Thomas Pataky

Windsong: the Story of a Young Wolf Thomas Pataky

As you turn the pages the story of Windsong unfolds. The young wolf tries to live among dogs and adjust to the world of human beings. Windsong was born to wolf parents in a small kennel in Oregon and always saw her father on chains. She and her litter mates were sold to well intentioned people who wanted to save wolves single handed, or they wanted something different, unusual and trendy as a pet, trying to help the cause of an endangered animal without understanding the nature of the wolf. Windsong had to move around because she hated confinement and tried to obtain more freedom then dogs usually do. Fences get in the way of her freedom as she follows wolf tradition, howling at the moon, greeting the leaders of her pack every morning with presents and this gesture leads to disaster one morning. Her life intertwines with the life of Chew-pee, an old dog at the end of her life and also a young pup, who is trying to learn his role in the household, but has trouble remembering his name. It is easy to shed tears as the final good-bye of this noble being makes you turn the pages with exaggerated slowness, while realizing the difficulties of parceling out freedom to wild animals like pieces of land all fenced in. The heart-wrenching story of this young wolf is an example of the effects of ever-increasing human population as it encroaches on the natural habitats of the wild animals. It is a call for awareness of a crucial issue and a testament to the fact that limited freedom cannot always replace the wild for creatures born to run unimpeded.