Animal Instinct

Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire, England.

The Land Rover Defender came to a rolling stop, the headlights cut out plunging the road ahead into total darkness. “For Christ sake, what the bloody hell is wrong now!” so far the nightshift had not been kind to Trish Henshaw, by far this was the most frustrating shift she had worked in the past seven years. She turned the ignition key only to be greeted by a silent response. She tried again after a slight pause, nothing.

“You useless piece of bloody shit” was followed abruptly by a double fist to the steering wheel. ‘Henny’ reached for the interior light, her attempts to cast some light into the cabin were in vain, “oh FUCK OFF” she exhaled her tension in a prolonged sigh, Sat in the zebra striped 4x4 defender Henny assessed her situation, stranded one mile from the nearest occupied station. With both of the radios only use as paper weights. She gave the key one last turn, still nothing, reaching for the in cab radio a lonely silence greeted her. The torch, one million candle power was at present beaten by a lit match, worthless. “Come on Henny, think positive” a smile spread across the solemn girls face, highlighting her modest beauty as she recalled taking charge of the resident pack of Canadian Timber Wolves two years ago. Her fondness for them took priority even over her human acquaintances. However, she could never become as close to them as she would of liked, the wolves were all reared by their parents and extended family. Henny’s contact came only during feeding, and essential medical care.

The howl of a wolf broke the calm of the night sky, long and lingering, the call of the alpha female would have turned anyones blood cold, and on this particular evening Henny too became somewhat spooked. The entire population of the parks animals were tense and agitated, to the extent that the head keeper requested all gates to be double checked. Something was wrong, and if there was ever any evidence that animals possessed a sixth sense then this was ‘Exhibit A’.

Henny pushed open the drivers door and carefully stepped out of the vehicle, the landscape had become more familiar outside of the cab, her eyesight now adjusted to the imposing dark. Looking skyward through the branch's the moon occasionally broke through the cloud aiding her vision of the road ahead. She closed the door and began to walk along the narrow road. Turning back, the Land Rover decorated in its zebra disguise looked ominously like a lame animal in what can only be a precarious position, a wooded enclosure populated by wolves.

She never had any fear of the wolves, at least not until this sinister night, she continued her journey with the sudden realisation she was abandoning her only shelter for one mile. Another howl shattered the silence, this time she was startled, she stopped drew a breath, her heart pounding against her rib cage, pulsating in her ears as a shockwave of fear raced over her skin. Her breathing now eratic, she swung around, her eyes flickering left to right, back and forth. Shadows, then trees, bushes, then more trees, the defender, the night sky, the moon, branches, swinging back to the defender. Fixating on a stationary object, trying to slow down and calm herself, she placed her right hand across her chest, her breathing lifting her bosom up and down, her heart thumping against her hand. “Stop it Henny, calm yourself girl” she inhaled, held the breath and exhaled through her mouth “Thewwwwwwwww, what a night”

Trying to discern the location of the howl was an impossibility, as a wolf’s call can be heard up to ten kilometres away, however she knew this was within metres of her. Proceeding back to her route to civilisation she increased her pace, glancing over her shoulder every three or four steps, she suddenly fell forward, outstretching her arms, stones pierced the palms of her hands as they hit the ground. Rolling onto her back as quickly as she fell she sat upright and shuffled away from the object that had delivered her to the road. There laid what appeared to be the partial remains of a dead foal. Her only means of identification were its white tail and physical size. The throat had been torn open as well as the stomach, exposing the infants entrails, the scene resembled that of a slaughter house, but what disturbed Henny at this moment was where were the butchers?

Feeling more distant from the family pack, and more of an object of prey Henny gathered her senses and bolted from the floor only to be halted by the surreal vision of a grey and white four legged figure calmly crossing her path no more than thirty feet from her position. Staring with piercing reflective eyes the wolf continued walking across the road, its gaze meeting hers, she knew she could not run. She had to stand tall and assert she was not any form of quarry. Flee and the wolf would immediately give chase knowing that fear had over come its opposition. The wolf halted in the middle of her path, Henny in turn cautiously stepped towards the lone predator in an attempt to directly confront it.

A Growl resinated from her over her shoulder and she froze, without removing her stare from the male obstructing her route she stepped to face him side on. Switching her vision 180 degrees Henny was now in the company of the Alpha female, Brigitte a thirteen year old mother of several litters whilst in the parks residence. Standing over the carcass of the foal Brigitte snarled, bearing her canines, lapping at them with her tongue. Blood of her prey covering her snout, paws and the top of her head.

Beads of sweat began a stop start race down her forehead, she had never felt in such danger whilst in the presence of the zoo’s residents as she stood between the mother and son. A rustle came from the foliage directly in front of her and a third wolf volted out of the shadows followed swiftly by a second. Their sudden appearance did not surprise Henny, her fears now confirmed “I am in a whole lot of shit here”. The two new guests were greeted by a snort of approved of the head of the pack followed closely by a directed growl of dominance at the two subordinates. Henny hoped this could be her chance to back away as the pack fought over the carcass. Her hopes diminished as the juveniles to her front approached her, heads low, eyes fixed, they showed no interest in their mother, or trying to put some distance between her and the imposing canines. Suddenly the first wolf to her immediate left howled at the night sky distracting both its siblings and in turn Henny, the call drowned out his mothers growl, but not the pounding of her heart.

The call of brigitte’s son reverberated in her ears. Turning towards him Henny strangley was still astounded by his magnificence as he stood astute in the moonlight, his head held to the heavens, snout narrow and his ears pinned back, it was a site she would have cherished in any other circumstance. Her temporary state of awe vanished as her peripheral vision caught sight of how the wolves had managed to obtain their closely guarded meal.

Her eyes once again followed the silhouette of the compound fencing as it moved across the park outside the wood. The fence 11 feet high moved across the horizon and then worryingly ended at the exact point where the automated gate should have been. Several figures were running towards the exit, their bid for freedon looked formidably imminent as Henny observed helplessly from the roadside.

The resonating howl came to an end and the bewitched game keeper returned her attention to the male who was now making his own way to the gate. Stood there believing that this was to be her last moments, Henny watched as his brothers followed him, each snapping at one another, more than likely angry they had been interrupted in their first hunt. Watching the two sprint up the road she was startled by a single bark, turning in the direction of the call Brigitte began to walk bristly towards her, preparing her stance for the coming assault Henny gritted her teeth and snarled “Come on then, bitch”. The alpha female stopped five feet from the defending keeper and approached her confidently, no teeth bared, no angry growl, for a second she looked like any domesticated canine approaching a member of its human family.

Stood practically side by side, Trisha Henshaw was only minutes ago surrounded, adamant she would be the next corpse adhoming the park road, this didn’t feel like a confrontation, however prepared to throw the first punch she never let her vision leave the blood soaked wolf, who’s eyes met hers and for what seemed like an hour henny became unusually emotional, fear had passed. She had an overwhelming sense of calm, a surreal feeling of harmony. Lowering her arms, a solitary tear rolled down her cheek , still the wolf stared. Trisha now realising this was the moment she had craved for so long never felt so close, so spiritually entwined, all she wanted was to take hold of Brigitte and embrace her, as though embracing the mother she never had. The feeling of being wanted, accepted by the packs alpha wolf. Brigitte passed her gaze to the moon, Hennys eyes despite filled with tears mimicked her actions and the sight before her stunned her even more than the whole of the evenings events, the moon was never as close as it appeared tonight, and never as red. Almost as though the moon had been replaced by the planet Mars, the sky, bloodshot with the glare illuminating the Wiltshire countryside, the black night transformed into a dawn of red. The sea of tranquility turned into an ocean of blood.

Henny stepped forward still bewildered by the vision of the sky, its clouds were not to be seen, not a single one. The heavens content was a crimson tide which stretched across miles of lush countryside now shadowed by an alien dawn. Hypnotised by the vision of the night Henny failed to notice Brigitte leave her side making her way up the road to the exit. The alpha female paused, turned her head back to Henny, raised her snout and howled a short call, as though requested she followed her. Henny did not hear her, she was still too focused intently on the great ball in the sky, as though cloaked in scarlet silk the moon’s most predominant feature was the pulsating ring of red that crossed its desert of craters, sweeping from one side of the road to the other. The belt was a deeper shade of red, she watched closely as it expanded then decreased repeatedly as though the moons arterial vein was about to burst. Henny still remained a prisoner of the moons extravagant display, deaf to the sound of the wolf packs crescendo of howling as its leader joined them in a choir of praise to their new idol.