Last Breath

A Modern Fable

The wolf pack walked down the forest path.

"Look, a rosebush," commented Big Brother Wolf as he passed, not pausing to smell its scent.

Papa Wolf did the same, not even giving it a glance.

But Mama Wolf trailed behind, admiring the roses. She stopped, pressing her snout to the delectable petals and sniffing away blissfully.

The rest of the pack trod ahead.

Mama Wolf was so enamored of the roses she lost track of time.

As the other wolves moved forward, they strayed too close to the cove of a giant bear family. The bears attacked, fearing for their cubs. The wolves attacked, fearing for theirs.

A giant bear slashed Papa Wolf with his enormous claws. He went whimpering into the brush.

Big Brother Wolf dragged him to safety while the other wolves fought on.

Mama Wolf broke a rose off the bush, cutting her lips on a thorn. She trotted on to catch up to the pack.

By the time Mama Wolf arrived, the fight was over. Both wolves and bears were nursing their wounded. Some lay dead.

In the brush, Papa Wolf struggled to breathe, fearing his next breath might be his last.

Suddenly, Mama Wolf appeared, a rose clutched between her fangs.

She approached Papa Wolf slowly, eyes welling with tears. She dropped the rose just before his snout.

His last breath was his most sublime.

A story by Pemba Umoja