You Can Never Steal Our Voice

I remember it like it was yesterday
Running in the tall grass
Smelling the sweet air
Tasting the cool water
Chasing the wild deer
Without a problem
But it's not like that anymore
Not for my family
Not for any of my kind
And it's all because of you

I was born in the Virginia wilderness
In early spring
On a hill overlooking a flowing river
It was beautiful every season
Chasing butterflies in the spring
Rolling with my brothers and sisters in the summer
Chomping on the leaves as the fell in the fall
And sliding down the hill in the snow during winter

It was wonderful
That was until Father and the others couldn't find food
The deer were getting scarce and we were growing larger
Then we sensed you near our home
So we left
We were forced to move on from our land
Our home
Our beautiful hill overlooking a flowing river

We lost some on the way
Our babysitter, Luna
And our elderly storyteller, Meeka
We howled all night long
Our sweet song floating through the winds
But we had to move on
Because we knew that you heard us
We didn't even get to say our proper goodbyes
And it was all because of you

We got to where we thought we were safe
The deer were plentiful
And we grew old enough to hunt
So my two sisters, three brothers, and I
Along with Mother, Father, and two Betas, Amaro and Aleshanee
Went off in search of a meal
We were well off and there was more than enough for all
Then you came and started taking our food
But there was no where left for us to go
So we stayed

My sister, Kila, and brother, Neeko
Were the first to go
I watched as they starved to death
And there was nothing I could do about it
So Father, Amaro, and I sneaked onto one of your farms
And stole an animal we weren't used to eating
We killed it and brought it home to the others
It was barely enough and we didn't like the fact that we had
But we had to
We had no other choice

One night as we sneaked onto the farm
One of you came bursting from your homes
With something that smelled of fear
It smelled of death
Father told Amaro, my brother Juca, and I we needed to run
But Amaro wouldn't listen
Aleshanee had become ill and needed food
And Amaro loved her and was a fool
He went after the sheep
That's when we heard it
POW!
It echoed through the night
Shattering the silence
Father told us not to look back
So we didn't
We just ran

Father decided we needed to leave that night
Even if we had to sneak past your homes
We were frightened but there was no other way
Aleshanee refused to leave
She said she couldn't leave Amaro behind
Father told her he was gone but she wouldn't listen
We all left her even though we didn't want to
And we howled to tell her goodbye
To tell her we were sorry
To tell her we would miss her
And she howled goodbye back
She told us she was sorry but Amaro needed her
And that she would miss us too
We knew that you heard us
But we didn't care
You could take away our home
Our food
But you could never steal our voice

Mother told us Aleshanee died of a broken heart
So now there was only Mother and Father
Juca, Hanska, Nizhoni, and I left
I was the alpha of the pups and had dreamed of a family
Of owning a pack of my own
Having my own pups
That lived on a hill overlooking a flowing river
But there was no hope of that
Not a chance
Nizhoni had often told us that she dreamed of finding a strong alpha male
And having pups of her own
As we traveled that night I could see the hurt in her eyes
For she knew what I knew
There was no hope

We settled in a marshy land that we could barely stand in
But it was the only place to go
Father, Hanska, and I were hunting one night
We were almost on a deer when a shot rang out from nowhere
And pierced Father's chest
Hanska and I stopped in our tracks
Hanska cried for Father to get up
I told him that I needed him and that he would be alright
We could smell you coming closer and everything in us told us to run
But it told us to stay too
Father told us to go, to leave him, and take care of Mother
He told me it was my job now
So we left
He was trying to feed his family
Just like you have to feed yours
So why, why did that make him evil

Mother howled
Her voice was low and painful
We all joined in with her
Telling you we were here
That we were upset
Telling you that we were hurt
And asking you why you would do such a thing
But you took as something to fear
You took it as something to hate
You didn't understand, you still don't understand
That it is we that are afraid of you

A handsome wolf from a neighboring pack came
And courted Nizhoni
She left after that to start a family for herself
To go have pups
To find a den on a hill overlooking a flowing river
We were all happy for her
So we howled our joy even though we were still upset
Juca went on by himself
He left in the middle of the night and never came back
We tried to move Mother but she wouldn't leave
We brought her food but she wouldn't eat
We tried to bring her water but it failed
She wouldn't have drank it anyway
Hanska and I watched her fade away
We watched her starve to death
We stayed with her until her broken heart couldn't beat anymore
Until her broken heart gave up on her
Like she gave up on herself the night Father died

Hanska and I traveled together
We tried to get accepted into other packs
But they were no better off than we were
So we went on barely getting by
Then Hanska got his foot caught in something metal
I laid there with him until you all showed up
Then I left my brother there in your harm
So you all could kill him
I was a coward
And that left me with no one

I wondered around a lone wolf
On my own
I saw Nizhoni and her mate once but I kept my distance
She was happy with her three, bouncy pups
And I didn't want to ruin that for her
I came upon some meat
It smelled of you
I could smell the poison in it
But I didn't care
I was tired
I had no one and nothing mattered
So I ate it
I drug myself in some bushes were you couldn't see me
So you wouldn't be able to find me
And show me off as if my death was some great accomplishment

As I lied in the darkness all alone I began to howl
I howled joy for Nizhoni and her family
I howled worry for Juca
I howled sorrow for Mother and Father
For Meeka and Luna
For Aleshanee and Amaro
For Neeko and Kila
For my faithful brother, Hanska
I howled of tiredness for myself
Then I howled for you
I asked you why you would do this to us
Why you hated us so
Why you killed off my family and stole my hope
I asked you what we ever did to you
What was wrong with us?
What was it that you had to fear?
I howled and asked you why
Then I told you how you had taken my land
And my food
And my family
And my life before it even had a chance to start
I told you that even though you took all of that
You could never steal my voice
And with that I shuttered and closed my eyes
Forever

Now I'm with my family
And we are back on the hill that overlooks the river
Running and playing
Romping around like we were pups again
Gathering to listen to Meeka's stories
And rough housing with Luna
Aleshanee and Amaro lie under the shade of trees together
Neeko and Kila are my age now but we act as if we are puppies
Hanska is with us and he has told me he is not angry at me for leaving him
Juca and Nizhoni have not joined us yet
But we will be a family again when they do
Father and Mother bring back plenty of deer to eat
There is always more than enough
We howl and sing
But never of sorrow
We are only full of joy
We are full of happiness
Because we don't have to worry
We have nothing to fear
Because there aren't and will never be any of you

You took our land
You stole our homes
You wasted our food
You killed us off one by one
But you could and can never
Steal our voice