"Kit Reed - What Wolves Know" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reed Kit)

Wolves know that when you are grown, you have to kill your father. Kill him
before he kills you.
 He thought he could take Timbo in a fight and so he scent-marked a
tree, making clear his intentions. The wolfтАЩs challenge!

He bunched himself as Timbo circled, snarling. Imagine his surprise.
The gouge in his flank goes all the way from here down to here. Now, a
wolf can lick all the hurt places, but Happy wasnтАЩt built to reach the places
wolves can reach without trying. Pain drove him sobbing out of the woods.

When you have been raised by wolves, you know what to expect.

Foolish to expect better of people.

Nursing the fresh gash in his flank, he watched the building, men
walking back in front of lighted windows. He heard a sound like a forgotten
lullaby: human voices. He limped out of the woods, whimpering, тАЬOh, oh,
oh.тАЭ Then, when he least expected it, a word came to him. He pointed his
nose at the sky. тАЬOh, help!тАЭ

He expected helping hands, kind words, but big men clattered out
shouting, тАЬStop where you are!тАЭ They were nothing like he expected. Happy
froze.

Somebody yelled, тАЬWhat is that?тАЭ

Somebody else yelled, тАЬSome kind of animal.тАЭ

They were so angry! This is nothing like I thought.

Happy did what wolves do when they are in trouble. He howled.
Ah-whoooo. One by one his brothers responded, but the howls were
scattered, the howlers far away. Wolves know never to come out of the
woods, no matter who is calling. Ah-whooooooooo!

The men pulled shields over their faces and raised their guns. Guns:
a word Happy didnтАЩt quite know. In the struggle, the chain around his neck
parted and the only scrap of his old life fell into their hands. Why did he
imagine it made him special?

He limped back into the woods. The other wolvesтАФhis
brothers!тАФsmelled men on him. He was ruined for life in the woods and
there was as well ... what? The curiosity. When the men fell on Happy, he
felt his flesh smacking into human flesh and there was no difference
between them. Even clothed, his attackers were more like Happy than
Happy was like the wolves. Like the missing limb that hurts at night, he felt
the ghost family. Wolves run in packs or they prowl alone; they kill and are
killed and thatтАЩs the end of it. Men have families.

Night after night Happy doubled back on the clearing. He was drawn