Mother wolf New Moon

Author: Chen Jun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: The mother wolf Xinxue would never have imagined that she would drift to Xishuangbanna—if wolves could dream. Xinxue was once a beautiful mother wolf on the Siberian Plateau, with sleek, satin-like black fur and a crescent-shaped patch of white hair on her forehead, giving her a unique gentleness amidst the wilderness. As a result, she gained the favor of the wolf king Hagen, who many wolves dreamed of, and became the highest-ranking queen in the pack.
Originally, Xinxue's job was to lead the wolf pack and act as a commander during hunts. However, her childlike curiosity was drawn to a fresh fawn still attached to its umbilical cord. She chased it from the mountain peaks through the forests until, finally, she cornered the trembling fawn by the banks of the Lancang River. Behind the fawn lay the roiling waters of the river, and it moaned in despair as a distant, sorrowful call from a mother deer echoed in the distance. Xinxue felt an indescribable thrill—how exhilarating it would be to tear the throat of her own child in front of her mother! With no escape, the fawn made a desperate leap onto a bundle of firewood floating near the shore, carried downstream by the river currents. Xinxue followed without hesitation.
Facing Xinxue's blood, the fawn turned and leaped into the churning waters. After struggling on the surface a few times, it finally sank beneath the waves. Xinxue snarled in frustration and reluctantly turned to land. As she did, she gasped in shock—the impact of their leap had carried the firewood bundle far away from the shore, into the middle of the river.
Xinxue cautiously tested the water with her paw—the current from the snow-capped mountains was freezing. The river roared like a giant with an open mouth, ready to devour everything. Xinxue had no courage to jump in and swim back to shore. In despair, she let out a long howl to the sky, and soon, a low response echoed from the distant valley. Hope returned to Xinxue—Hagen was nearby. He would surely swim bravely to save her.
In no time, a small black dot in the distance grew into Hagen's strong and agile figure. He barked urgently and plunged into the water without hesitation, creating a splash of water in the air. However, without the solid ground beneath him, his strength was useless. After being drenched in cold water, Hagen reluctantly retreated to the shore. He howled and jumped anxiously, pacing back and forth in frantic distress, yet he dared not approach the water again.
Seeing Hagen's furious yet helpless demeanor, Xinxue's heart turned cold. When Hagen finally gave up chasing Xinxue along the riverbank, the sky was already filled with stars. The sun rose and set, the moon waxed and waned, and Xinxue no longer remembered how long or far she had drifted along the Lancang River. She had lost all hope of rescue and simply lay quietly on the firewood bundle, waiting for death.
Finally, a tremor jolted Xinxue, who was already delirious, bringing her back to consciousness. She realized, to her surprise, that the firewood bundle had come to rest on a sandy beach. The joy of survival gave her the strength to rise, though she stumbled down the bundle, swaying and...