Will of Man - Part Five Read Online Free PDF Page A

limb with my remaining rope and slept there for the night. My wetsuit and thermal blanket kept me moderately warm. I watched the stars and made small wishes with each fallen one. Looking at the night sky reminded me of sitting on my back porch watching the jets fly over. Flint and Detroit airports were to the east of my home and on any given time I could see a plane or two fly high above.
    There are no jets in the sky anymore to entertain me, but the falling stars will do. It is a lonely feeling being all alone anywhere, but here in the deep woods; a person's loneliness is magnified.
    Strangely I feel a connection to the wolves. They are mine and I am there's. It seems we will be forever linked in a game of cat and mouse. However I've been the mouse for too long and it’s time to change the game.
    I woke up and examined my friends across the river. They looked like they had been partying all night and were suffering the consequences today. A pile of beer cans is all that’s needed to complete the image.
    An MRE was my breakfast as I sat near a warm fire I built. I decided to relax and study the wolves a bit. There wasn't much to study though. They just laid on the sandy ground looking hung over and miserable. The antifreeze is affecting them and they are getting weaker by the day.
    I whittled a stick and tried making it into the shape of a wolf. It looked more like a wiener dog, but it was fine for my first whittle. I laid the wiener dog/wolf on a rock facing the sickly wolves and headed down river.
    The wolves noticed me moving on and slowly picked themselves up to follow. They followed on the other side of the river all the while keeping a watchful eye on me.
    Every time I stopped, they stopped. If I backtracked the opposite way up the river, they followed.  I wasn't going to lose them. They may be sick, but they are not dead.
    What is their fascination with me? I'm sure there is easier prey to torment.
    I remembered watching a PBS show on predators. In one point of the show, the narrator commented that the most dangerous predator on Earth is humans. Because humans have the capability to plan and strategize. We can make weapons and tools. We are thinkers and thinkers think. I needed to think my way away from these wolves. They function on instinct. I function on choice and well thought out decisions.
    After eating lunch (another MRE), I decided on a plan. I took long branches and sharpened the ends of them into spears. The long branches were made from the only tree around (pine) and weren't very heavy to build enough moment to pierce the hides of the wolves. So I took some odd shaped stones that were long in shape and duck taped them near the end of the sharpened spears
    The extra weight gave the spears some needed weight.
    I made five of them and donned my wetsuit suit. The wolves seemed to be sleeping and or not paying much attention to me. I dipped beneath the river water and swam slowly towards the wolves.
    Once I got into striking distance, I slowly rose from the water holding a spear in my throwing hand above my head and gripping the others with my other hand. Without a sound, I threw my makeshift spear at the closest wolf.
    It missed and the wolves quickly jumped to attention. I hastily grabbed another and let it fly in the direction of the same wolf. I missed again. The wolves ran into the water without hesitation and gave chase. I threw the remainder of the spears - missing with each one.
    The wolves were about five meters into the water and about another five away from me. Realizing my failed attempt, I quickly aborted and swam back to my camp.
    The wolves may be fast runners, but they are slow swimmers compared to me. I am like a fish and they are, well - wolves.
    The wolves swam to mid river then headed back to their side of the river.
    I was disappointed in my failure, but happy to know I can out swim them at any time.
    I may have failed, but some other human traits that make us dangerous is our ability to