As the solid pine beams of your forge gave way to the warm glow of the fire, you finally embraced the settling in of your wooden bed. Wolves howled in the distance, but you would be sleeping alone tonight, as you had done many nights before. You knew the wolves were only hungry, and it was not through any wishful thinking that you believed that your family would be slaughtered in their sleep by the beasts.
The musk of the animal world and the comforting scent of the sweetly burning charcoal permeated the air, heavy at the streets end and light at your doorstep. You always made time for the wolf picking. It was a small portion of the work that you did, and a necessary one that needed pulling by the very men who have made your house a home. Aye, it was that easy to take.
The wolf had bitten the hand that fed it. That was alright. You would have to do something about it later. For now, you nurtured the wolf itself. You carefully poked the smoldering embers around the fire with a stick, knowing the wolves would be back in the shadows of the morning. It was the morning, and you had not even made a fire, a must for the coming winter. But the wolf could get them tonight. You wouldn't have to worry about them at all. They could get the rest of your life. You wouldn't mind. You would be so happy to see them.
You searched for the wolf's bones as the ashes of its life drifted to the strong night air. You would need them to make the pelt, and you would need them for yourself in the future. You set a few of the bones aside to keep for your own safety and those of your children. You scooped what was left from the ashes into a leather sack and carried the remainder through the main room of the house and out into the clearing. It was time to build the pelt.
The wolves would come for you soon enough, but for now you would have the full moon and the pelt to build on your perfect scales. You gathered rocks from the pasture and then made fire from the pine that you had used to make your home. Once the fire was going, you dug a small pit in the clearing for the fire to quickly burn itself out. The fire filled the pit and then it was time to make the pelt.
The thought of you on the pelt in the dream of the wolf had traveled among all the men in the village. You were a handsome man and had a beautiful wife. Your children were all beautiful children. You were a strong blacksmith, certain the men had said, a real hero of your time, a pride and joy to your village. Your wolf was born a day after your daughter was conceived.
Your pelt began to take shape with the sand and rocks being constantly reintroduced to it, being carefully separated and scraped off with a stick, to allow the humidity to cure and clean the pelt and make it suitable for shoes. It was a ritual that you were determined to complete, no matter how long it took. You were determined to provide for your family and, when you felt them close to your hearth, you knew that they would provide for you.
You looked into the distance and saw no sign of the wolf. As the woods cleared and the clouds covered the sun, the moon and the graves on the hills became your only companion, as they had been before you began your dream. The wolf would come eventually. There was too much blood in these lands for it not to.
You made for home with the pelt of the wolf. You had been through many nights and days. The pelt was complete and the boots would fit like a glove, or the pelt on your feet. It was the making of the pelt itself that brought you the most satisfaction. You knew it wouldn't be long before you would sleep. You would dream. You would be the wolf and the wolf would be you. You had dreamed it, and now it was time to make the pelt beautiful.
You cut very carefully and allowed the moon to do the rest. You held the pelt to your face and breathed in its musk for the last time. You made a final inspection. Your tongue snuck out into the air and licked the wet, raw material. Your eye's were closed and you were surrounded by the howl of the wolf. You called out to the wolf, a howl of success as you began the return back to your village and your family.
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