Family Tails

A Story of a Mixed Family in the Genetic Age

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Names of actual businesses, their products, etc, are the property of their respective owners.

Story and characters © 2013 Ronald J. Lebeck

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Chapter 20

Back during the 1990's there were several attempts to make designer animals, and there were some successes. Just before the G.E.L.F. program was perfected, the scientists and corporate sponsors who would eventually create The Center for Genetic Research and Development had another lab where they tested their theories. This early laboratory, located in the basement of an old building on the campus of the University of California-Berkley, the scientists--with funding from corporate and government sponsors--is where the first attempts to create prototype G.E.L.F.s took place. Although the research was done in secret, word of the experiments eventually leaked out and came to the attention of a small animal rights group, known as "5F"--"Freedom For Furry Friends Foundation." The members of 5F were known to break into research facilities and try to remove lab animals in order to set them free. As honorable as they believed their actions to be, they sometimes released animals that should have remained in strict quarantine, which caused a variety of problems.

Among the animals of this particular lab were two pairs of wolves that had been seized by government officials from an illegal breeding operation. Since wolves typically have an intelligence equivalent to a human child between ten and fourteen years of age, the wolves were used to see if their offspring's intelligence could be artificially increased and perhaps given the ability of human speech. After their genome was mapped and carefully studied, samples of their DNA were modified and inserted into eggs and sperm cells. Through in vitro fertilization, the modified eggs were implanted in to the females, and once the resulting litters were weaned, the scientists began training and testing the cubs. At least one cub from each litter showed promise. The two cubs, one male and one female, proved to be exceptionally intelligent and cognizant--almost to the point of precognition. The two cubs seemed unusually aware and they often anticipated the humans who worked with them.

One cloudy night, several members of 5F broke into the basement of the building that housed the lab. They quickly hacked the security system and bypassed it, and gained entry into the lab. Working quickly, they removed as many of the animals as they could, including the wolves. Through an underground network of wildlife activists and sympathetic supporters, the wolves were eventually relocated to Alaska where they were released along the south central part of the Brook's Range, north of Fairbanks. The theft of the lab animals prompted the creation of a much more secure facility in the state of Texas.

Having been bred in captivity, the first year for the wolves was very hard. Some didn't survive the harsh winter, and some had been killed by hunters who had the misguided mentality of "they're taking our game away from us"--meaning caribou. Those kind of hunters, typically city dwellers who only pick up a firearm once a year to get a "trophy" to hang on their wall, fail to understand the delicate balance of Nature and how wolves help keep the herds healthy and strong by taking the sick, weak, infirm, and indolent individuals. The two highly intelligent wolf cubs survived and eventually became a mated pair; however, they were not alone. Another animal from the lab had been released with them, who was also a subject of being genetically enhanced. The lynx made an unlikely companion for the two young wolves, though they formed a unique friendship that aided in the survival of the three.

The companions eventually moved a bit further south, across the Yukon River, and settled into an area of low mountains and hills near Hess Creek. After establishing their territory, the wolf pair and the lynx found a suitable location to use as their home base, near a small clearing in the forest next to a small stream. The little glade had a narrow pond near one side that was fed by the stream. On the opposite side of the small glade was a large, somewhat rectangular boulder that was mostly buried.

The boulder had come to rest in its current location after a particularly violent eruption of a nearby volcano in ages past--the volcano no long inactive and worn down through the various periods of glaciation since it had formed. The rock was ancient, and had come from the depths of the Earth millions of years ago. For ages unreckoned by man, it had sat there, enduring the passing millennia, until the universe gave it a purpose.

A short distance away from the boulder was a small dry cave surrounded by old growth pines, and whose entrance was well camouflaged by some bushes. It made an excellent den for the two wolves and for the female lynx who was their friend and companion. In time she found a mate, and she raised her kits in the same cave that the two wolves also used to raise their cubs. Both the two wolves and the female lynx lived an unusually long time, as did their offspring. During the early summer of 2007, their lives took a new direction when two humans entered their territory. It wasn't long before more humans came with machines and built first one log house, and then another one. When they were finished, the wolves and lynx watched as every attempt was made by the humans to clean up and restore the area as much as possible to the way it was before the two houses were built.

At first, the wolves and the lynx thought that they would have to give up their home and move somewhere else to raise their families in peace, but after quietly observing the two humans for a time, they realized that there was something very different about these two humans. They both seemed to possess a quiet strength and were always very mindful of their surroundings. They often walked the area surrounding their homes, either together or singly. The two young adult wolves, being somewhat more curious about the humans than their lynx friend, observed more closely--first one and then the other. They decided eventually to see just how the humans would react to their presence. As luck would have it, if indeed it was just dumb luck or by a nudge of the universe, the two wolves cautiously followed the taller of the two humans as he explored the area on his own.

He moved through the trees quietly, sometimes stopping to touch a tree or stone, and speak softly, reverently, to them and then pause as if listening. The two wolves silently communicated to each other, and decided to make themselves known. On a small outcropping of rock, slightly higher than the old game trail the human was following, the white female wolf stepped out onto it from behind a tree, and into a shaft of sunlight. She stood magnificently illuminated by the sunlight with her left side towards the approaching human, and her amber eyes looking at his intently. She was ready to dart back into the trees if there should be any sign of danger from the human. The male wolf came behind the human and would try to distract the human just long enough to allow his mate to escape if the need should arise. When the human saw the white female wolf, he immediately stopped and stood very still, watching, yet showing absolutely no fear. After a few moments, he cocked his head and slowly looked behind him. The male wolf was surprised that the human seemed aware of his presence long before he should have been. A smile came upon the human's face, and he did the most unexpected thing--he sat down and held his hand out.

"Come on over and introduce yourself," the human said in a calm, quiet, and reassuring voice. "If we're going to be neighbors, we might as well get to know one another."

The male wolf looked briefly past the human to his mate who was watching from the rock outcropping. Even though he had been born in captivity and was used to humans, he had learned the hard way to be wary. Still, this strange human showed no sign of aggression, or even fear, and the wolf's senses detected no deception, only a calm acceptance. Cautiously, the male wolf came closer, sniffing, not sure what to make of the human. His mate came down from the rocks and approached from the other direction. When the human slowly held out his other hand to her, the female paused briefly. She watched intently for a moment and then proceeded towards the human. The two wolves approached the human simultaneously from two sides, both arriving at the same time.

"Aye, that's it, give me a good sniff, I won't hurt you...see, mothering in my hands," the human said quietly and reassuringly.

For the next few minutes both wolves cautiously sniffed and gently licked the human's hands, arms, and eventually his f ace. They allowed the human to touch them, and he even sniffed them in return. The two wolves were amazed that this human seemed to understand them so well, and he even offered a game of tug by picking up a small stick and holding it in his mouth.

In time, the two wolves became friends with the human and introduced them to their two cubs. He gave them all names--the two adult wolves he bestowed upon them the names of Atka for the male and Sesi for the female; the two cubs were given the names of Amaguq and Kapik.

From the outset, the young female, Kapik, seemed quite special. She was very sensitive to things and always seemed to know well in advance anything that was going to happen. Although Kapik's parents and her brother became fast friends with the human who had told them that his name is Ron, Kapik seemed to become particularly close to her human friend. Kapik was the first of the wolves to enter Ron's house and explore it. She was intensely curious and stuck her nose into everything. One day while she was visiting, Kapik found her way into the master bathroom and discovered the clothes hamper. Smelling her friend's scent on the items contained in it, Kapik pulled a t-shirt out and made off with it. She led Ron on a merry chase through the house, holding the t-shirt in her mouth. Anticipating Ron's moves, she bolted to the front door. The doors to the house are all of the lever type, and not the usual round knob. Kapik had quickly learned by watching how to open the doors, and quick as a wink, she let herself out, and ran as fast as she could to the small cave that served as their den. Kapik was proud of her "prize", and she would often be found lying on it whenever she slept in the den.

Atka and Sesi's lynx friend from the lab, after seeing how the wolves had taken to at least one of the humans, began to make herself known. It took her a while to finally get up the nerve to approach the two human males, though with the continued close friendship with them by her wolf friends, one evening while they were all on the deck of Ron's house, she lept up and perched on the deck railing, which at thirty centimeters in width, was ample enough to hold her. Although a little surprised, both humans remained calm and simply watched to see what the cat would do next. Sesi got up and walked over to the female lynx and they greeted one another.

"A friend of yours, Sesi?" Ron asked, seeing that they apparently were on friendly terms.

Sesi looked at Ron and said, "Wuf."

"I'd swear she understands you," the other human, Rob, said to Ron.

Ron grinned and said, "She does, don't you, Sesi?"

"Wuf."

"See? I told you," Ron smirked. "In fact, they all do, but Kapik is the smartest, I think."

"You actually sit and talk with them?" Rob asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I suspect Atka and Sesi might have been around humans before, though I can't be sure. They do seem to understand quite a few words and phrases," Ron replied.

"Interesting," Rob said. "I wonder how the wolves came to be friends with the lynx."

"Curious, isn't it? I wonder...," Ron said, thinking about something. "Sesi, how many years have you known the cat?" he asked after a moment.

Sesi cocked her head a bit to one side and then began pawing at the deck with her left paw. 1-2-3-4 times she counted out, and then shifting her weight to the other side, Sesi pawed the deck four more times before repeating the whole thing one more time.

"Sixteen? You've known the cat sixteen years?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Wuf!" Sesi replied.

"Nah, I can't believe that!" Rob said, shaking his head. "Wolves don't live that long in the wild."

"Wooooooooooo... *snort*," Sesi said, squinting her eyes.

"Heh, I think she doesn't agree with you," Ron chuckled. "Sesi, how old is Kapik?" Ron asked the wolf.

Sesi pawed at the deck seven times.

Ron raised an eyebrow and then held up seven fingers. "This many months?" he asked.

Sesi shook her head in typical canine fashion.

"Years?" Ron asked again, holding up seven fingers.

"Wuf!"

Ron and Rob looked at each other with mouths open.

"Kapik and Amaguq can't be seven years old already...can they?" Rob asked, not believing it.

Kapik looked first to Ron and then to Rob, and then she pawed the deck seven times.

"Wuf!"

The female lynx jumped off the wide railing and onto the deck, walking towards Atka and the others. She touched noses with each and rubbed against them, something a cat won't do to anyone they didn't like. Slowly and cautiously, she came first to Ron who held his hand out, with the back of it towards the cat for her to sniff. Very lightly, the lynx touched his hand with her nose, sniffed it a moment, and then gently butted it with her head. The lynx allowed Ron to give the fur on her back a few strokes before going over to Rob. He did the same as Ron had done, holding his the back of his hand out for the female lynx to sniff. She sniffed Rob's hand much more intently and then began to rub against his leg, purring as he stroked the fur on her back.

"Heh, certainly seem to have a thing with female cats," Ron smirked.

"No different than your thing with female wolves," Rob quipped back, giving a nod of his head towards Kapik, who was now sitting beside Ron and resting her head on his leg.

In the days that followed, the female lynx became a regular companion of Rob, along with a male kit of hers. For the next four years the female stayed near Rob whenever he was home. Although she seemed to age slowly, Rob could tell that she was getting old. She didn't move quite as quickly and sometimes complained when she got up. The winter of 2010-2011 was a particularly harsh one, with temperatures dropping to below minus fifty degrees. Both Ron and Rob would bring home any road kill that they could get to give to the wolves and the lynx, and also would let them come inside when conditions got really bad out.

By spring, the wolves were happy--Sesi was pregnant and would soon be having a litter of cubs. The old lynx, if Rob could believe Sesi, would be at least twenty years old by now, far past her normal life expectancy. He had given her the name of Lola, after an anthropomorphic comic book character, and the male kit he had given the name Magnus. One weekend in May, 2011, Lola had curled up in her favorite spot near the fireplace in Rob's house and went to sleep. Rob thought nothing of it until he heard something scratching at his front door. When he opened his door to see what was making the noise, Atka, Sesi, Amaguq, and Kapik all barged their way in.

"Hey guys, what do you think you're doing?" Rob demanded of the wolves.

When he saw them all head straight to where Lola was lying he said, "Hey now, she's sleeping. I don't think she feels like coming out to play."

But the wolves knew something Rob hadn't noticed since he had been concentrating on something related to the business he and Ron had been growing, and Magnus was probably off hunting somewhere. Sesi nosed Lola gently once, twice, and then she began to whine.

Rob came over and started to say, "Guys, I said I don't think she wants to play, she's...," and he saw Kapik look at Lola's face, and then she ever so gently, licked her parent's old friend. "...sleeping," he finished quietly, the realization beginning to hit home. Rob knelt down by his friend and stroked her fur. Lola's body was stiffening--she had passed quietly in her sleep, after living, unknown to the human she had befriended and who had cared for her and her kit, for a total of twenty-two years.

"Kapik," Rob said almost in a whisper with tears in his eyes, "get Ron."

Kapik rushed out through the still open front doors and ran as fast as she could to his house. She paused near the front deck almost as if listening, searching for her friend with all of her senses.

"Man-brother not in den. Maybe by rock. Hurry!"

Kapik took off at a run towards the little glade with the narrow pond and big rock.

Ron had been sitting before the rock in meditation when he sensed a gentle shadow slip by with a little puff of breeze in the otherwise still air of the glade. He felt a sudden heaviness in his heart, followed by "Man-brother!" Ron opened his eyes to see Kapik bounding towards him.

"Kapik...," he put his arms around her neck and hugged her. Kapik tugged on his sleeve and softly whined.

"I know sweetie, we got something to do," Ron said softly.

He stood up, picked up the oak staff that he had brought with him, and together they went to Rob's house.

When Ron and Kapik entered, they found Rob sitting on the floor by the fireplace holding Lola in his lap and surrounded by Atka, Sesi, and Amaguq. Rob looked up and saw his long time friend wearing his green robes and forest green double-yoked wollen cloak with Celtic knotwork designs around the edges, holding his staff, and with Kapik by his side. Kneeling down before his friend, Ron slowly passed his left hand over Lola's still body and softly spoke words in ancient Irish.

"Our friend is leaving this life. I felt something pass over me in the glade, a small little shadow, a breath of breeze drifting by. She's waiting there for us, to say our farewells. Come, let us return her form to the Earth so that the cycle may be completed," Ron said gently.

Rob nodded his head slowly and stood up, cradling Lola's body in his arms.

As the small procession of humans and wolves made its way to the glade, a small figure came running towards them through the forest. Magnus, Lola's kit, had been hunting in his favorite area, but before he had begun his hunt in earnest, he had the sudden overpowering urge to return home as quickly as possible. He had startled more than a few of the local inhabitants of the forest, some of whom chided him as he ran out of their sight. He pressed onward, descending the slopes in great haste, until he arrived to see his human and wolf friends walking in single file towards the glade. Panting heavily from his long run, he stopped to catch his breath. Kapik broke rank and walked up to Magnus, licking his face a few times before pressing her head against his.

"Cat friend momma go sleep, no wake. Cat friend momma go away, we howl, sad."

Magnus walked over to his human friend, Rob, and stood on his hind legs, putting his front paws on Rob's leg, and lifted his face to look up at his mother. By the way her head was, he knew something wasn't right. He'd seen the still-quiet emptiness on the little animals he hunted for food after they lost the struggle for life.

"Mrrr?" Magnus said, giving a questioning look.

Rob knelt down so that Magnus could see his mother.

"She's gone, buddy," was all that Rob could manage to say.

Magnus sniffed his mother's body and his nose told him what his eyes didn't want to see. Glumly he went back down on all fours, and Rob stood back up. They proceeded the rest of the way to the glade.

Ron gathered some of the wild flowers that grew in the glade, and laid them on the large boulder. Rob tenderly laid Lola's body on the stone, surrounded by the flowers, selected one of them, and placed it across her neck. The wolves sat around the stone forming a semi-circle on either side of Rob and Magnus, who had taken a seat on the ground. From the pouch he wore on his simple green fabric belt, Ron produced a cone of incense and lit it, placing it on the rock. The sweet smell of the smoke hung in the still air, and the whole forest seemed to grow quiet.

Ron stood between the boulder and his friends, and facing them, he held both his hands aloft and began.

We gather here now

To bid farewell to a friend

Who must travel far...

Rob took his turn when it was appropriate, and said words according to his own beliefs. When he had finished and returned to his seat upon the ground, Magnus jumped u onto the rock and washed his mother's face with his tongue. When he finished, he began yowling mournfully. Atka and Sesi also began to howl a long, sad howl. They were joined by Amaguq and Kapik, and Ron, too, joined the ancient song of farewell. Even Rob was moved to howl as best as he could, though his sounded more like that of Magnus.

Ron and Rob dug a simple grave at the edge of the glade, and laid Lola's body into it. Before covering it with the dirt, Ron placed three boughs of evergreen on top and Rob placed some of the flowers around her body. At a nod from Rob, Ron closed the simple ceremony with

May the servants of the gods

Escort you with honor

To their own land

Of light, of beauty, and of joy.

Awen.

At that moment, circling above the glade, an eagle called out before disappearing into the west.

"Skreeeeeee!"