#brother wolf

[perrymaple]

Brother Wolf | Fantasy House Tour

[skyloftian-nutcase]

oooh for the beat the heat write a thon, how about something fun with Son Squad! All I have planned for them in the near future of writing is some not great times so they deserve a break

Link took his hat off to wipe the sweat off his face for the thousandth time. He forgot how awfully hot the desert was. But this desert was strange, different. He’d figured because he wasn’t familiar with the weird red masked guys that he must be in some other land, but…

He dreaded thinking about it, honestly. He wasn’t sure what land he had fallen into, but he knew something was supposed to go bad. That was always why he was sent somewhere.

He guessed things had kind of already gone bad. The teenager he had been imprisoned with was in bad shape, after all, and Wolf wouldn’t let Link give Scars a potion. Link couldn’t figure it out, but he chose to listen.

Wolf was a strange companion. Link knew he was more than just a wolf, as he seemed very smart and was willing to help and listen to him. Which clearly meant he wasn’t an animal, and he wasn’t a wolfos. So Link figured he was some sort of magical creature. But the frustrating thing was that every time Link tried to use a potion to help his other companion, a teenager covered in wounds and therefore named Scars, Wolf would stop him. He didn’t know why, but he’d given up trying. The Song of Healing hadn’t help either, though, and Link was all out of fairies.

He had to find help for Scars, or he would die. And Link didn’t want him to die. He supposed he could use the Song of Time until he figured something out, but he needed to know where he was first, or he’d be going in circles forever.

Why did Wolf have to make it hard? Link was sure he could force some potion down Scars' throat, even if he was sleeping. Whatever. Wolf was a helpful companion. And it was fund riding on his back.

Except Link couldn’t ride on his back right now. It was too hot and Wolf had to carry Scars.

What they really needed right now was directions, some kind of landmarks of settlements where he could start figuring things out. He was fairly used to being dropped into completely foreign places at this point, but this heat was really starting to bother him.

And then he saw a giant skeleton up ahead, and he wondered if it was real or not, but it was something, so he headed towards it.

As they got closer, Wolf's ears perked up, and he picked up his pace. Link tried to hurry along as well, the sun directly overhead, beating down on them. Wolf sniffed the air, moving faster, and Link got hopeful - this couldn't be something fake, then, like those images in the desert sometimes were.

It felt like it took an eternity to get there, but the sun was still high as they finally reached the giant skeleton. Link had no clue what it was, but it provided some semblance of shade, and...

Whoa, was that water?! Link dashed forward, finding a giant flower bud of some sort filled with water. He paused, a little hesitant, but he could sense magic, and more specifically fairy magic.

A fairy fountain! This was perfect! Link immediately dunked his head into the water, happily slurping it up and enjoying the coolness. When he emerged, Wolf was also lapping at it.

And then there was a rumble, and Link quickly moved towards the mushrooms that looked like a stairway. A great fairy burst out of the water, glancing around. "Oh! Who is disturbing the water? Oh! Hello, little one."

Link smiled, waving. Then he pointed to Scars. "Please, he needs healing."

"Oh, my," the great fairy noted, leaning over to examine the teenager. Then she glanced at Wolf, who sneezed and backed away a little, poking Scars with his nose. The great fairy giggled. "Oh, poor cursed ones. I'm afraid I cannot heal him completely."

Link glanced worriedly at Scars. "But--he may not live much longer."

"No, he most certainly will not," the fairy agreed. "I can bless him a little, help keep him alive and sustained for a time. But he needs stronger magic than what I can give. My powers have diminished over the years, with the darkness that overtook Hyrule."

Hyrule? They were in Hyrule? "What about Princess Zelda?"

"I know little of the princesses of these days," the fairy replied with a sigh, finger resting on Scars' forehead. "Visit my sisters. We can each impart a little of our magic, for both of your friends. But I believe the Spirit of the Forest might be able to better assist you."

Spirit of the...? Did she mean the Deku Tree? He was just a scrub, and his job was to protect the Kokiri Forest, not heal strangers. Link scrunched his nose a little. He wasn't sure about this fairy. But maybe they could visit the others and see what happened then.

Assuming Scars lived long enough.

"Rest, in the meantime," she bade with a gentle smile. "Drink and bottle the fairy water, it will sustain you longer than normal water. And my little ones will hush away your worries and pains."

Wolf wagged his tail as a bunch of fairies appeared, hovering around them with little chimes, reminding Link of Kokiri Forest. He smiled, watching them flit about, and sat on the mushrooms, dipping his hand in the water as he watched the great fairy give some magic to Scars.

Then she sank back into the water with a goodbye, leaving the three alone with the little fairies.

Link sighed. They had a long road ahead of them, he guessed. But he'd keep everyone safe.

And he really needed to figure out how this place was Hyrule and who those masked guys were.

[melusinemuse]

Trying to fill the Athene-shaped hole in my heart by reading Wake of Malice

[melusinemuse]

I love Athene with my whole heart 😭 Rarely so tempted to just flip back to the beginning and read a book all over again immediately

[godzilla-reads]

🐺 Brother Wolf: A Forgotten Promise by Jim Brandenburg

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

“It is unfortunate that we apply our own moral standards in deciding which animals are good and which animals are bad. Of course, animals are neither. They simply are.”

Renowned nature photographer Jim Brandenburg chronicles his experiences with gray wolves in Northern Minnesota, where he’s set up his home base named Ravenwood.

As someone who lives in Minnesota, being able to read about someone who loves this state and the nature belonging to this state really touches my heart. The wolf is such a powerful image, and we have such a long history with the wolf that Brandenburg touches on with great respect. I really appreciated how he fought for the right for wolves to live in peace, while also reminding us that wolves just exist and should not be deified while forgetting they are a part of nature just like you and I.

“If we despise the wolf, we despise the true nature of the world in which we live. And our planet’s health depends upon recognizing that we face the same biological constraints as the wolf and all other life.”

[godzilla-reads]

“Those are the voices of my brothers, darling; I love the company of wolves.”

Angela Carter, Burning Your Boats: The Collected Short Stories

[godzilla-reads]

“I suppose I knew then that there were wolves in Minnesota. But I don’t remember thinking about them until after my meeting with the coyote. Since the first time I imagined the greatest canids prowling the woods, they have also prowled my mind.

Now I had one more element to add to my fantasy of the cabin in the pines: the wolf.”

—Jim Brandenburg, Brother Wolf: A Forgotten Promise

[godzilla-reads]

Rest in peace, Jim Brandenburg. I was just introduced to your beautifully inspiring work, your book “White Wolf” finding me in my time of need, so now I will continue to embrace the beauty of the world you saw.

Thank you.