Two wolves were sleeping under the glow of a full moon when one suddenly woke up and howled forlornly at the sky. The second wolf woke at the sound of his companions melancholy howl, and asked what was wrong? To which the first wolf stopped howling and replied:

'I had a nightmare that I woke up in the body of a human. My fur was replaced by a chain called a suit that locked at my neck by a thing called a tie, it was itchy, thin and didn't even protect me from the elements.

I only wore this suit because I was obsessed with pieces of paper with pictures of other humans on them. Those pieces of paper were my leader and master, even though they weren't even alive. Every morning I willing put on my itchy suit skin, locked it in place and went to a den filled with others just like me. In this place they treated me like a slave, making me work and work and work, only able to stop to eat and drink something quickly, and then it was back to work again; me and my fellow human slaves. But unlike the pack I thought they might be instead we argued, fought, cried and spent our lives at odds with one another, all in pursue of these pieces of paper that the humans called Money.

And even though the freedom of Nature was right there, and no whips or threat of being hunted forced me to stay, for some reason I chose to spend more time enclosed inside this slavery den, instead of being out in the open spaces of the forest, wildness and country side.

I actually used these pieces of paper to pay for a den in which to live, called a house. With all the freedom of space given by Nature I actually paid to live upon her earth. I paid for water instead of drinking from the streams. I paid for food instead of just hunting when I was hungry, or eating from the plants and trees. And worse of all I had forgotten about my instincts and let my senses dull.

I had eyes that had forgotten how to see the stars and the moon, but instead were fixated on flashing images of other people's lives. I had ears but had stopped listening to the earth and instead listened to pointless ramblings from other human slaves, as they spoke about unimportant things that they called gossip. I had a nose but could no long pick up the smells so generously given to me by the wind. I had feet but would keep them locked in uncomfortable things called shoes just because they looked shiny.

The wind blew, the rain fell, the sun shone, and the birds sang, but I had stopped paying attention, I had stopped sensing. I had forgotten what it felt like to be wild, untamed and free. To run, to climb, and to hunt. I was tamed by paper and fear. And when it all got too much, when the animal inside me cried out for release and I finally howled, everyone would stare at me like I was crazy and tell me that howling was wrong.'

The first wolf stopped speaking, as the words brought back the sadness of his nightmare.

The second wolf looked at the first, also dismayed by his words, and said, 'humans, I feel so sorry for those poor, dumb animals. What type of creature actually chooses to live in chains when everything you need is right here in Nature?'

At which point both wolves turned their heads up towards the sky and howled in sorrow for the poor creatures known as human beings.

END