Chapter 11

Suddenly, Charlie's mother, who had so far stayed in the background, stepped in. 'But you get to choose the first game, Charlie.'

To the word "game," Charlie's brothers and sisters perked up. They thronged around Charlie, eager to hear what challenge he had in mind.

He didn't have to think long. 'Climbing! We climb from here to the eagles' nest and back. First wolf to make it back wins.'

They all agreed and jumped around barking and howling in excitement. Of course Charlie's siblings stayed polite. The sneers and snickers would come after their little brother, the runt of the family, had lost. After all, seven to one weren't very favourable odds for their little brother. Gerard used a sharp claw to etch a starting line in the rock, while the eagles--after offering to watch the game with their eagle eyes to prevent cheating--positioned themselves on either side, once again using their wings as a curtain. Never before had the starting line looked so official.

'Ready... set... AWOO!'

The wolves bolted off. In a cloud of fur and dust, they stormed the foot of the mountain. Only Charlie wasn't storming. He watched as his siblings jumped from rock to rock, hopped up on great stone slabs, and even climb on each other's backs to reach high ledges. When they reached halfway, Charlie was still far behind.

However, Charlie knew something his wolf siblings did not. He recalled from the past that none of them really liked climbing, and, despite their enthusiasm at the start of the climbing competition, he was pretty sure they still preferred other activities. They were inexperienced. Of course there were relatively flat cliffsides where they could dash on ahead if they weren't deterred by the heights, but more often than not, they would have to spend a lot of energy to finally reach the nest. And then there was the return journey.

Thanks to his experience, Charlie was able to pace himself properly. He found the right paw-holds in the blink of an eye, and did not mind the insane heights he had to face any more than you or I would mind a bus ride. Before his siblings knew it--or he himself, for that matter--he had overtaken them. Once he reached the eagle's nest, Charlie tapped it with his tail, turned around, and met his brothers and sisters again on the way back. They all growled at him and cursed between panting breaths, but Charlie paid them no heed. He kept trotting along with a smile on his muzzle.

He finished first. The eagles cheered for him. His father gave a little nod in his direction. Charlie's brothers and sisters kept him waiting for quite some time.

Once the rest of the wolves arrived, they started jumping around, teeth bared. 'Not fair! Not fair!' they shouted in unison, once they had regained their breath a little. 'You knew the way, you knew the terrain, you knew everything!'

'Of course I knew the way; I grew up here as well,' said Charlie. 'You should have spent a moment thinking about that before we started, instead of getting all excited. Who knows? Maybe you would have won.'

That did not settle their minds at all. Gerard had to let out a wild howl once again in order to calm them down. When they were finally a little more quiet, he said, 'Charlie has won the first contest, and now it's time for the second one. Who wants to choose?'

Charlie's siblings discussed amongst themselves for a moment, whispering away. It did not take them long to agree on the next contest. One of them came forward and said, 'Let's go swimming!' What followed was a chorus of nasty grins and mean snickers, all aimed at Charlie. Charlie's mother looked uneasy. His father simply nodded. 'Very well. There is a lake nearby which we can use. Follow behind me, everyone.'

'But Father,' one of the wolves said, 'swimming across a whole lake will be much too hard for poor little Charlie.'

'Maybe we should find a narrow stream or so. After all, we don't want our little brother to drown now, do we?' said another.

Gerard nodded. 'You are the ones who decide the contests, so you should have it the way you want it.' With that, he took the lead and headed towards the treeline.

Chapter 12

While they were walking through the forest, zig-zagging past big green pine trees, Charlie couldn't help but wonder how confused his eagle guardians must be. After all, they were the ones who had taught him how to swim all by himself. His brothers and sisters still assumed he was going to sink like a stone once he put a paw in the water. But he never gave up practising after that incident in the summer. Charlie bit his lip. He wasn't nervous because of all the hooting and name-calling still going on, but because the eagles might run their beaks off. He looked up, but they were flying high in the sky. Still, he winked. With a little luck, they could see the subtle gesture with their eagle eyes.

'What's the matter, little brother?' said one of Charlie's sisters. 'You nervous?'

'No one is gonna help you now, haha!' said another, and gave Charlie a shove.

Charlie grunted, but kept his balance. He resisted the urge to bite back, to tell them how he could swim faster than an otter now and how he was going to show them all. It was difficult. Come on, Charlie. Just a little longer... He grinded his teeth, snorted, and moved along.

After a long mile of walking and teasing, the forest opened up to reveal a narrow stream. Its waters were gurgling and foaming wildly, seeming to cut right through the steep forested hills. The wolves stopped. This river was much too wild to hold a contest in. Maybe their father or mother would be able to cross it, but for the young wolves it was more than they could chew. Luckily, nature had already provided access to the other bank. Up ahead was a fallen tree trunk that functioned as a bridge. Slippery as it was, all of the wolves managed to get across.

The wolves adjusted their course, leaving the mountainous landscape behind and instead moving towards more level ground. It took another hour, but their patience finally got rewarded. They came upon a much wider river, clear and blue and flowing more gently through the forest. The banks were gravelly and not steep at all. Perfect for a swimming contest.

'I'm afraid the water is too deep to stand, little Charlie,' said one of his brothers to him.

'Yeah! Are you sure you still want to--'

But Charlie had already turned his back to them, lining up at the bank. The other wolves hurried to do the same. A rustle sounded as the two eagles landed in a tree nearby. Everyone held their breaths and braced themselves.

'The first one to reach the opposite side, wins,' said Gerard. 'Everyone, ready... set... AWOO!'

Off they went. Yet this time, the wolf siblings took it easier than during the climbing contest. They were still convinced Charlie would not even have the courage to get his paws wet, and walked leisurely towards the edge of the bank. They lowered themselves into the water and started paddling away, all the while gossiping and smirking amongst themselves. Their little brother was still nowhere to be seen.

'You see? I knew he wouldn't even dare to--'

The wolf's words were cut short as a shadow hovered over all their heads, followed by a loud SPLASH! It was Charlie, who, with one single jump, had managed to overtake them all before he even hit the water. As soon as his head came up, he swam for all he was worth.

The wolf siblings shook off their surprise, gave a growl or two, and started pumping their legs as well. There was no way they were going to lose from their little brother again.

But their effort was in vain. Even the best swimmer in the wolf family could not overtake Charlie, and had to lose his title that day. After Charlie climbed on the opposite bank, shook himself dry, and found a comfortable rock to sit down on, he still had to wait ten minutes for his siblings to do the same.

A shriek resounded. 'Yay! Well done, Charlie. You go, man!' Both eagles landed next to their protégé, joined a few moments later by two dripping wet adult wolves.

'What was that all about?!' cried one of the wolf siblings. Charlie became surrounded by big bad wolf grimaces even angrier than after his first victory.

'I won,' said Charlie.

'Not that, you smartass! We mean the jump and the shower you gave us, not to mention your freakish paddling after all that.' The brother wolf who said this looked about ready to jump on top of Charlie.

'Oh that...' Charlie feigned surprise and kept his head cool. 'I just wanted to surprise you, that's all. I figured the bigger your surprise, the bigger my opportunity to win this contest. I knew I improved my swimming, but I didn't know how much you all improved yours. I needed to observe a bit, then wait a bit, and finally--'

'Use the element of surprise to beat you, haha!' Chuck squawked, finishing Charlie's sentence.

Gerard cocked his ear, listening in on the conversation but not giving away how he thought about the tactics Charlie had employed. Then he took a look at the horizon, and how the sun was making its way towards the tips of the trees. He cleared his throat with a low growl. 'The hour is late, so we have to move on to the third challenge. Charlie got to decide the first, you, my children, got to decide the second, and I will decide the third.'

Both the wolves and the eagles went quiet.

'Climbing and swimming are useful skills, but they are merely means to an end. What makes a wolf big and bad is the fact that he is standing proudly at the top of the food chain. Every wolf should know how to feed both himself and his family.' Gerard puffed up his fluffy, grey chest. 'Therefore, tracking shall be the last contest, and of course, the last opportunity for Charlie to prove himself.'

Charlie nodded. His siblings started whispering amongst themselves. Some were already sniffing the air, trying to get a head start. They've been fooled twice, and were not in the mood to make that three. This time, they had to take their opponent much more seriously.

'I will give you all until twilight to track prey. Whoever can find the most impressive prey, wins,' Gerard said. 'Eagles!'

The eagles perked up at the sudden call.

'You can circle around this territory and keep an eye on Charlie and my children. If any one of them finds prey, guide me and my wife to the scene. We will be the judges.'

To that, the eagles nodded.

'Good,' Gerard said with a nod. 'Everyone ready? Three... two... one... AWOO!'