Jesse has inherited his Grandfather's ranch. Now he must fight his father to keep it and go on a quest to find Coyote and his spirit animal.

Thank you Hope for your help in editing. All other errors belong to me.

Chapter 11 The Naming

A short recap from Chapter 10.

{{Your challenge is accepted Sly Ghost,but I don't speak for Far Wanderer.}} said Silver Ears.

{{I speak for Far Wanderer}}

And now Chapter 11.

The familiar voice startled Far Wanderer at first. But as she saw Runner and Sly Ghost backing away she turned around to find Two Bears standing behind her. His massive form was imposing. {{Do you wish to challenge me for the right to mate with Far Wanderer?}}

Sly Ghost being the more vocal of the two males started stuttering. {{W w w we w w want n n no t t t t trouble w w with the the the b b b Bear.}}

Sly Ghost, not watching where he was going, backed into Silver Ears. {{I believe we have a challenge, Sly Ghost. Now that Two Bears is here I'm sure that it'll be a fair fight.}}

Sly Ghost turned quickly around to face Silver Ears. The fear of the bear showing in his eyes. {{Y y you know the the bear?}}

{{He's Far Wanderer's friend and teacher, but any bear brave enough to walk into a pack of wolves and defend a friend of mine has my respect.

{{We still have the matter of your challenge. Either, we fight, or you take Runner and leave the pack until the elders allow you to return.}}

{{We will leave.}}

{{I thought so, Sly Ghost. You make threats and challenges when you think you have the advantage, but when it comes to a fair fight you back down. You have much learning and growing to do before you will ever be allowed to mate a daughter of mine.}}

Strong Heart came running down the trail followed by several other males of the pack. He slowed to a trot as he came into the clearing where Silver Ears and Sly Ghost stood facing each other. {{I heard that there was a bear in our home. Would you two mind telling me what's going on.}}

{{There is a bear here, Strong Heart.}} said Two Bears stepping out of the shadows. {{I apologize for coming into your home uninvited. However, I was needed here to defend Far Wanderer.}}

{{Two Bears, my old friend, we've always met well on the trail. We were never close enough for me to invite you into our home. Also, the other members of the pack may not have taken kindly of me bringing a bear into their midst. Would you tell us what's going on?}}

{{I believe that the young wolf was challenging Silver Ears for the right to mate with the young female. And the other young wolf was going to mate with Far Wanderer if Silver Ears lost.}}

{{Far Wanderer, is this what happened?}}

{{Two Bears got here just at the last. Sly Ghost and Runner were going to force themselves on Prancing Paws and me. Then Silver Ears showed up. He demanded that Sly Ghost and Runner leave us alone. Sly Ghost challenged Silver Ears. If Silver Ears lost, then Sly Ghost would mate with Prancing Paws and take Silver Ears seat on the council. If Silver Ears won, then Sly Ghost and Runner would leave the pack. Silver Ears accepted the challenge, but said he did not speak for me. Then Two Bears stepped out of the bushes to defend me and make sure that there would be a fair fight.}}

{{Sly Ghost, you have a chance to defend yourself. Tell me what happened.}}

Sly Ghost hung his head and said, {{It is as Far Wanderer says.}} He looked up and said, {{But, it's time for some of the younger wolves to sit on the council.}}

{{Sly Ghost you may be right, but there's a reason we choose elders the way we do. I'd suggest that you be at the council meeting later today, where you'll learn why our pack is different from the others and the elders will decide how long you must stay away if you wish to return.}}

{{We'll be at the meeting later today.}} With that Sly Ghost and Runner walked off.

Far Wanderer looked over at Two Bears and said, {{Teacher, where's Big Spot and is he safe?}}

{{He's safe and waiting for you at the lake. He's a smart horse and will not take any chances. I left enough bear scent around to discourage any predators and Coyote said he would keep an eye on Big Spot. I came up here because George said you needed to get back as soon as possible. It's a good thing I did.}}

Far Wanderer turned to Strong Heart. {{I must be leaving soon. It's a day's run to the lake and then it takes two days to ride back to the ranch. With Silver Ears' youngest daughter going with us it'll take longer.}}

Strong Heart looked at Silver Ears. {{Can we move the naming up? We'll deal with our two young friends, then name your cubs. I've heard that Black Paws has been having trouble coming up with names. Maybe the council and other members of the pack can help.}}

{{I'll tell Black Paws and meet you at the council area when the sun gets above the trees.}}

{{That'll give us time to get to the council area and get ready.}} Strong Heart turned to Two Bears, {{Will you come with us to the council area?}}

{{My old friend, I would, but I need to discuss some urgent matters with Far Wanderer.}}

{{Teacher, I'm going to Silver Ears' den. We can talk along the way.

{{What's going on that George says I need to get back?}}

{{Your father's lawyer is pushing the paternity and the competence issues of the will. He found a sympathetic judge back east to listen to him. Your lawyer asked for a continuance saying that you were honoring your Grandfather's wishes by seeking your spirit animal helper in the wilderness behind the ranch. He sent a copy of the letter with most of the personal stuff blacked out. The judge demanded the whole letter. This raised the competency thing again. The judge subpoenaed the witnesses and the notaries. He's threatening to pad lock the house and the ranch until this is settled. Your lawyer convinced him that would be a bad idea as the ranch needed to be looked after or it would go under. Both lawyers agreed to that, as long as there is an accounting of the finances.}}

{{When do I have to be back?}}

{{Your lawyer said you had to be back east in a week. That was yesterday. So you have six days to get there.}}

{{We'll start back down the mountain immediately after the naming. I'm taking Silver Ears' smallest daughter with me. She has a hole in her heart that I can't fix. And I believe she is to be my sister at the ranch. I'm not sure how this will work yet.}}

When they arrived at the den, they found Black Paws and Silver Ears were gathering their cubs to get them ready to go over to the council area. They were excited that they would finally get their names and become full members of the pack. When Two Bears walked out of the trail their eyes got wide as they watched Far Wanderer walking beside this large bear talking to it. Two Bears stopped away from the cubs so as not to frighten them.

The cubs just stood there watching. Then the smallest male decided that if it was safe enough for Far Wanderer, then it was safe enough for him. He slowly walked up to the large bear and sniffed him. Two Bears leaned down and sniffed him.

{{You're brave little one.}} said Two Bears. {{Will you get your name today?}}

The little wolf stood up as tall as he could, {{Yes I will}} He hung his head sadly and said, {{But I don't know what it'll be.}}

{{I know what it'll be.}} said Two Bears.

{{Really! Will you tell me?}} The cub was dancing excitedly around Two Bears.

{{Sure! I bet your name is Bear Friend.}}

The little cub sat looking puzzled {{How do you know? Did Mom tell you? Why Bear Friend?}}

{{You ARE my friend aren't you?}}

The little cub looked at Two Bears, {{I guess so. Do you want to be my friend? I don't know your name.}}

{{My name is Two Bears. I am your friend. So that must mean you are Bear Friend.}}

{{Wow!}} said the little cub. {{I have to tell Mom}} He turned and ran off to his mother as Two Bears chuckled to himself.

Two Bears thought out loud, {{It is not everyday one can make one so small so happy.}} He forgot that Far Wanderer was still beside him.

{{That is a side I haven't seen from you. You're just a big softy, Teacher. But what greater gift can one give a child than a name of which it can be proud.}}

Silver Ears walked over to Far Wanderer and Two Bears. {{You have made our job a little easier. We have names for the males and Merry Heart. Naming the other two females maybe more difficult. They're both smart and will make good mates someday. They've a lot of growing before then. The only way we can tell the difference between the two is one has ears that are a little larger. The other is always looking to play.}}

Two Bears asked {{Does the one with the larger ears seem to hear better?}}

{{I don't think it's a matter of hearing better, but listening better.}}

{{How about naming that one Keen Ears. She gets named after you and the ‘Keen’ part allows her to be more proud of her ears.}}

{{That is a good name. I'll tell Black Paws. But what do we name the other.}}

Far Wanderer spoke up, {{I'd say that Black Paws already has a name for her, but doesn't want to hurt your feelings by naming two of her cubs after her father.}}

{{So you think she has named the other Playful Heart? That is a good name for that one. It doesn't hurt my feelings. I need to go speak with Black Paws now that we have names for all the cubs.}} Silver Ears walked off to tell the good news to Black Paws leaving Far Wanderer and Two Bears alone again.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes when Two Bears asked, {{What is wrong little one?}}

{{We need to leave after the naming, but Merry Heart is too small and frail to travel fast. I promised to take her with me. I can't leave her.}}

{{Let's get through the naming, then we will think of something}}

Silver Ears and his family walked over to Far Wanderer and Two Bears. {{It's time to go to the council area. Please come with us.}}

Two Bears asked, {{Will I not cause a problem showing up at the council area?}}

{{Most of the pack already knows you are here and are friends with Strong Heart and Far Wanderer. It'll be expected that you come.}}

The whole pack turned out for the council meeting. They knew their pack was different, but it had been a long time since it was explained. Most had not heard the story. They had heard that Sly Ghost and Runner were having to face the council for their affront against Prancing Paws and the new pack member Far Wanderer. They were curious as to what the council would do. They knew that Silver Ears and Black Paws were bringing their cubs to present them to the council in a naming. And they were curious about the large bear that was their guest.

This was a special day. The council sat in their usual places and the pack gathered as they could. They held their breath when Two Bears walked into the area, but relaxed when they saw the little cub playfully talking with the bear. Once everyone started to calm down, Strong Heart stepped forward where he could be seen and heard.

{{It’s been a long time since the telling of the story of why our pack is different from other wolf packs. Long before my grandsires and Far Wanderer's grandsires walked this earth. When humans began to enter this area and then when the white humans started coming here, wolves were hunting and were hunted by the humans. The humans weapons grew stronger, but wolves did not. The wolves were slowly beaten back into the wildest places.

{{Then one year Far Wanderer's forefather came with cattle. Our forefather stayed up in the wilderness as hunting was good. But it wasn't long before a very harsh winter came upon the land. Our forefather went down into the valley looking for prey. He found the cattle. He was determined to feed his family so he killed one of the smallest of the animals and was dragging it back to the pack. The human found one of the cattle had been killed and dragged off and started following the trail. It wasn't long before the human caught up with our forefather.

{{Our forefather stood his ground. He was going to fight the human over the meat. The human aimed his rifle, but didn't shoot. The human could see the hunger in the eyes of our forefather. He could see the ribs through the skin. He seemed to know that our forefather was taking the animal back to feed his family. Our forefather didn't know why the human had lowered its weapon. “Take the calf.” the human said. “If you need more come to the house and howl by the back door. I would be a very poor neighbor if I didn't help your family through this winter.” Our forefather cocked his head listening to the human. He understood the words he was saying.

{{The human had turned his back and started down the trail. Just as the human was out sight, a puma jumped him from an over-hanging branch. Our forefather heard the scream of the human. He left the calf and ran to help the human. When he came in view of the fight, the cat was on top of the human who was trying to defend himself. Our forefather, not thinking of his own safety, grabbed the cat by the hind leg to pull him off the human. The puma turned immediately to attack his attacker.

{{Seeing the starving wolf, the puma decided to kill the wolf quickly, then return to killing the human. The cat attacked our forefather. Our forefather was wise in fighting cats, but he needed help from the pack. They were not around to help. Still the puma was finding it difficult to kill our forefather. The human quickly recovered to see the cat on top of the wolf, but before the puma could kill him, the human came up behind the cat and hit him in the head with the rifle. As the puma lay stunned on the ground, the human shot the cat in the head, killing it.

{{The human sat next to our forefather and said “Thank you for saving my life. Let me look at your wounds and see it there is anything I can do to help them heal.” He took some powder out of his pack and sprinkled it on the wounds. Then he took what he called bandages and wrapped the wounds closed. He told our forefather not to take off the bandages until the dark of the moon as it was the full moon when the attack happened.

{{The human said “Our blood has mixed. You now have human blood in you and I have wolf blood in me. That makes us blood brothers. Your family is mine. And my family is yours. You can't drag this calf to your den with your wounds. I will carry it for you if you show me the way.” It was a four day journey back to the den. The human and our forefather slept next to each other for warmth. Our forefather would howl at night to see if any of the pack was near to help with the load.

{{On the third day, they arrived at the lake that is a day's run from here. They stopped to rest for awhile before continuing. As they rested, a large coyote came out of the woods. The coyote was larger in the shoulder than the man was tall. Though the beast was large, neither the human nor our forefather was frightened. [[I am Coyote. I am the messenger of the Great Spirit. He is pleased with your actions and that you have become blood brothers. Your families will prosper through the ages. They will continue to be intertwined. Jesse Hartman, you will be the first in your family that will be able to run with the wolves and your name will be repeated through the generations. And you Fierce Runner will be the first to understand the human tongue though you will not be able to speak it. Your families will always be able to understand each other as long as you work together. Cubs of the Hartman pack must decide to run with the wolves before they reach the age of 25 or they may lose the choice. Your packs may choose mates from each other. At the time of choosing, they must choose with which pack they will live and raise their cubs. Once the choice is made, they will stay in the form they chose.]]

{{The human carried the calf to the den of Fierce Runner. The members of Fierce Runner's den were starving, the calf was frozen due to the cold. The human built the terrible heat and thawed the calf so that Fierce Runner's family could eat. The human made sure that Fierce Runner's wounds were healing. He told Fierce Runner he would be back in a week with more food that may last through the winter.

{{Our packs grew together. Some humans chose to be wolves, and some wolves chose to become humans. Our pack chose to adopt some of the human forms of living as a village, where the wise lead the pack. Other packs are lead by the strongest, who can force his lead on the others. This form of leadership may not be best for a pack as the leader may not be wise enough to keep the pack from starving. Our form of leadership while not perfect has allowed our pack to prosper.

{{Last night we had two of our younger males want to return to ways of the strongest leads the pack. And with that they were going to take females as mates who were unwilling. These are not the ways of our pack. They are willing to leave the pack, but the council have thoughtfully decided that they do not need to leave the pack forever. Instead they will leave the pack and its territory for three thaw seasons. After which they may return to the pack and show evidence that they have grown and learned over the time. Then they will be allowed to rejoin the pack.

Silver Ears asked to speak, {{Council, the young males showed poor judgment in their actions last night. It was my daughter and guest that were threatened by these males. Whereas, three thaw seasons may be fitting punishment, I am asking the council to lessen the punishment to only two thaw seasons. These males are good hunters and they will learn quickly from this.}}

Strong Heart turned to the council, {{Silver Ears has asked that we lessen the punishment. Does the council wish to reconsider?}}

Night Runner spoke, {{We have made a condition of their return to the pack to show that they have grown and learned from their actions. We have no objections.}}

Strong Heart faced Sly Ghost and Runner, {{The council has decided you are to leave our lands for two thaw seasons, then return showing that you've grown and learned from this.}}

Sly Ghost answered, {{We will be back in two thaw seasons and meet the conditions of the council.}} He turned and left with Runner.

{{We have two other matters to settle while we are all gathered together. Silver Ears has brought his youngest cubs to the council to name them and have them become full members of the pack.}}

Silver Ears brought his family before the council. The small cubs stood before the council while their older brothers and sister sat behind them. Silver Ears addressed the council, {{Before we name the cubs, we must introduce our friend. The large bear, named Two Bears, has been a friend of the leader of our pack for seasons. He is the teacher and friend of Far Wanderer, who is adopted into our den. Though he can't be a member of the pack, he can be considered a friend of the pack which allows him the privilege of entering our home and to hunt with us.}}

Strong Heart asked, {{Does the council agree with Silver Ears?}} After a short pause, he spoke again {{The council agrees. Two Bears is named friend of the pack. Silver Ears will you name your cubs?}}

{{We will start by naming the females first. The smallest female will be named Merry Heart, because of her bravery and love of life which make her mother's heart merry. Her sister is named Keen Ears, because she is quick to listen when others are not. The last of the females will be named Playful Heart, because she has a joyful heart that shows through. The smallest male will be named Bear Friend. Two Bears has named him Bear Friend knowing he will learn the ways of the bear and the shaman. The largest male will be named Eager Hunter, because he sneaks off to hunt on his own and whenever a hunting party leaves he can't wait to go with them.}}

Strong Heart stepped forward. He said, {{Please, everyone welcome the young cubs into the pack. There is one more matter that must be settled today. I will step down from the council. I have grown too long in the tooth to lead any more. We need to select someone too serve in my place. It is up to me to suggest a replacement, but I will leave that up to the pack. Please take a few moments to decide whom you would like to serve on the council.}}

After a few moments, Strong Heart asked, {{Are you ready to name someone to serve on the council?}}

The large black wolf that Far Wanderer met the first evening stepped forward, {{We have made a decision. We would like Silver Ears to take Strong Heart's place on the council. He has shown wisdom and has the spirit to lead the pack.}}

{{So be it.}} said Strong Heart. {{Is there anyone that objects?}} After some time had passed. {{It seems that there are no objections. Silver Ears is now the newest member of the council. Night Runner will be the leader of the new council. This gathering is now over. Be sure that you welcome the newest members of our pack, congratulate Silver Ears on his appointment to the council and Night Runner to the head of the council.}}

Silver Ears took his family back to the den. {{Far Wanderer it is time for you to leave and take Merry Heart with you. Her mother and I will miss her.}}

Far Wanderer turned to Two Bears, {{How will we get Merry Heart off the mountain in time for me to protect the ranch and the wilderness?}}

{{I am not sure, she will need to ride or be carried. She is too big for you to carry and if I try to carry her by the scruff of her neck it may hurt her. She won't be able to hold on to ride as she is, and a bear is not designed to be ridden.}}

{{I will carry her.}}