On wolves

I started this thinking that Rosemary Sutcliff's picture of Cub, the wolfcub raised by Marcus and Esca, was really too rosy and doglike. I finished it thinking that it's more accurate than I'd originally thought, though there are some holes.

Cub is brought to Marcus as a very young pup: his eyes are open and he has teeth but he's not very mobile and he's not weaned. This adds up quite neatly to suggest he is about 15 days old when Esca takes him from his den in, say March of the year after Marcus is wounded.
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The Trials of Marcipor

Marcipor came out of the Aquila house into the June sunshine and blinked at the sudden light of the bright afternoon. His new friend Curmissus, next door’s house slave, was standing by the gate, beating sparkling clouds of dancing dust motes out of a thick red woollen rug, so he sauntered over for a chat. Marcipor was in no rush, and it was a nice day for a little fresh air. Besides, he had a broom with him. People rarely stop a slave if he has a broom with him, Marcipor had found, and also it came in handy for leaning on.
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I wrote this to try to work out what would happen to Cub a few years down the line. During the period covered by this story Cub is a very well socialised juvenile wolf, so is definitely a lot less trouble than he will be once he's really fully grown (at about 3-4 years old).  I suspect at that point he'll probably take off back into the wild. 

Smiting

 [Poll #1753819]