19

Attibute Panel: Evolution from an Artic Wolf

19 - Luke's Thoughts

Luke's father helped drag the heavy carcass of the female Musk Ox into the cave so that it would not be noticed by predators outside. 

During this process, there were no more grunts or howls to break the silence, so the cave was quiet again. 

Any wolf's sense of smell has always been very keen, one of the best for both hunting and detecting prey in the vicinity. 

After everyone smelled the strong scent of blood permeating the cave, the sleeping wolves suddenly woke up. 　　 

What was going on? 

"Auu!" 

"Auu!" 
　　
No one had come out of the cave this time, even those guarding the entrance should have alerted the rest if it was an enemy, but none received an alert so now everyone had been startled. 
　
... 

In the pack cave, low howls and roars alerted the others who were asleep and one after another was full of fury. 

But after seeing the carcass of the female Musk Ox, they were also confused. 
　
What is this situation supposed to be? 

If no one went out hunting today, could it be that Luke's father went hunting alone? 　　
　　
There was some confusion in the eyes of all the adult wolves. 

However, even with the doubts of all the wolves in the cave Luke's father did not give an explanation, but he did not let anyone eat either. 

In a wolf pack, if the wolf who hunted the prey did not eat first, the other wolves would not dare steal that food. 

It was all very simple, but this was something that everyone respected if they did not want to receive a strong warning from the pack leaders. 

As a result, the male leader of the pack looked at Luke and howled at him. 

It was only then that the adult wolves in the cave learned that the female Musk Ox was hunted and killed by Luke, the puppy with the body of an adult wolf. 

Everyone in the cave watched Luke grow up. 
　　
But his growth was too fast for the wolf to be considered a pup a few months ago than they had ever seen him before, growing to this point. 
　　
This also caused the other males in the pack to no longer consider Luke a puppy, but now everyone saw him as an adult Arctic wolf. 

Even the adult arctic wolves in the cave do not look as fierce as Luke now looked, so now the only thing there was to marvel at was Luke's hunting. 　　
　　
Many female wolves also howled 

Some single she-wolves in the cave even help wipe the blood on Luke's hair, showing him appreciation. 

Some even wagged their tails as a show of love for Luke. 
　　
"Rrrr!" 

However, after Luke's mother bared her teeth and fixed her gaze on those she-wolves, the group of she-wolves left Luke's side with a bit of anger. 

Among the wolves, his crazy mother is second in command of the pack and the one who leads alongside his father. 

Luke was oblivious to this kind of feeling of affection among wolves, he honestly felt nothing but discomfort. Could it be that he is still too young or is his still human mentality still interfering in some way at this point? 

It was a blessing that his mother kept those female wolves away, he has always been uncomfortable with wolf affection. 

But it was all so sudden that Luke would have been very confused. 

What had just happened? 

There is no doubt that whether as a human or a wolf, Luke never understood the flirting of a woman. 

And even though he had completely accepted the fact that he had been reborn as a wolf, he still couldn't accept that he had to cuddle with a group of female wolves and then breed and eventually die. 

Still when he thought of a scene like that, he felt a cold, bitter shiver run through his body. 

How does that work? 　　 

"Auuuu!" 

The mother wolf approached and howled again and again. 

At this point, her mother was actually proud of her creation. 

"Auuu!" 

Luke responded as well and called out to his sister to eat from the fresh prey he had caught. 

His sister is a young wolf and doesn't understand anything that was going on. 

Seeing that her big brother had brought food, she shamelessly approached and began to eat the female Musk Ox.

Like Luke, his sister was the same age and if there was one thing that set them apart, it was their speed of growth. 

Luke could clearly see how it is that a wolf grows from puppy to adult, the fangs start to grow gradually and then it was that his sister is able to eat the meat by herself. 

In the process of biting, she still had some difficulties but it was no big deal. 

After slipping, she fell to the ground but after shaking it off she continued to eat. 

The wolf girl who was originally the biggest of all the cubs was still in a growing stage, so after growling a little she came over to eat. 
　
As for the rest of the pack, as long as there was some order from the one who hunted the prey or the male leader of the pack, no one moved. 

The strict hierarchy among the wolf pack revealed itself at this moment, respecting the rules at all times. 

The IQ of the wolves is limited, most of them are equivalent to the IQ of three or four year old human children, but this already makes them one of the most intelligent in the animal world. 

Even the father wolf who leads the wolf pack and has more experience in this kind of world has a slightly higher IQ. 

With their IQ, they can only obey orders and rules, and it is difficult for them to have the idea of breaking rules or what it means to be envious. 

Wolves, they are the most loyal wolves that can exist in the world. 

There were very rare cases of wolves resisting orders or rules and these were repressed by the crazy couple leading the pack, but they were usually young and reckless wolves. 

Finally, when the pups were eating Luke's father had not given the order to eat. 

The rest of the wolves who were waiting to eat just looked at that rich food without making a move, and then returned to their positions and closed their eyes. 

And the pair of wolves who lead the pack and are Luke's parents supported each other. 

"Ow!" 

With a low howl, Luke took the initiative to invite his tough father to eat. 

But his father only kept silent and fell asleep without responding. 

This made Luke, who had kindly brought the food to share with everyone, couldn't help but sigh. 

Among wolves, many concepts are still too deeply rooted in customs or rules. 

The strong are respected. 

Among wolves, his current strength has already threatened his wolf father's status and he had noticed it. 

That is why the father wolf kept silent after seeing the carcass of the female musk ox. 

Even if it is a boy born from his father, many times some sons after growing up have to form their own pack and family. 

"Auu!" 

Luke howled in a low tone to Baxter. 

Baxter, who had already filled his stomach with food, was about to go over to the little gray wolf he used to fight and sleep with.

After hearing his leader's call, he quickly ran to Luke's side. 

Now, his father's attitude made him feel that Luke should go out and form his own pack. 

And Baxter, as a unique wolf among all in the cave, must accompany him. 

As for the rest of the wolves, if their father allows it, Luke can take them with him on his outing. 
　　
After all, these pups are also a burden to the actual wolves and sometimes they have to divide their forces so that some stay behind to care for the pack while the others go out hunting. 

As the reach of the polar night continues to expand in the Arctic Circle, food will become increasingly scarce. 

At that point, the wolves' living environment will worsen day by day. 

As a cub among wolves, there is no need to explain the outcome. 

And even though the cave is not near the north pole, as long as they are not too far away, the days will become much less light which will cause great problems. 

In this case, Luke who now had confidence in himself was sure he could survive outside without being at his father's side. 

Of course, it wasn't that he forgot who his parents were, it was just that this way his dad wouldn't feel uncomfortable with his presence and Luke would be free to go hunting whenever he wanted.