A Wolf Called Wander

After walking for days, Wander is perplexed when he sees his raven seated on a fence, not understanding the concept of a physical, man-made border. He crosses through the fence wires, recognizing the smell of sheep and another scent that is familiar yet distinctly different. In the field is a livestock guardian dog, fluffy and white, and Wander understands that although she is not a true wolf, she is still very much like him. When he howls to her, she barks back, and he struggles to understand what she is trying to say. Drawing nearer, he sees a barn surrounded by even more fencing and notices that the “almost-wolf,” as he calls her, seems to be keeping company with the sheep. His surprise increases when he notices a human child (or a “man-pup,” as Wander calls him) standing beside the almost-wolf, petting her. Wander howls to her, trying to encourage her to escape with him and promising to lead her to safety, but although she barks back, she does not move to join him. A man emerges from the barn with a gun in his hand, and when the man calls the almost-wolf, she runs toward the man, not away.