New Animal

Eleanor Keisman, Eugene Lang College '11

It’s 2081, and the world is in crisis. Wildfires, famine, and disease threaten every living creature. Pope, an orphaned wolf, is forced to flee Yellowstone National Territory after its devastation in the fire. Heading north along the Rockies through unfamiliar territory, he strays too close to the world of humans and is captured by dog breeders.

In captivity, he meets a man, Bill, and a wolfdog, Hume. Though they lack a common language, the three join forces - venturing together into the wild, depending on one another for survival, and building a supportive structure, without which they would surely die. Struggling to find food in a dramatically altered environment, Pope, Bill, and Hume slowly come to trust one another. But when a second wildfire separates the three and Pope encounters a real wolf pack, he must confront the painful realization that the unlikely company he joined has changed him forever.

A lyrical, poignant tale of a wolf’s efforts to recover his place in the wild, New Animal is at once a sobering commentary on humanity’s impact on the natural world and an exploration of moments that redefine identity.

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