She was wondering. When was she Red? When was she Way? Why could she not understand the human heart?

She’d spent so much time around the village and the farms in the valley. She’d followed hikers and hunters up and down the mountain. She could feel their loneliness, their longing for something outside of themselves without knowing the button to push for connection lay inside of them. Even the ones that did know got caught up in that outside – ness anyway.

“Way”, Meru said. “The outsideness, that is when you are Red. The inner business, that is when you are Way. But actually you are Way The Red. Just like I am Meru The Grey. Just like Craft  is Craft The Black, Star is Star The White, Charm is Charm The Blue Little Pup –  who will grow up to be Charm The Great Blue Sparkle, the wolf who watches over the oceans. When all aspects come together, that is when we Are.”

The whole wolf pack lay curled up just outside the opening of the Silent Rocks.

Craft got up and said “It would be nice to stay here for a few days. Just hang. Share. Walk together. Be together. Just rest in all the different ways one can rest.”

“I am all in for that brother dear”, Star almost sang as she placed herself where she could look up at them all. “I guess the choice is Red’s. She’s the one with all the questions today.”

“We stay”, Red replied. “Just stay. Right here. It can be our base for now, right?”

They all howled, agreeing.

Wizard poked his head out through the opening of The Silent Rocks. “What’s all this I hear? Staying put here? But, but, but what about all the stories to be written, all the magic to be done?”

Meru walked across, nudging Wizard in the face with his snout.

“We will walk, we will sing, we will weave and tell and build and transmute just by being all that which we are. You’re a wizard for crying out loud! You do the magic, we do the rest”, his wolf-laughter taking over.

“Ok, ok, ok Meru, I know you know me better than myself”. Wizard laughed along. “Remaining here it is. Sharing space is the truest cauldron for magic . I am getting really excitedly happy just thinking about it actually.”

“Yohohoooooo! Whaaazzzzuuuuup!?” Blue rolled out of the cave, tumbling down the gentle slope. Dazzled, squinting at everyone with his sparkly eyes. “Did I hear the word magic?”

Cecilia Götherström, Dec 16th 2019