One Spring Tale in The Wilderness

Spring came and the world was teeming with life again. I could smell the fresh scent of grass, emerging from the thinning snow, and brown soil started to appear here and there. I could feel my fur started to shed. There were times when I was so proud of my winter fur. They said it was the best in the area, no other steel blue coat ever equal that of mine. But the years has taken its toll. And I couldn't be more relieve to know that soon it will be time to wear the thin brown summer coat again.

An obscure movement was coming from beneath the snow. I freezed a moment, then snatched. A snow hare. Nothing escapes my agile paws. I took the hare to the storage I dug near the hillside and I laid there resting for a moment.

'You're not young anymore, Rev." I reminded myself. Who knows this will be the last spring of my life?

I closed my eyes. I reminisced my life, from the day I was born, to this very moment. I can't say I'm not satisfied. A glorious youth, victorious adventures, a great wife and kids. What more could I ask for?

Suddenly, squeaking voices caught my sharp ears. The eggs. They must be hatched already. I got up from the ground and lurked from behind a rock. In front of me, a hunting field was waiting for the greatest hunter to make a move.

Few minutes later, my storage was bursting, and I feel a little exhausted. Few days ago, Kone gave birth to our sextuplets. Spring is always the busiest time for me, as Kone always gives birth in May. It took a while for the pups to learn to hunt by themselves, and an honorable male like me is never absent to provide.

I sighed. Yeah, provide. That's all I ever did. The celebrations for the new pups always overshadowed the celebration for the provider itself. Nobody ever care if one of those days in May is also the day I was born. Like today.

It's not that I'm complaining, but this icy wilderness is harsh. The severe weather, food scarcity, the hunters, not to mention the global warming. This could be my last birthday.

I don't want blame Kone. She has too many things in her hands already. Sometimes I do wish she would put more attention to me, not only to the kids. But, if that's not going to happen, then I will take care of this by myself, as I always do with things. This time, I will make a celebration for MYSELF.

I started to gather as many food as possible. Anything from a carcass to my favorite food, lemmings. By the end of the hunt, I brought home 50 lemmings, a hare, 10 birds, and a big deer carcass, a polar bear leftover.

"Well, well, this is what I call A FEAST." Kone greeted me with delight.

The sextuplets attacked the pile of food and ate them vigorously. For a moment, there was only munching sounds in the den.

Kone leaned her body on mine. I was waiting for her to ask what happened, and I would tell her that it's my birthday and that I have forgiven her for forgetting it all this time.

"Thank you dear, to remember." Was all she said.

"Well, of course I remember MY BIRTHDAY. Every year." I answered, a little harshly.

"Oh, I thought you forgot. You never wish me a happy birhtday." She said, rather perplexed.

"Well, isn't the birthday person who usually get a birthday wish, not the other way around?" I lift my eyebrow.

Kone chuckled.

"You fool old fox! We're octuplets. Of course we were born in the same day."

***