The Kind & Curious Wolf

The Kind & Curious Wolf is a children's novel by Ralander author C.H. Perrison. The novel, first published in 1881 as one of his first works when he was 15 years old, gained critical acclaim and was nominated for several awards. The book remains popular and has been frequently adapted into many adaptations, including movies and TV shows and specials. It's even been considered a classic in Ralander children's material.

The story involves a kind and inquisitive wolf born into a pack of greedy and selfish wolves who kill people out of sport and never for defense. After nearly being eaten by the pack leader, the wolf manages to run away, where she stumbles into a new part of the woods and befriends an orphaned boy who ran away from his abusive parents, and the two later form a bond with each other and go on a journey to search for another loving family and pack for them both, while also facing dangers along the way, such as the pack leader that tried to eat the wolf and wants revenge.

Plot
The story begins in an unknown forest where a pack of greedy and uncaring wolves reside in a cave. Among the wolves is an unnamed female wolf who, rather than the rest of the pack, is kind, caring, and inquisitive. After basking on her pack on a trip to hunt down local campers so she can smell the flowers, she is disdained from the pack and is sentenced to be eaten alive by the pack leader, Orsin. However, after nearly dodging the leader's attacks, leaving only a small cut on her right ear, she manages to flee from her pack and runs off into the woods.

Now far from her old home, the wolf wanders off into the woods where she comes across a boy being chased by a bear. The boy manages to stop the bear, but falls off a cliff into the river. The wolf manages to save the boy, named Edwin, and gets him to dry land, where he thanks the wolf for her act of kindness. After learning from each other that they both came from abusive families, they both decide to join each other in search of new families for each other. As they begin their quest, they are encountered by a riddle-speaking fox, who tells them that to cross the path, they must find "[his] white little child in a hole by a lake". Searching around the woods and nearby lake, the boy finds a hole with lost albino fox cub trapped inside. Realizing that the cub is the fox's very own, they manage to rescue the cub from the hole and return it to the fox, who lets them pass and continue their journey. Upon continuing their journey, they encounter a triad of nomadic hunters who chase after them, wanting to mount their heads.