Secrets: The Truth is Slowly Revealed

As soon as we got back to the cabin, Devin told his dad what he’d taught me today and that I’d done well in absorbing the information.  After we ate supper with his parents, we played rummy with them before heading up to bed. 

Before we left, however, Mr. McCaskill advised me to take a couple of Tylenol.  He said he could tell I was experiencing some discomfort and moving awkwardly after absorbing my body weight with my arms when Devin was teaching me how to gallop.  He also suggested that Devin use some of the muscle rub he kept in the bathroom and put it on my arms and shoulders before we went to sleep. 

I didn’t want to make love tonight, since I was both sore and tired from today’s training session.  However, I did agree to have oral sex with Devin before we went to the bathroom to shower and perform the rest of our nightly ritual. 

When we returned to his room, Devin used the muscle rub on the areas of my body that hurt the worst, and then he gave me a complete upper body massage as well.   He also explained that he hadn’t used the muscle rub on me before we showered because the water would greatly intensify the effect of the muscle rub and I’d have found it unbearable.  As soon as he finished giving me the massage, he cuddled with me as we prepared to sleep, but this time he placed his arm over my waist, rather than over my arms and chest as he usually did. 

As I was drifting off, I started to realize how much the Tylenol and muscle rub had helped me, because I was already beginning to feel better.  In fact, I managed to get a decent night’s sleep. 

When we woke up the next morning, I was feeling much better as we went down to the have breakfast.  After we finished eating, Devin had me take two more Tylenol before we headed out on the trails again to resume my training.

“Don’t worry, because I will be much easier on you today.  I just have a few more things I want to show you and we’ll have to finish before Grandpa Isaac and Grandpa Jacob get here. 

“Ok, that’s fine with me.”

“I’m now going to explain a few things that you might not know about wolves, and this will apply to all wolves in general, not just the gray wolf.  Similar to the bear, wolves walk with their heads down, but wolves do it to keep their noses close to the ground so they’ll be able to detect scents.  The smells they pick up are more important to them than either sight or sound when they’re deciding where to go next, and it’s also how they detect prey.”

“I didn’t know that,” I admitted.  “I always thought various members of the pack just went out in different directions to look for prey, and then they would howl to signal the others when they found something.”  

“No, doing that would be more of a hit or miss process than the way they actually locate their next meal.  I’ll now demonstrate how a gray wolf walks, trots, and gallops for you, but since it is so similar to what we did yesterday, you won’t have to practice those things again.”

“That’s good, because I don’t think my arms could stand galloping today.”

After he finished showing me how the wolf walked, he spoke again.  “Another thing you probably don’t know is that wolves actually walk and run on their toes.  By doing this it makes their legs longer and nimbler so they can move faster, and this makes it easier for them to catch faster prey.”

“I didn’t know that and I certainly didn’t pick up on it when you demonstrated how they walk.  I probably wouldn’t have been aware of it when you showed me how they trot either.”

“Then watch closely and focus on its toes and I’ll demonstrate how the wolf trots before I show you how it gallops.”

Devin then demonstrated how the wolf walked, trotted, and galloped for me and I zeroed in on its toes as I was watching.  I was fascinated by how they did this and it reminded me of something I’d picked up on when I was in high school.  Back then, I’d noticed that many of the better athletes seemed to walk on the balls of their feet and toes and didn’t allow their heels to strike the ground first, as nearly everyone else did.  It was definitely an epiphany for me and a truly enlightening revelation.

“There is something else you should know, and that is wolves do the same thing as dogs and a few other animals and use their urine to mark their territory.  The smell of a wolf’s urine is very strong and nearly as odorous as a skunk’s spray, so it’s easy for other animals to detect.”

“I suspected that was how they marked their territory, but I didn’t know how strong the smell of their urine was.”

“And something else you might need to know.  The male wolves lift their leg to urinate, while the female wolves usually squat, unless the pack has an aggressively dominant alpha male and female pair.  If they do, the alpha male AND the alpha female will both lift their legs when they urinate.  In some cases, the rest of the pack will all squat when urinating, as a sign of submission to the alpha pair.” 

“Wow, this is all new to me.”

“I’m sure it is, and since wolves live in packs they need a way to be able to communicate with each other.  They do this by using a variety of body posturing, including the use of their tails, and you’ll have to know what to look for if you ever have to survive in a pack.”

“Thanks for telling me this, because I don’t want to be attacked by another wolf just because I don’t understand what’s going on.  Are you going to give me some examples?” 

“Yes, and since there are so many of these signals that you’ll have to watch for, I’ll demonstrate them a few at a time, but I’ll tell you which ones I’ll be demonstrating in advance.  I’ll also bark before changing to the next one so you’ll be able to tell them apart, because there are often multiple parts to each behavior.  The first three will be how a wolf shows when it’s angry, aggressive, and fearful.”

He then transitioned into a wolf again and demonstrated the first emotion.  The wolf’s ears were erect and its fur bristled, so the hairs on its back stood up.  Its lips were curled to expose its incisors and it also began to snarl.  After doing this for a brief time, it stopped and barked to let me know the demonstration had ended.  I definitely would’ve been able to tell the wolf had been angry, even without Devin imitating it for me, but I still appreciated the demonstration. 

The wolf then crouched and began to shift its body weight to its haunches, as if it was getting ready to pounce, and once again the hair on its back bristled as it snarled.  It was obvious the wolf was becoming agitated and aggressive, so I might have been in serious trouble if this was for real.  The wolf then barked to let me know it was ready to move on to the next demonstration. 

This time it seemed as if the wolf was attempting to make its body appear as small as possible so it would be less obvious and nonthreatening to another wolf.  Its ears were flattened against its head, its tail was tucked between its hind legs, and it also began to whimper.  I almost felt sorry for the wolf before Devin barked and then transitioned back into himself. 

`“Did you understand everything I just did?”

“Yes, it was all quite clear.  I just hope I don’t forget it before I go out as a wolf.  I also hope you don’t expect me to practice any of those behaviors as myself.”

“You could probably practice your snarling and growling, but since you don’t have a tail or any fur, and you can’t control your ears the same way a wolf does, the rest of it would be impossible for you to replicate.”

“I think I’ll wait and practice my snarling and growling later, maybe when we’re in bed.” 

“Very funny.”

“It’s just a lot to remember, so I hope I can do it.”

“I know it’s a lot, but you’ll get it all down in due time, so don’t worry.  The next three behaviors will be a defensive posture, suspicion, and how the wolf might appear when it is hunting.”

“Ok,” I agreed as Devin transitioned into a wolf again.

When he started this time, the wolf pulled its ears against its head and took up a stance that let me know it was ready to defend itself, although I could also tell it wasn’t about to attack.  There wasn’t any snarling or growling this time, but its posture let me know its intent, and then the wolf barked.

This time the wolf stared at me and its eyes narrowed as it pulled its ears back and its tail stood straight, parallel to the ground.  I could tell it was suspicious about my intentions, and after it barked again, it started to display the next behavior. 

Now it appeared as if every muscle in its body was tensing up and its tail was sticking straight out behind it again.  It was also sniffing both the air and the ground, as if it was trying to detect the scent of its prey.  A few seconds later, Devin transition into himself and spoke.

“Did you understand the difference between those behaviors and the ones you’d already seen?”

“Absolutely, they were all very clear, but there is so much to remember about how it holds its ears and tail, and if its fur is bristling or not.”

“Yes, but like I said, you’ll get it all down eventually.  Now, I’ll show how the wolf might look when it’s relaxed and when it’s playful.”

“At least these behaviors won’t seem as threatening as some of the others,” I responded as Devin transitioned again. 

This time the wolf’s tail was hanging down, although it wasn’t tucked between its legs, and at one point it even began to wag, but only slightly.  It would also lay down on its belly, with its forelegs stretched out in front of it, and at first it held its head up, peacefully looking around, but eventually it rested its head on its forelegs.  After doing this for a short time, it rolled onto its side, as if it was about to take a nap.  It was extremely relaxed. 

After the wolf barked, it got up on all fours, with its head held high and its tail wagging intermittently as it hopped and pranced about, like a dog might do when it’s letting you know it wants to play.  After doing this for a short time, it bowed down, meaning it put the front half of its body on the ground with its held head high, while its haunches were sticking up in the air. 

When the wolf barked, I was convinced that Devin had demonstrated all of the wolf’s behaviors.  After all, he had only demonstrated two behaviors this time, where each other time the wolf had shown me three behaviors, one after the other.  However, once again I was mistaken.  As soon as Devin transitioned into himself again, he looked at me and spoke. 

“There are two more behaviors I want to demonstrate for you, and they are the different types of submissive behavior.  The first is for an active submissive posture, which means the wolf has previously accepted its role of being dominated by another wolf.  The other is a passive submissive posture, such as might happen when a wolf is accepting its role for the first time.  This might happen after a fight and the wolf is demonstrating that it accepts and acknowledges the superiority of the victor.”

As soon as Devin transitioned into a wolf again, the wolf stood in front of me with its head bowed and its tail hanging down either partially or completely between its legs.  Its back was arched and its shoulders hunched, as a human might do after being defeated, and it was a pathetic looking sight.  It reminded me of how a slave might have been forced to act when confronted by his master. 

Eventually, the wolf lowered its entire body to the ground with its ears drawn back, and it kept sticking out its tongue and moving it up and down, resembling a licking motion.  Although I assumed this was another submissive action, I wasn’t positive.  

After the wolf barked, it demonstrated an even more pathetic pose.  This time it rolled onto its back and drew its paws against its body, thus exposing the vulnerable areas of its body, its underside and throat, to the more dominant wolf.  At the same time it whimpered, as if it was begging for mercy and hoping it wouldn’t be killed.  After being in this pose for approximately a minute, Devin barked and got up so he could transition again. 

“Do you have any questions?” he asked. 

“No questions, but I require a bit of clarification.  I assume when you were demonstrating the active submissive posture and the wolf was sticking out its tongue and kept raising it up and lowering it down it was simulating a licking motion.  Does this mean it was licking the face and muzzle of the more dominant wolf?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what it was doing and it might perform this act of submission while either standing or crouching in front of the more dominant wolf.  Do you have any other questions about either of the submissive postures?”

“No, I just hope you don’t expect me to demonstrate those postures for you now.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.  I know this has been a lot for you to digest, but after we take a very short break there’s a little more that I want to show you before we’re done.  This time the information will be about the mountain lion, but first we’ll have a snack and a drink. 

Devin then handed me an apple and a bottle of water, which we downed quickly, and then he looked at me and spoke. 

“The mountain lion’s movements are similar to both the black bear and gray wolf, but when it walks it does it on the pads of its feet like the bear, not on its toes like the wolf.  I’ll now demonstrate how it walks, trots, and gallops for you, and after I finish I’ll tell you a few more things that you should know.  Pay close attention because I only want to do this once.”

“Ok, I can do that.”

As soon as he showed me how a mountain lion moved about, he looked at me and spoke again.

“Mountain lions, like most other cats, can’t roar, but they can growl, hiss, shriek, and even purr, similar to what a house cat may do.  It generally makes little noise when it’s in the woods, although at times it may make a sound that resembles a person whistling or a bird chirping.  However, it usually only does those things if it’s attempting to locate its young or if it is seeking a mate.  It may also make a noise that sounds like a scream, although it only does this during the mating process as well.  A male might do it when it’s confronting a rival for the attention of a female, but otherwise it will be very quiet and extremely patient.”

“In other words, it will be difficult to detect them.”

“You may be able to detect its scent, because a mountain lion will use its feces, or scat, to mark its territory.  On occasion, it may also partially bury part of its prey to indicate that particular parcel of land has already been claimed, but most of the time it merely uses pheromones or leaves claw marks on trees to mark its territory.  Bears will also leave claw marks on trees, but a bear’s claw marks will generally be much higher up on the tree.”

“Are mountain lions good hunters?”

“Yes, they are.  Sometimes a mountain lion will lie patiently and wait until its prey is in a better position for it to pounce, and they can be extremely patient.  It might also stalk its prey and then leap or use a sudden burst of speed to bring it down.  If you remember, I told you previously that a mountain lion can run up to 50 mph (80 kph) and this allows it sufficient speed to catch the animals it preys upon.  It also has a great leaping ability, and by using its large paws and strong hind legs it can leap great distances in order to kill its next meal.  Just so you know, a mountain lion is capable of leaping up to 18 feet (5.5 m) into the air and distances as far as 50 feet (13 m).” 

“When do mountain lions do most of their hunting?”

“A mountain lion is primarily active at dawn and dusk.  They have highly developed eyesight that allows them to see in low-light, thus making it possible for them to hunt and travel in low-light or even in the dark.  This is the primary reason why they are most active at dawn and dusk.”

“Yeah, and then the rest of the day it probably just lies around and preens, like a house cat.”

“Yes, they’ll groom, sleep, and merely take it easy during the hours outside of dusk and dawn.”

“Are mountain lions social animals, like lions and wolves?”

“No, mountain lions hunt alone and don’t form prides, and they won’t share their food with others, such as lions do.  A mountain lion will only share its kill with its young, but only until they are old enough to hunt on their own.  Mountain lions won’t tolerate other mountain lions, with two noticeable exceptions – its young and when it’s mating, and that can happen at anytime during the year.  It explains why they are capable of giving birth throughout the year, and then the kittens will depend on their mother until they are 18 to 24 months old.  At that time, their mother will teach the kittens how to hunt and select appropriate prey for them.  Young mountain lions aren’t considered adults until they’re 3 to 5 years old.”

“Ah, so that’s why you said it was probably a young adult that we saw back when we were in fifth grade.”

“Yes, it was my best guess after I went through the training.” 

“Do wolves and bears also teach their young how to hunt and survive on their own?”

“Yes, they do, but a wolf has the advantage of having the entire pack and the other pups around to help out with it as well.  Do you have any more questions?”    

“Not that I can think of.”

“In that case I’ll demonstrate how a mountain lion can leap.”

I watched as Devin transitioned in a mountain lion and leapt high into the air, as if it was trying to bring down a bird or knock something off a tree limb.  I was even more impressed when I saw it leap a great distance over the ground and could understand why its prey wouldn’t even know it was about to die. 

“Damn, I guess it would probably be wise to give a mountain lion a really wide berth, due to its speed and leaping ability.”

“Yes, that’s very true, especially if you don’t wish to become its next meal, although mountain lions seldom attack humans.”

“I hope that holds true if I happen to run into another one in the future.”

“Ok, we’ve been out here for quite a while now, and seeing it’s the start of the weekend I’m worried that we may soon encounter other people roaming about.  I don’t want anyone else to see what we’re doing, so we’d better head back to the cabin.  We can clean up and eat supper with my parents before my grandfathers arrive.”

“Ok, that sounds good to me because I’m starving.”

After Devin put on his underwear and shorts and had slipped into his flip-flops, we made our way back to the cabin.  I was not only hungry and thinking about the food, but I was also thinking about seeing Grandpa Isaac and Grandpa Jacob again.  I was also wondering what more they might want to tell me before we went to sleep.