Law of the Pack Part VII: Lesson Number One
#2 of The Law of the Pack
Jim and Kate arrived at the alpha's den shortly after departing from their shared cave, the distance between the two not being very great. They arrived to find the alpha and his mate eating what was left of the hind end of a medium sized elk. They kept their distance respectfully until the two were finished eating, at which point the alpha looked up at them.
"Good morning, betas," he said cordially.
"Good morning, sir," Jim replied.
"Did you sleep well?" the senior alpha asked. Jim and Kate nodded. "That's good, because today the real training begins. First thing's first, if you want to hunt something, you need a pack, so call your troops to order. You'll each have half of the pack, some of the older ones, and some of the younger pups. Now, they'll be along shortly for the day's assignment, and then you'll take your pick. Understand?" Jim and Kate nodded. They waited, and soon the pack assembled. It was rather large compared to either Jim or Kate's, so they had no problem dividing it into two good-sized hunting teams. "Alright, you two. Now, come here," the alpha told Kate and Jim. They walked over to him, and he explained their separate plans to them, so they could relegate tasks to the rest of the team. Jim and Kate walked over to their troops, and both led them off to speak with them.
Jim's hunt was to take him and his team out to the east of the pack's home, and hunt the elk that grazed there. Kate was to head west, and hunt the caribou that grazed by the river there. To evaluate them, the alpha male would accompany one, and the alpha female the other. Jim happened to be paired with the alpha female, and Kate the alpha male, and they both assured them they would follow orders as if they were ordinary pack members. Nevertheless, neither wanted to screw up, and displease their evaluators.
Jim spent the first hour tracking the elk, who proved to be more elusive then he anticipated they would be. When they came across a hot trail, they tracked the beasts to a clearing, and there they lay in wait, until Jim gave the order to strike. His team hit hard, and fast, and within a manner of minutes two elk had been taken down, though the rest broke and scattered, and Jim didn't bother sending anyone after them. He gave orders to drag the carcass back to the den, and the hungry wolves quickly carried them out.
Kate's hunt was not quite as fortunate as Jim's. It went wrong from the very beginning, when no one could find a trail, for close to two hours. When they finally did, it was cold, and old, and it didn't help them anyway, because it led to a dead end. After five hours, Kate called off the hunt, unable to find any sort of a lead. They went back to the den empty handed, and Kate hung her head, hoping that Jim had more luck then she did.
When they all arrived back, the alpha male spoke to both of them.
"Well, you two, what happened?" he asked.
"My team went out, and came back with two elk," Jim replied, nervously.
"We went out after caribou, but didn't find anything but dead trails," Kate admitted, ashamed.
"And what did you learn?" the Alpha asked, causing both younger wolves to grasp for something they learned. "Jim, what did you learn?" Jim balked.
"Uh, I suppose I learned how important it is to have multiple hunting parties, so that your pack doesn't go without food," the male beta replied.
"Alright," the alpha said, "and you, Kate?" Kate bit her lower lip.
"I suppose I learned..." she began, trying to think of what she learned. "I learned that you can't always get what you want, but you should keep trying, anyway!"
"Well said, Kate," the alpha replied. "Good work today, you two. Now, go get your dinner!"