From The Kingdom of Driftless Beauty
The wind was howling through Wolf Valley and the snow was blowing sideways. It had been a mild December, but without warning, winter had suddenly enveloped the Kingdom of Driftless Beauty. The animals had felt it coming and had sought shelter, but humans aren’t as perceptive as the animals to changes in the weather and most of them had been caught unprepared.
Deep within the forest of Wolf Valley, a young girl named Mary was struggling through the accumulating snow. She had gone in search of Little Lamb, whose fleece was as white as snow. Her lamb had wandered off during the night and Mary was trying to find him. She feared he had ventured into Wolf Valley where everyone knew the wicked wolves lived. They would love to dine on a meal of lamb. Mary had to find him before the wolves did, but now she found herself in a snowstorm that had appeared out of nowhere. It was useless trying to find a lamb whose fleece was white as snow in a total whiteout. She decided to head for home before the snow got too bad, but now she was lost and couldn’t tell which direction to go.
Meanwhile up on Sunshine Prairie, Fairy Princess Sonja sat on her favorite spot near Three Rock Chimney, the highest point of Sunshine Prairie in the Kingdom of Driftless Beauty. From there she could see that bad weather had entered Wolf Valley. The sun was still shining on the prairie but she could tell the snow was headed her way.
Ole, the green-striped frog, sat beside her. Ole had just informed Sonja that he’d known bad weather was coming because his arthritic frog legs had been hurting for two days. It made hopping around extremely painful, but it was the only way for a frog to get around, so Ole blocked out the pain and kept doing stuff that frogs do. He had to get busy. It was almost Christmas and he still hadn’t sent any Christmas cards to all his friends and relatives over in Frogtown.
In the distance, Princess Sonja and Ole saw a huge bird approaching. It was Carrot Top, the not-so-bald eagle that lived in Wolf Valley. He had red feathers on top of his head, instead of white ones. There were rumors that his father had been a red-tailed hawk, but no one could prove it. As Carrot Top reached Three Rock Chimney, he fanned his huge wings and gently settled down beside them.
“What brings you to Sunshine Prairie?” asked Princess Sonja. “You don’t usually venture this far from home.”
“We need your help in Wolf Valley. The Misses and I were sitting in our nest high atop the giant oak tree, and settling in to wait out the storm, when we spotted Mary, who had a little lamb, wandering around in the forest below us. She looked like she was lost because of the heavy snow and we saw no sign of her lamb, but then he’d have blended right in with the snow if he was anywhere around. We’re afraid she’s in great danger if she doesn’t find some shelter to wait out the storm. I knew if I could find you, we’d be able to find a way to save her. She won’t last long if she keeps wandering around in the snow.”
Fairy Princess Sonja knew there was no time to waste. “I’ll work some of my magic and make myself smaller so I can ride on your back, and we’ll fly back to Wolf Valley.
Ole, the green-striped frog piped up, “I’ll go along too. I grew up alongside Tomten Creek that snakes its way back and forth through Wolf Valley. I know every bush and rock in the area. I could be of great help. I also know where the wolves live. We may need to ask for their help.”
Sonja made herself small enough to ride on Carrot Top’s back and she and Ole climbed aboard. “Fasten your seatbelts,” said Carrot Top. “Prepare for takeoff.” He spread his great wings and they lifted into the air and headed for Wolf Valley.
Meanwhile back in Wolf Valley, things were not looking good for Mary. She was wet and cold from the blinding snow and swirling winds. The day had been so nice when she left home that she hadn’t put a heavy coat on. Now she regretted that decision. She had mittens and boots on, but her hands and feet were getting very cold. She was beginning to give up hope of surviving when she stumbled over something in a snowdrift. As Mary fell in the snow, the snowdrift began moving and she heard the familiar bleating sound of Little Lamb, whose fleece was as white as snow. Little Lamb’s head popped out of the snow and Mary threw her arms around his neck. “I thought I’d never see you again,” she cried, as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Lets get out of here. You can lead us back home through this blizzard.”
Little Lamb’s head lowered and there was great sadness in his eyes. Then Mary saw the red stains in the snow. She brushed the snow away from his front feet and her eyes filled with fear as she saw the reason for the red stains. Little Lamb’s foot was caught in a trap. She knew people had been setting traps to catch wolves and it appeared that Little Lamb had found one hidden by the new snow that covered it. They were both in deep trouble.
Mary’s eyes filled with tears, but through those tears she saw a dark form appear near them in the swirling snow. Then she saw the two eyes staring at her. It was a wolf! Her heart filled with fear as she grabbed Little Lamb and held her close to protect her. The big wolf slowly circled them, surveying the situation. Then the wolf disappeared into the wall of snow as quickly as he had appeared. Mary felt relieved, but realized if she and Little Lamb couldn’t find shelter soon, they both would freeze to death. She couldn’t help but wonder why the wolf had left so quickly. Maybe he had sensed danger nearby. Maybe someone was looking for them.
As quickly as her hopes had been lifted, they were dashed when the wolf again appeared out of the wall of snow. Only this time he wasn’t alone. Several other wolves were with him. She lay down in the snow with her arms around Little Lamb and began to sob uncontrollably as she realized they were about to become a meal for the wolf pack.
She felt the breath from the wolf pack leader on the back of her neck and then felt his warm body next to her. The other wolves closed in. Then they all lay down around Mary and Little Lamb and snuggled up next to them. Two of the smaller wolves lay down on top of them.
Mary couldn’t believe it. The wolves were providing a warm shelter for her and Little Lamb from the snowstorm that was raging around them. She felt warmer already.
High overhead Carrot Top was slowly making his way through the storm. Fairy Princess Sonja and Ole were still hanging on tight, when Carrot Top informed them he had just gotten word from his friends on the ground in the forest that Mary and Little Lamb had been found. They were being guarded by the wolf pack that roamed throughout Wolf Valley.
Carrot Top began to circle and then started to slowly descend through the clouds of thick snow. Sonja hoped he knew what he was doing. Even her super eyesight couldn’t penetrate the snow. It was a total whiteout. It seemed to take forever before he flared his wings and gently touched down in the snow, right beside a large pile of snow with what looked like a wolf’s tail sticking out of it.
Fairy Princess Sonja slid down off Carrot Top’s back and changed herself back into her larger form. Ole hopped up on her shoulder to survey the situation. “Hey Lone Wolf, this is Ole. Are you in there?”
A wolf’s head popped up out of the snow. “Yah it’s me. Haven’t seen you in a long time Ole. How you been?”
“Could be better. My arthritis has been acting up lately. Other then that, I can’t complain. How about you?”
“It’s been a challenge,” said Lone Wolf. “You probably heard that Man has been trying to kill us again. They’ve been setting a lot of traps around Wolf Valley, so we have to be extra cautious. Mary’s Little Lamb stumbled into one and got caught. We’ve been trying to keep them warm. They’re under this pile with us.”
“It looks like the snow is starting to let up,” said Sonja. We’ll need to try and free Little Lamb from the trap and help them find their way home. There’s a lot of snow that we’ll need to get through. It won’t be easy.”
“We’ll find a way,” said Ole. “We’ll stay close to Tomten Creek and follow it out, but we’ll have to be very careful. All the traps are snow-covered now and we don’t want anyone else stepping in one.”
The wolves all got up and shook off the snow that had covered them. Mary sat up and looked around. “Hello Mary. I’m Fairy Princess Sonja, and these are my friends, Ole, the green-striped frog, and Carrot Top, the redheaded bald eagle. You were very close to freezing to death when Lone Wolf found you and had his pack huddle around you to keep you warm. They saved your life, and Little Lamb’s life too. Now we need to get Little Lamb out of the trap and get you both safely home.”
Lone Wolf took one side of the trap in his powerful jaws while Sonja grabbed the other side. Sonja said to Mary, “We won’t be able to hold the trap open very long. As soon as there’s some space between the jaws, you lift Little Lamb out of the trap. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” said Mary, as she put her arms around Little Lamb.
Sonja and Lone Wolf pulled and strained at the trap and it finally opened. Mary lifted Little Lamb to safety as the jaws of the trap snapped shut again. Everyone gave out a cheer. Mary had a surprised look on her face. “You won’t believe this, but I could understand what the wolves and frog were just saying.”
Oh, I believe it,” said Sonja. “When you become one with the natural world as you’ve become through this experience, you can also communicate with the animals and birds. You’ve just discovered that all of creation is one big family. That’s quite a gift. It looks like Christmas came early for you this year.”
Mary hugged Little Lamb, and then she hugged Lone Wolf and all the other wolfs in the pack and thanked them for saving their lives. “Why do they call you Lone Wolf when you have so many other wolves around you?”
“It’s a long story, Mary. Several years ago my mate got caught and died in a trap just like the one Little Lamb stumbled into. For a long time I was the only wolf around these parts and it was very lonely. Then another pack moved in and allowed me to join them. We’ve been family ever since. When I saw you freezing and Little Lamb caught in the trap, I knew we had to do something. I couldn’t let you die like my mate did, a few days before Christmas. Now we need to get you both home so you can enjoy Christmas. I bet your family is very worried about you.”
It took them the rest of the day, trudging through the snow, to reach the edge of the forest. It was just starting to get dark, and the warm glow from the lights in the house, where Mary’s family lived, was a welcome sight.
Fairy Princess Sonja told Mary, “This is as far as we can go. It’s too dangerous for Lone Wolf and the pack to venture out in the open.” Mary gave everyone another hug before picking Little Lamb up and starting toward the house, carrying her. She stopped and looked back. “I’ll never forget you and your kindness,” she said. “Just wait until I tell my folks what happened.”
As Mary continued toward the house, Sonja said, “They’re never going to believe her story, are they?” The wolf pack, Ole, and Carrot Top just smiled.
Mary and her family enjoyed a great Christmas after she returned safely from being lost in the blizzard. Little Lamb’s foot healed up, and the rest of the winter was very peaceful in Wolf Valley. For some reason, all the wolf traps were removed. Life is peaceful and good in the Kingdom of Driftless Beauty.
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