den watchinghim. You must hunt with the pack at times to get your share of food.If you stay here alone you'll starve."

  Mother Wolf looked troubled, and said nothing. She knew how true BlackWolf's words were, and she had not taken them lightly. When he finallyleft her, she walked into the cave with Washer by her side. It wasempty. Sneaky and the cubs had not yet returned.

  "They're out hunting, and won't return until morning," she said. "Now,Little Brother, we can find some rest."

  But Washer was not anxious for rest--not in the Wolf's den. He feltthat the nights adventure had broken up his old home. There could nolonger be any ties to hold him to it. In time the cubs would side withpack and turn upon him.

  "I can never stay here," he said suddenly. "If I do I'm in constantdanger, and you, too, will be in trouble. The whole pack will turnagainst you. I must leave."

  "But where can you go, Little Brother?" asked Mother Wolf anxiously.

  "I must return to my own people."

  "But they won't have you. Didn't you say one of them bit you andthreatened your life?"

  "Yes, but he didn't know me. I must find one of my real brothers, andhe will understand."

  Mother Wolf sat down and considered. After a while she got up andpaced back and forth in the den. "Maybe you're right," she saidfinally, stopping before him. "There would be nothing but danger herefor you, and in time my own children would drive you out and perhapskill you. Yes, it's better that you should return to your own people.But if they won't have you, I'll still protect you."