It seems a lifetime ago, that I drunkenly stumbled home from a night at the bar. I was on the Richardson side of the Government House property, when I sat at a bus stop shelter for a rest. It was likely around 3 am. Suddenly, I heard a distressed cat calling out before I saw it bolting down the middle of Richardson and make a sharp left down Arnold Ave. That’s when I saw him, for the first and only time in my life. A full sized wolf, in pursuit of the cat. I held my breath as the large predator darted past me, snarling. Nothing sobers you up like a snarling wolf running past you. I waited for a few minutes, in absolute silence, before running home. It was later that week that I’d heard there’d been sightings of Takaya in the Fairfield area.
That night, and that brief encounter, will remain a prominent experience and memory. I would then follow the life of Takaya through stories and photos shared by our community. I’ll admit, I felt relief when I heard he was being relocated, as I’d witnessed his desperation first hand. A lone wolf, living on the edge of a world so dangerous to him... a city that might ultimately cost him his life. Like many of you, I was devastated to hear his life had been taken by the hands of a human, despite the attempt to give him a new life.
My latest painting completed, a portrait of Takaya.