Julie’s Wolf Pack (Excerpt V)《朱莉的狼群》（节选五）

琼·克雷格黑德·乔治　吴文安

Kapu turned into the wind. The pack turned into the wind. Their ruffs and manes swept back. They squinted to protect their eyes until they could barely see where they were going. They did not need to see. They were on the snow-covered trail to their den. Their guides were the sounds of the stunted willows jangling to their right and the sigh of the reindeer moss beneath the wind-packed snow. And there was another guide： their innate sense of direction. They knew at all times exactly where they were.

A long-tailed jaeger flew over the wolves. The bird saw them running hard， which usually meant they were hunting. A wolf kill is a banquet for mammals and birds. The jaeger looked down on the ribbon of wolves and followed them. Then they took to the open tundra and traced graceful Ss， not the V-shaped formation of a pack about to make a kill. The bird turned away toward the frozen Arctic Ocean.

The Avalik Pack reached their nursery den on the riverbank. Kapu got down on his side and clawed through the snow to the den entrance. He raked out grass and wind-blown debris.

Silver sniffed the den. It smelled of Aaka and Sweet Fur Amy. She backed away. She was not pleased. She would seek the den where Kapu and Zing had been born.

Raw Bones felt her discontent. “Come with me，” he whimpered， and started off for his family den on the Colville River embankment. He loped into the ice mist and was gone. Silver did not follow him.

Kapu let him go.

Silver was not housecleaning but looking off to the north. Sweet Fur Amy sensed her grandmothers reluctance to den clean and scrambled through the entrance. She dug furiously， piling up icy stones. When she backed out， Zing went in. He kicked the stones and dirt out onto the playground as his contribution to the family.

It was the smell of the earth and the sight of everyone working that finally inspired Silver. She crawled into the tunnel and all the way back to the nursery. With her forepaws she dug the room wider， then scooped out a cozy bed for her pups and herself. She was content with the Avalik den.

Raw Bones returned as Silver came out of the den. The low rumbles of protest in his chest were audible as he entered the group， but he stopped complaining when he looked at Silver. Her face had softened. She wore the gentle look of an expectant wolf mother who had found a place for her pups. She glanced at him. His pups， her eyes said， would be born here. Her digging the nursery had worked the magic.

卡普转身逆风而行。狼群也转身逆风而行。他们的颈毛在风中飘扬。他们眯着眼睛避开冷风，几乎看不清奔跑的方向。他们不需要看清方向。这大雪覆盖的小径就通向他们的巢穴。右边矮柳丛刺耳的呼啸以及雪层之下石蕊的吟唱都在指引着他们。此外，本能的方向感也指引着他们。无论何时，他们都知道自己在哪里。

一只长尾贼鸥在狼群上空飞过。贼鸥看到狼群在努力奔跑，这通常意味着狼群在狩猎。狼群杀死的猎物对哺乳动物和鸟类而言都是盛宴。贼鸥俯视着地面上迤逦前行的一队狼，紧紧跟随。然后狼群来到开阔的冻原，摆出了优雅的S队形，而不是狼群猎杀时的V队形。贼鸥于是调转方向，飞往冰冻的北冰洋。

阿瓦里克河狼群来到了河边的育儿巢。卡普侧躺下来，用爪子刨雪，寻找巢穴的入口。他把杂草和大风堆积的杂物扒了出来。

银白嗅了嗅巢穴。里面有阿卡和香毛艾米的气味。银白倒退几步。她并不高兴。她想去找卡普和津出生的巢穴。

生骨能感觉到银白不满意。“跟我来。”生骨咕哝道，然后朝着科尔维尔河河堤上自己家的巢穴跑去。生骨慢悠悠地迈着大步跑进了冰雾中，消失不见。银白却没有跟他而去。

卡普由他而去。

银白并没有开始清扫巢穴，而是望向北方。香毛艾米觉察到奶奶不愿意清扫巢穴，就从入口爬了进来。她拼命地往下挖，把冰冷的石块堆起来。然后艾米退出去，津再进来。津把石头和泥土从洞里踢了出去，踢到外面的空地上，这是他为家人干的活儿。……