NARRATOR: Winter comes early to Yellowstone.
[HOWLING]
This is the season of the wolf.
While others battle the elements,
wolves are in their prime.
Their success is tied to the collective strength
of the pack.
[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING]
A curious adolescent named Black Tail, like many young males,
he's left behind the security of his pack.
Winter's wrath could be fatal for a lone wolf.
In this lean season, every meal is critical.
In hiding among the willows is what looks
like a perfect opportunity--
a wounded bull elk, half frozen at the water's edge.
A wolf pack would go straight for the kill,
but alone, Black Tail has almost no chance of taking it down.
He must wait until the bull gives out.
But time is not in his favor.
Far across the valley, a legion is gathering, the Wapiti pack.
More than 20 wolves strong, they travel in formation,
searching for prey.
They follow the river unhurried, until in unison
they spot something--
the wounded elk.
Black Tail holds his ground in the meadow.
He can't afford to abandon this chance of a meal.
The Wapitis gather in the timber.
They're staging for an ambush just as night is falling.
[HOWLING]
The sun rises on what little remains of the old bull elk.
The Wapiti's night ambush was a success.
20 wolves fed on their prize and vanished, leaving only
scraps for ravens and coyotes.
Black Tail is nowhere to be seen.