It was a freezing cold Sunday morning in Bardu, Norway. Aside from two dim flashlights, it was pitch black in the woods. My left arm was intertwined with my brother’s, as he led me through the deep snow. We were both wearing several layers of thermo clothing and thick wintercoats. His was dark blue, mine was bright orange. A perfect representation of Norway’s polar nights and midnight suns.

Our insolated brown boots struggled their way through the snow. Our faces were covered with beanies and scarfs, making us look kind of funny. But however silly, it was necessary in these temperatures.

I automatically stopped walking when Matteus did, as I was holding on to him tightly. He slowly crouched down and aimed his flashlight a meter or two from the opening of the cave. Without hesistation, I did the same. And then we waited patiently while the minutes ticked away slowly. There was complete silence in the forest, which was very normal during polar night. The only sound we heard was that of crushing snow underneath our boots whenever we tried to get more comfortable.

I lowered my scarf and breathed in the icecold nordic air, all the while keeping a close eye on the entrance of the cave. Nothing yet.

Matteus, having noticed my movement beside him, turned his head towards me and grinned. There was no actual grin to be seen, but his eyes told me he was grinning. I answered his expression with a big smile. My brother’s excitement immediately rubbed off on me and made me even more eager to see these beloved creatures again.

And then it happened. After a mere ten minutes, Matteus grabbed my arm as well as he could with his thick glove.

Fenrir was the first one to pop out his head. In a very serious and observant manner, as he was the oldest male of the pack. His amber eyes spotted us right away, and as usual, he took a few seconds to make sure it was safe for them to come out.

Even though I could hardly see Matteus in the dark, I knew he was reminding himself to breathe. We both sat there, mesmerized by the gentle movements in front of us. 

“Magnificent.” Matteus whispered.

Fenrir was satisfied with the environment and slid out of the cave in a quick and elegant manner. Still keeping an eye on us, he stood next to the cave and looked around the small clearing.

As the second wolf appeared, I moved my face a bit closer to Matteus and quickly said: “Ylva.”

Matteus nodded, unwilling to take his eyes off the cave for even a second.

Ylva was Fenrir’s mate, and as to prove me right, she rubbed her head against Fenrir’s neck before she planted herself beside him and sniffed the snow around her. She was never spooked by us, as she always had complete trust in Fenrir’s ability to protect the pack. Aside from that, Polar Park was a very safe place for wild animals, and after years of living here, the wolf pack was well aware of that.

“Cobalt.” I whispered to Matteus, as though I was answering questions on a quiz. I wanted him to know that I could recognize the wolves with ease. Cobalt was a lot darker than the other two wolves, and a lot more playful. He stretched, yawned and started to sniff around himself. He briefly noticed us, and then continued to snif and walk around the clearing. His tail wagged a little as he explored. Eager for some attention and cuddling, he started rubbing against the other two wolves. He jumped a few times, indicating that he wanted to play.

This threesome was a tight family, despite their very different characters. Fenrir was the oldest wolf. He was serious, dominant and respected by the others. His mate, Ylva, was a very calm and submissive female. She had no problem trusting humans, and was always in for some scratches. Cobalt was the youngest male, and definitely more adventurous than the others. Sometimes even mischievous. He was a real attention seeker too, and if he couldn’t get it from his family, he would get it from visitors. It was no wonder that he was a favorite for most people visiting the park.

When Fenrir slowly moved towards us, I knew that Matteus felt on top of the world. It wasn’t anyone else’s attention or respect my brother wanted. Fenrir was special to him in a way I couldn’t explain. Matteus might not even be able to explain it himself.

Fenrir stopped in front of me and sat down. His amber eyes locked onto my face before he dropped his head a little, a sign that he was to be petted now. I took off my gloves, dropped them in the snow and started petting the wolf slowly. His back, chest, head and underneath his chin. Fenrir was enjoying it. Ylva joined us after finally being able to shake off Cobalt. She leaned her heavy body against my legs, a clear indication that she wanted a massage. Her fur was warm from being snuggled up against her family members in the cave.

“You always approach them carefully, even though they know you. You don’t want to startle them.” Matteus explained to me. “You wouldn’t want to be the one to make them feel threatened for even a second.”

I nodded, touched by the fact that Matteus was so concerned with the wolves’ wellbeing. Matteus watched me with a smile on his face, as I patted Fenrir on his side a few times, and let him walk away from us. Ilva turned her head to me for a moment, as if to indicate that she was about to follow her mate. But then she suddenly changed her mind, and focused on something behind me. The other wolves noticed it too, as all their snouts were in the air now.