“Come gather round pups and sit down. I think that it is time that you learned the truth about Grandpapa Wolf.”

The pups eagerly sat around Mama Wolf. They all knew that something bad had happened to Grandpapa but no-one would tell them. The expressions on the pups’ faces ranged from excited to downright anxious. They all knew that whatever it was that they would learn their lives would never be the same.

“Some of you older pups might remember Grandpapa Wolf. He was a mighty fine wolf. He was a gentle wolf, bright piercing eyes, shiny fur and rippling muscles.

He was always kind and gentle and all the pups loved him. They would climb all over him and never would he get cross with them. He would play with them for hours. He would always look for the best in wolves, and yes, even humans. He would never say a bad word about them.

I must admit that the humans seemed to not worry about Grandpapa Wolf either. He never snarled at them and never took anything that belonged to them. Why, he would rather go hungry than steal a sheep from them. I think they appreciated that and also appreciated that the rabbit population was kept under control.

Grandpapa Wolf did have a hobby that was rather strange. He had found a human device that recorded sound. Soon he had worked out its function and used it for his purposes. While out ranging around he would record stories that he would later tell the pups at bed time. It is only because of this device that we know what happened to Grandpapa Wolf.”

The pups sat around Mama Wolf and from the oldest to the youngest not one sound could be heard, not one wanted to break the silence.

“One day,” Mama Wolf continued, “Grandpapa Wolf was out foraging. He had drifted further than he was used to and had arrived at the edge of a dark forest. He was about to turn around when he heard crying.

As I said before, Grandpapa Wolf was a Gentle Wolf and would not even think of hesitating if help was needed. Without further thought he entered the dark forest and made his way to the crying sound.