Grandfather said, "Come, sit, tell me what has happened today."
The child sat and leaned his chin on his Grandfather's knee.
Looking up into the wrinkled, nut brown face and the kind dark
eyes; the child's anger turned to quite tears.

The boy said, "I went to the town today, with my father, to trade
the furs he has collected over the past several months. I was
happy to go, because father said that since I had helped him with
the trapping, I could get something for me. Something that I wanted.

I was so excited to be in the trading post, I have not been there
before. I looked at many things and finally found a metal knife!
It was small, but good size for me, so father got it for me."

Here the boy laid his head against his grandfather's knee and
became silent. The Grandfather, softly placed his hand on the
boys raven hair and said, "and then what happened?".

Without lifting his head, the boy said, "I went outside to wait
for father, and to admire my new knife in the sunlight. Some
town boys came by and saw me, they got all around me and starting
saying bad things. They called me dirty and stupid and said that
I should not have such a fine knife. The largest of these boys,
pushed me back and I fell over one of the other boys. I dropped
my knife and one of them snatched it up and they all ran away,
laughing." Here the boy's anger returned, "I hate them, I hate
them all!"

The Grandfather, with eyes that have seen too much, lifted his
grandson's face so his eyes looked into the boys. Grandfather
said, "let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a
great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow
for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt
your enemy. It is like taking posion and wishing your enemy
would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times.
It is as if there are two wolves inside me, one is white and
one is black.

The White Wolf is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony
with all around him and does not take offense when no offense
was intended. But it will only fight when it is right to do
so, and in the right way.

But, the Black Wolf, is full of anger. The littlest thing will
set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time,
for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are
so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.
Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for
both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy, looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes, and asked
"which one wins Grandfather?"

The Grandfather, smiled and said, "The one I feed."