Ethnographer in a Wolf pack

    The day I walk into the woods with steaks and equipment I knew this was going to end in disaster or in a massive breakthrough. Knowing that the last guy was eaten alive, I wasn't sure I wanted to try this. I walked till I came across a pack of wolves in a clearing, realizing what was happening too late, three wolves block the entrance to the clearing, eyeing me with their hungry intelligent eyes. The alpha, or so I thought, stepped toward me in the loose circle of the others. I slowly took my back and took out the food, laying it at the end of my shovel, and sooting it over to the leader wolf, who I knew was the leader, due to the fact that all the others were watching him for instruction, and uneasily looking at the steak on the shovel. The wolf bent over and sniffed the meat, seemed to contemplate eating it, looked back up at me, and took a nibble. he waited, tasting the meat, then swiped the rest up so fast I wasn't sure what happened. I slowly go up the creature with one more steak, and try to put the collar on,  the wolf is weary so it doesn't trust me enough yet, so it backs out of it before I can clip it on. This was the scariest part of my training, I bend down, and hold out the steak, it had scampered away before, but it comes back tentatively, and starts to eat it. It is surprisingly gentle, and it takes the meant, and sniffs for more. I slip on the collar, and the wolf looks at me strangely but keeps it on.

    For the rest of the time that I am there, it goes smoothly. I get a lot of good data, and I had to replace the battery every 4 days, but I caught sufficient game for that using snares. I listen to them howl before they hunt, and am getting good info from the leader. after 2 months, of replacing a battery, getting shipments, and fishing I release the locking mechanism, and it falls to the ground, code stops outputting. When I go to collect the device, which was easy because it beeps very loudly the closer you get, using the tracking system. I see the wolves, looking at it, cocking their head because of the beeps. I give the leader one last hare that I found while cleaning up the traps and fish the collar out of the grass. I will be sad to see them go, I have gained the trust of the pack, more or less, but I liked to see them come to the same clearing day after day to get a mysterious gift from a friend, and I was sad to think that they would be disappointed tomorrow.

Mission name: Alpha 9

Journal entry #61 

Title: Summary of mission

Misson result: Success

Injuries: none