National Adult Literacy Database

April 3, 2000

This week, we are launching 2 stories from Reading Routes in Napanee, Ontario. As a special event you can read their stories as well as hear them.

This story was written by Dale Storey, from Napanee, Ontario. Dale was born and raised on a farm in Napanee. He went to a one room school and didn't get much education. He left school to work on his Dad's farm. He got odd jobs working for Lands and Forests and on grain boats until he got a job working in a lumber yard. He was then laid off and got a job working on a farm north of Whitby, Ontario. Following that, he worked at a poultry farm for seven years. When he was laid off from this job, Dale began at Reading Routes to upgrade his literacy and numeracy skills. He wrote this story after reading a book about wolves.

Play an audio version of this story

The Call of the Wolves

by Dale Storey

The young wolf was looking after the pups and he heard the older wolves howl. He saw what was troubling them, a caribou herd. The wolves source of food is the caribou.

The wolves trailed the caribou for many days. The wolves spotted a sickly animal and moved toward it. The entire caribou herd turned to flee and at the same moment, a plane loaded with illegal hunters zoomed over the treetops. They were shooting at the caribou and the noise frightened them and they charged back at the wolves.

The young wolf found himself in a confusion. He broke free of the stampeding caribou only to find the plane coming after him. More shots were fired and he was running toward a sheer cliff. Without hesitating the wolf launched himself off the cliff.

The impact injured his leg and it was hard for him to run. Just before the plane reached him he made it into the forest. He spent the night in the forest and in the morning he wanted to find his pack.

The young wolf saw another wolf pack that wasn't his own. And if these wolves saw that he was injured they would follow him, and kill him. He continued on in a snow storm looking for his pack while the other wolves trailed him.

He detected a familiar odor. Food. It had been days since he had eaten. And the other wolves were still following him. He came across the hunters camp and their dogs frightened him away. The other wolves were getting closer. He heard rushing water and found a stream. The rocks were ice-covered and slippery and the water was tumbling and churning. A sudden growling behind him forced him to act.

So he tried to jump across the stream and his rear legs splashed into the icy water. He was able to pull himself out of the water and started to run because the other wolves had reached the edge of the water. While he was running two wolves were blocking his path. All of a sudden two pups came charging into the open.

He had done it. He had found his way home to his pack. The young wolf 's pack ran past his and challenged the other pack who turned and fled.