Chapter One
An Arctic Wolf Who Roamed Alone
She was born on Baffin Island
An arctic wolf who roamed alone
She survived the Arctic winters
Without a den to call her own
She didn't choose to be alone
To be a wolf without a home
She lost her pack and family
One night when it was freezing cold
They huddled close to share the warmth
That their bodies could produce
But the cold night just kept coming
There was nothing that they could do.
She awoke a winter's morning
When the sun refused to shine
All alone and full of mourning
The warmth they lost kept her alive
'Cause It Was the Right Thing To Do
She heard it come down from the sky
A meteor fell from on high
Crashed into a helicopter
Damaged the craft but no one died
They hit a tree which stabbed her paw,
And caused a severe injury
When they realized what had happened.
They treated her emergency
"Can you hand me that needle Bob?"
"What are we gonna tell the boss?"
"That it was the right thing to do."
As a hand held her good front paw.
Cissy tranquilized the patient
And bandaged up her broken leg
She lifted her into a cage
And to the wolf she then did sing.
And caused a severe injury
When they realized what had happened.
They treated her emergency
"Can you hand me that needle Bob?"
"What are we gonna tell the boss?"
"That it was the right thing to do."
As a hand held her good front paw.
Cissy tranquilized the patient
And bandaged up her broken leg
She lifted her into a cage
And to the wolf she then did sing.
It Is Going to Be Okay
When there is good inside your heart
You will know the right thing to do
But only you can know the part
That you must play, What you must do
It is going to be okay
You're gonna see a brighter day
You are going to find the strength
To make it through every day
Each day the sun brings us new life
But don't forget to dream at night
For when hope is within your sight
It is going to be alright
I only want what's best for you
So please believe the words I say
Please trust that the things that I do
Will help make everything okay
When she awoke in a kennel,
She heard the voices of humans
A high pitched voice was new to her
"Good girl!" exclaimed this woman,
Good Words Bad Words
Dr Cracker talked to her guest
To calm her nerves to help her rest
'Sit , come here, Good girl, stay,
It is going to be okay"
"We will take good care of you here"
Is something that was also said
During that quarter of a year
While she was cared for and treated
"Is that a wild wolf in there?
Suspiciously asked the gate guard
"That seems kind of dangerous
I didn't think it was allowed"
"I am allowed to treat my pet
It's written in my contract Fred"
I guess you wouldn't have read it
Thanks for your concern she said.
A Temporary Home Away from Home
It was a long healing process
Her bones were broke and needed rest
A vet named Dr Sue Cracker
Gave her care and encouragement
Then exercise to build her strength
In a service dog training yard
Cuz the wolf was a secret guest.
This task proved to be really hard
When she regained more of her strength
She slept each night in Sue's garage
And roamed each day in her backyard
Where she could play, howl and bark.
Sue knew soon she'd need a new home
A place where she could hunt and roam
So Sue called Cissy on the phone
And asked her if she'd take her home
Cissy Answers the speaker phone
"I'm so grateful for all the care
You've given her while she was there
I've got a lot of interviews
Can I come by Wednesday at noon"
"Yes Cissy that'd be fine with me,
It's my lunch break, so I am free"
When Cissy came, Sue asked her straight
"Girl, how you getting her home?"
I do not know Cissy replied
To Baffin Island I can't go
Until I get another job
That sends me to the arctic snow
I know it seems kind of crazy
To save a wild animal
To call in favors so quickly
But what was I supposed to do
Cissy Tells her story to Sue
"Sue I could not just be silent
There was no place that she could go
We took responsibility
Because we caused her injury
Her cries of pain outside the door
Were powerful and I was sure
I could not leave her there alone
She needed help to recover
I'm aware of the risk you took
I knew that you could give her care
We were out in the wilderness
And there are no vets stationed there"
"You did the right thing saving her
She would have died without good care
Now you need to have a new plan
I can no longer keep her here"
Cissy Sings "A Bird in a Cage"
"I'm the one who got you into this mess?"
And I'm gonna get you out
I'm gonna find a solution, someway, somehow,
You deserve to be wild and free, not to be toted round by me
You're a bird in a cage who needs to fly away.
It was not my plan to take you so far away
Your fate is in my hands and I worry every day
I hope you understand that I don't want to make you stay
But your home is so far far away.
"I'm the one who got you into this mess?"
And I'm gonna get you out
I'm gonna find a solution, someway, somehow,
You deserve to be wild and free, not to be toted round by me
You're a bird in a cage who needs to fly away.
I'm gonna make a plan
and carry it all the way
I will not rest until
You're safely on your way
There's got to be a way, to get you home to stay
So you'll be, free to roam, all your days.
"I'm the one who got you into this mess?"
And I'm gonna get you out
I'm gonna find a solution, someway, somehow,
You deserve to be wild and free, not to be toted round by me
You're a bird in a cage who needs to fly away.
I'm taking you to Nome
But you need to go back home.
Where you'll be free to roam
Naturally.
I do not know how now
But I promise somehow
That I will figure out
how to set you free.
I see you in that cage, in which you have to stay,
And every single day I hope and pray
that everything is gonna be okay.
Boy Meets Wolf
Cissy rolled the dog carrier,
Towards the lobby elevator,
Cissy reached to press the button,
But Jack Boren pressed it quicker.
"Thank you" she said to Jack Boren
"You're welcome," he said back to her
She glanced briefly at his i.d.
He smiled politely at her.
The Artic Wolf saw a young boy
Standing waiting with his father
The boy noticed the wolf in the cage
And was curious about her.
Then the boy Billy Boren asked
"Is that a wolf inside your cage?"
Cissy said "Yes it is young man"
"What is his name?" Billy then asked.
"She's not a he, this wolf's a she,"
"Sorry," he said, "That does sound lame
to assume that she was a he
I guess it does sound kind of lame."
She is beautiful all the same
"It's just that she has got no name,
An arctic wolf is not a pet
She is a wild animal
Who's been treated here by a vet."
My names Billy, this is my Dad
He took me to the doctor here."
My Dad just got a job nearby
So I'll go to school here this year"
His Dad said "I'm Jack Boren Mam"
She shook his hand and then replied,
"Cissy Jackson" pleased to meet you
Pleased to meet you Cissy, ''How do?''
Then Billy asked "Why is she here?"
Is she tracked by the government
Then Cissy said she's a patient
She was hurt in an accident
Billy asked her, "Where is she from?"
"Baffin Island" she then replies.
"Wow," Billy said, "from Canada?
That is a long long way to drive.
A Wolf with No Name
"What do you call her then?" he asked.
'"Good girl's" what I call her most
You should call your wild wolf Luna
Because wolves howl at the moon"
"I don't want to get too attached
And she is not my property,
So I didn't give her a name
Cause she does not belong to me"
"Is she going to Canada"
Or is Alaska now her home?"
"I haven't figured that out yet.
I can't afford to get her home."
If she's not going home today,
Then where is she going to stay?
Must she go back to the Arctic
Or could she stay here in the states?
I'm taking her to my folks home
They have a fenced in yard near Nome
She'll be safe and their yards secure
My grandpa housed (hunting/husky) dogs there
And then Billy looked at his Dad,
And asked him in a high pitched voice
"Could the Mahigan Indians
Give her a home on their reserve?"
"I suppose son" Boren replied
They have a Wolf carved on their gate
Wolves are native to this region
She can if they say it's okay."
And then Billy turned to Cissy
With an urgent look on his face
"Miss Jackson, you could call them up
Maybe they will give her a home."
"I've seen their wildlife reserve
And it is a beautiful place.
You don't have to take her so far
Alaska now could be her home." 83
"Mahigan Wildlife Reserve
Is the name they carved in the gate.
You can probably look that up
I'm sure it's on the web someplace."
As they ride the elevator
Cissy thanks them for their advice
As they exit Jack tells Cissy
I hope we meet again sometime 91
Cissy Dials the Phone and Drives 97
When Cissy gets inside her car
She tells her phone to do a "search"
"What would you like to search for Cis?"
The telephone says back to her.
She tells the phone to "search number"
"Who's number do you want to call?"
"I want you to search for and call
Mahigan Wildlife Preserve"
"The number is 907-555-6663"
"Would you like to call this number?"
"Yes please call it" replied Cissy.
"Speaker phone" she then commands,
It makes a high pitched tone then says, 92
"Hi this is Gary Wolfe speaking,
Mahigan Wildlife Preserve." 88
Then she looks at her phone and says.
"Hi my name is Cissy Jackson
I am hosting an arctic wolf
Who was hurt on Baffin Island
I've got no way to send her back"
Can you accept an animal
Who used to live in the wild,
Is that okay, is it legal?
"Yes we can" the cell phone replied
"I think that we can help you out.
And give your wolf a proper home
Can I ask you some questions first"
"Go ahead" she said to her phone
How is her health? He inquired
"She's vigorous, with one weak paw.
Which was injured and recovered
"Has she been domesticated?"
"No she hasn't, she's not my pet.
She was full grown when we rescued her,
After the accident."
She's only lived domestically
During the time she was treated
Right up till that moment in time
She was not domesticated
"How is her temperament he asked?"
"She is not trained but well behaved,"
She's strong willed but she doesn't bite.
With a voracious appetite.
So Gary asked, "Can you come by,
At 6:00 PM tomorrow night, 83
So we can meet your Arctic Wolf,
"Yes" she said, "That would be alright." 95
The Wolf Meets Two Men with a plan
Gary greeted them at the car
Right as Cissy pulled in to park
The arctic wolf looked at Gary
And he returned a glance her way.
They took the cage out of the car
And as they placed it on the ground
The arctic wolf barked at Gary
He told her "It'll be okay.
They carried the cage through a gate
Into a fenced in area
Then Steve climbed up over the fence
"Hi there Cissy, nice to meet ya"
As he shook her right hand he said
"May I give your wolf a checkup
To make sure she's fit for the wild?"
"Are you a vet?" Cissy asked him.
"Military or medical?"
Was how Steven Wolf responded
"Veterinarian," she said
And then Gary interjected.
My brother Steve is a medic
He saved the lives of many folks
He was stationed in Syria
Please forgive him for his joke
Your wolf is safe in Steven's hands"
"If Steve clears her, then she can stay."
She responded, "I understand"
and asked him, "How long will that take"
Steve said, 'Bout a half an hour."
You and Gary can take a break.
She looks at Steven Wolf and sighs,
"I guess that I would do the same."
Gary invited her inside,
"I just cooked up some homemade soup"
"If you're hungry, please have a bite."
She said "okay" and went inside
76
She said "okay" and went inside
76
Steve Examines the Arctic Wolf
The wolf was let out of her cage inside of the gate
Steve opened up a smaller cage in front of her face
Steve released a field mouse near her, The Wolf did not wait.
She got her catch, and ate the mouse, The Wolf had won the race
She growled at his first touch on her. But then looked in his eyes,
She barked a quick "Woof" in his face he reached out his forearm
It bumped her snout, she took a nip, then quickly let it out
"I understand" Steve responded, "You're figuring me out,"
She lowered her body quickly to the ground
She then lied down upon the ground
Rolled over a full turn
Then got back up on her four legs
And licked Steve's open hand
He examined her limbs, checked for infestations
He held her leg, and then her paw, she made a quick withdraw
He saw the scar that was well healed and hard to view
He promised her, "I will be gentle when touching you there."
He checked for infections, injuries and rashes,
He picked up a stick, she gave it a bite
And as she chewed and tugged, he lifted her lips and checked her teeth,
She leaped back temporarily
Then dropped the stick and opened wide
Steve said "Excuse me' and took a look inside
Before Steve let her off the leash, he ran his fingers through her hair
He found no scabs, no bugs, no snarls
All signs that she received good care
"Roll over," he said as he tugged on her collar
She did and he examined her
Then he said good girl and unleashed her ... forever
Steve then climbed back over the fence
And said "You're in good health girl"
I am going to tell your friend
That you're welcome to take refuge here
Steve knocked lightly upon the door
Gary opened and let him in
A few minutes later they exited the cabin
And opened up the gate
and opened up the Fence that was still keeping her in
LUNA
Gary asked "What is her name?"
"She doesn't have one." she replies
"Do you mind if I give her a name?"
"Sure I guess that'd be alright"
And then she changed her mind and said
I didn't give her a name Gary
But I got one from a kid
A boy I met called her Luna
Because wolves howl at the moon
Gary smiled and said "I like it"
Do you want to say goodbye to her?"
She nodded her head and went in side
"Good bye Luna." Cissy sighed
And gave her a pat on the head
And sang a quiet song to her
You are such a good girl
Now you're back in the real world
Cuz once we open up that gate
You will be free to fly away
You are not on Baffin island
But now you have got a real home
This isn't the solution I planned
But it's better for you than Nome
I wonder if there is someone
who misses you so far away.
Who cries out in the night your name,
Who misses this good girl today
At least now you're wild and free
At a wildlife sanctuary
I hope I've done the best for thee
"This may not be your destiny,
but it is going to be okay."