Along with his mate F42, with whom he shared authority, M21 presided over the Halcyon days of the monitored Yellowstone wolf pack known as the Druids. He died peacefully of natural causes under a tree of his own choosing; undefeated in battle yet never having killed an opponent.

Many are the stories told of him. He would entertain himself for hours wrestling with pups, even ones he did not sire, and pretending to lose; “Oh, you got me now, boys… You got me now!”  Why? To pass along his fighting, hunting and leadership skills to the next generation. He was once observed breaking up a bunch of younger wolves harassing a buffalo calf under the protection of its mother, as if to say; “Yo, knuckleheads… You’re more likely to get gored or get your brains kicked in than you are to get that calf.” Then he led them off to find easier prey. Wolf enthusiasts would flock to Yellowstone just to catch a glimpse of the mighty M21 showing affection to his beloved F42.

Here are M21’s rules for pack leadership:

  1. Always put the welfare of the pack first. They in turn will see to yours, and your backside will always be covered.
  2. Do not overreact. It can make a situation much worse.
  3. When possible, condemn the bad behavior but not the wolf. Allow room for redemption.
  4. Be mindful of results, and adjust tactics and strategy accordingly. Take a hard look at what you want and why.  Never be too proud or too sensitive to learn from the mistakes you will make.
  5. Be assertive, but calm. Exhibit self-control.  No wolf wants to be led by, or mate with, an unbalanced, self-centered jackass who never grew up, and there is one of those within every wolf.  He must be subdued.  Vincit qui se vincit – He conquers who conquers himself.