Arrow Lake rocket raccoon

Sorry my kids were sick, then I caught what they had, and ugh, it was just awful, awful stuff

Ferdie watched the raccoons, normally the little beasties were not so picky. In-fact in order to save himself from a savage female raccoon once; since he must have stumbled to close to her den was to offer her the only food he had which was in his stomach. The vicious she-coon had seemed so content about it at the time and saved him a face full of scratches, a lost meal was nothing to him when it came to literately saving his vain hide. So vain was he that had painstakingly groomed his pelt thinner then the rest of his pelt over some freshly healed scars under his well groomed pelt that served as a constant reminder of the tragedy of swiftcurrent creek; So that it lay correctly and did not look like there was anything there.

Ferdie shrugged and ate a small sample of what he thought was a divine offering then backed up and sat down waiting to see if the cubs hunger would win out. if not he'd probably re-eat the meal later, waste not want not in the wilds.

When Red shared this story with him he lifted his head slowly and stared into her face, looking for ill-intent, more lies being spread did not bode well... Ferdie's brow twitched then he licked his lips and shook his head sadly.

I heard a much different version of that story. It's a sad tale nonetheless. He cleared his throat as if preparing to pass on an old wolves tale, kind of like a story bed time tale, and in part it could very well be a lesson teaching story if told truthfully, His voice rumbled taking on the guise of an older story time teller, he was good at telling stories to cubs, his tone calming and his stories usually full of emotion. But then he was a caretaker at heart and if one knew him they would know he could not have attacked or even struck out at a pup. That never happened though the lies would continue to leak are grow as they were wont to do.

Protecting others is difficult especially when the black wolf was protecting the first wolf from other pack mates. When that failed he had to protect the first wolf from his ownself.
The Black wolf did succeed in saving the first wolf the the first wolf's own demons but it came at a toll to them both. The pack mates that had helped to start this fight began to spread lies about the encounter.
Ultimately they were cast out before they could explain to the alpha, not only how it happened but why it had happened.
Ferdie frowned at his new realization and the end of the story that would likely make this a tale to pass on.
If just 'one' of those pack wolves had listened, just one, the outcome for the two males would have been much different.

Ferdie now looked away, to him pack was family and families didn't do 'this' to each other he couldn't finish his tale[size=x-small] Instead they were cast out in a moment of great need. And when the males had found a away to survive; the pack that cast them out, hunted them down and tried to continue to bully them.[/size] This part he left unsaid for that would have revealed, if she did not know already, that he was the one in part of the lies she may have heard.