If you are willing to look with your heart, you will see starlight in a wolf’s eyes.
On this planet, humanity is not the only protagonist.
Every forest, every river, every creature shares the same sky and breath with us. True civilization is not the conquest of nature, but the choice to live in harmony with it.
Li Weiyi, a wildlife animator, has spent years drifting between forests and grasslands, sketching the fleeting emotions in an animal’s eyes and the untamed spirit in its movements. Her brush captures not just form, but soul. Gentle and perceptive, she treats animals as friends and believes, with unshakable conviction: all beings are equal.
The Call of the Grassland
In April 2010, she arrived in the vast Ruoergai grasslands of Sichuan. The wind bent the grass like waves, silver mountains gleamed under the sun, and the openness was almost intoxicating. But behind the beauty was a brutal truth—conflicts between humans and wildlife were pushing many animals toward tragedy.
Then she heard a story that broke her heart.
A male wolf, desperate to feed his mate who had just given birth, ventured into a human settlement in search of food. He was caught in a trap, killed by herders, and skinned. His mate waited for days before realizing he was gone. In grief, she ate poisoned bait and followed him in death, leaving six starving pups behind.
Li Weiyi resolved to find them. Days of searching through freezing wind and endless grass finally brought her to the den. Five pups had already died. The last survivor lay weak and trembling, barely breathing. When she whispered, it crawled toward her with eyes full of trust. At that moment, she became its only family.
She named him Green—for the color of the grasslands, for life, hope, and freedom.
Life Between a Woman and a Wolf
In Chengdu, Green grew into a curious, spirited companion. He swam instinctively the first time he fell into water, learned to press the TV remote with his paws, and loved wolf documentaries—howling whenever his kind appeared on screen.
But a wolf will always be a wolf. Green chewed through wires, stole raw meat from neighbors, and refused a leash with stubborn pride. On the streets, he walked with head held high, as if declaring to the world: I am a wolf, not a pet.
A walk with a stray dog ended in tragedy when the dog was hit by a car, sending Green into a panicked dash through traffic. Authorities warned Li Weiyi that Green could no longer live in the city.
Preparing for the Return
She briefly considered a zoo, but one look at an old wolf with dull eyes, torn ears, and walls scarred with escape attempts ended that thought. She sold her home, bought an off-road vehicle and a camera, and returned to the Ruoergai grasslands with Green to begin his rewilding.
There, he sparred with Tibetan mastiffs, relearned the fight for survival, and endured nights of hunger in temperatures as low as –15°C. Li Weiyi stayed by his side through it all, determined to awaken the wolf within him.
Parting and Return
One month later, Green’s howl was answered by a wild pack. He walked toward the mountains, pausing to look back, eyes filled with reluctance. Li Weiyi waved him on, tears blurring her vision, and he vanished into the snow.
He became a ruler of the grassland, fathering pups of his own—but three were killed by humans, a grim reminder that coexistence was still far away.
Two years later, she saw him again from a distance, carrying hares—her favorite food. He stood watching her, not approaching. He belonged to the wild now. His eyes held both sadness and something unspoken.
Li Weiyi began returning to the grassland each year to help wolves like Green survive. And in August 2020, after a decade of intertwined lives, Green ran back into her arms. She held him tightly, tears streaming—warmth, reunion, and harmony made flesh.
Li Weiyi turned her story into the book and film Back to the Wolf Pack. It ends with a haunting question:
“We can rescue a wolf, but can we change the fate of the entire pack?”
This is not only a question for wolves—it is a question for humanity. Every time we expand our territory, every time we place our wants above the needs of other life, we risk silencing the very voices that make this planet alive.
We are not the masters of the Earth. We are one part of a vast, breathing community of life.
In 2020, China’s first wild wolf sanctuary was established—a small but hopeful echo of Li Weiyi’s ten years of dedication. But the work is far from over.
If we truly wish for harmony with nature, it begins with a choice—to see, to care, and to act—before the howls fade forever.
Source: https://www.sohu.com/a/355779509_99965884, https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_20560520
Peace LiLy 