Island of the Sea Wolves (2022) s01e03 Episode Script

[somber music playing]
[howls]
[narrator] Blaze has been on his own
for a full week now.
Just waiting.
[howling]
There's still no sign of his pack.
[Blaze howling]
[sniffs]
He's too young to hunt for himself.
And he's only getting weaker.
So his leg isn't healing well.
He makes a gut-wrenching decision,
to try and find his family.
But a young sea wolf
isn't safe alone in these woods.
If he meets a bear or a cougar,
he won't be coming out again.
The very next day,
Jasper finally returns for his son.
[howling]
He calls out all day for Blaze,
waiting for an answer
[howling]
but he never gets one.
Jasper has got to find him
and get his pack reunited quickly.
There's only one season left
before winter closes in
on Vancouver Island.
[captivating music playing]
[music fades]
Rocky's prepping for his first winter too.
He's getting bigger and stronger
and doing more of his own food shopping.
[pleasant music playing]
He's still pretty spoiled though.
Skye continues to give him
one-third of her daily catch.
Rocky's life with his mom
is as sweet as ever.
[intense music playing]
But there's someone
who's set on destroying this special bond.
Rocky's father, Titan.
He wants to mate again with Skye
- [Rocky chuffs]
- and push Rocky out.
[Rocky squeaks]
Skye knows Rocky
is still too young to survive on his own.
[Skye trills]
Titan isn't taking
no for an answer though.
[Skye trilling]
She's got to stand her ground
and fight back.
[menacing music playing]
Rocky jumps in to defend his mom.
- [Rocky squeals]
- But he's way too small.
Skye lunges at Titan.
- [Skye growls]
- [Rocky squeals]
But he overpowers her.
Finally, Rocky and Skye send him packing.
[serene music playing]
This mother and son make a strong team.
[squeaking]
But Titan's return
means their time together is almost over.
[music ends]
Youngsters are facing
independence all across the island.
[screeching]
Luna is itching to spread her wings.
All she's ever known
is this cramped little space in a tree.
Just one more flap
could open a whole new world for her.
[chittering]
And her dad, Spiro,
is her biggest cheerleader.
[Spiro screeches]
[Luna screeches]
It's extremely windy today
- [chittering]
- and that's going to make flying tricky.
Though Luna's never lacked confidence.
[upbeat music playing]
Not bad.
[screeches]
Nope.
Emergency landing.
[music ends]
[tense music playing]
She's gone down
dangerously close to the sea.
Luna has to
get out of this mess on her own.
[zestful music playing]
[screeching]
Not exactly a triumphant return,
but a pretty stellar maiden flight.
[music fades]
[birds squawking]
[serene music playing]
[Spiro screeches]
Her proud father
brings her a juicy participation trophy.
Daddy's food delivery service
will be ending soon though,
and then,
she'll be responsible for her own meals.
Leaving home is hard.
[music ends]
[quacking]
High atop Mount Washington,
fall has already begun.
There's no one left at the old nest box.
Esmerelda and Bonnie
have moved on to new digs.
[solemn music playing]
But it's been a tough month.
[intense music playing]
The cougar has been on a killing spree.
[flies buzzing]
And he's taken more than one victim.
Everyone is on high alert.
Esmerelda and Bonnie
are the only survivors
from their release group.
They're learning some very hard lessons
about making it in the wild.
Every day they must
leave the safety of their den to forage.
It's risky, but they seem to have a plan.
[gripping music playing]
Esmerelda goes first
while Bonnie stands lookout.
[music increases in tempo]
[music tempo slows down]
Lupines are the best,
but can become a dangerous distraction.
[music ends]
[intense music playing]
[chirruping]
Every marmot
on the mountain knows this call.
[thrilling music playing]
Esmerelda has the farthest to go.
[chirrups]
[music ends]
A marmot's best defense
up here is teamwork.
[serene music playing]
This sister duo
will need to stick together
as they prepare for winter
on the mountaintop.
Close family ties
are also key for these locals.
Killer whales live in tight-knit groups
that hunt and travel together.
[killer whale calls]
Today, one of them
has broken away from the family
and is swimming
dangerously close to the shore.
[tense music playing]
But it's a deliberate danger.
And soon,
the whole family is in on the action.
[pleasant music playing]
[killer whale calls]
It's called beach rubbing
and it's not about exfoliation.
It's about pushing limits
and having fun as much as anything.
Just one big whale party.
[killer whale calls]
[music ends]
And after their little rec stop
comes the largest feast of all.
[enthralling music playing]
Every year, millions of salmon arrive,
destined for the island's rivers,
where they will lay their eggs.
It's one of the largest migrations
of life on the planet
and in their wake
come legions of hungry predators.
More than a hundred
different kinds of animals feed on them.
It's the grand fall banquet.
The salmon's arrival
kicks off the new season.
[music ends]
September brings
the full spectrum of fall color.
[snorting]
It's the island's call to action.
Now, the race is really on
to fatten up for winter.
[screeching]
Two sea wolves are combing the shore
for food left behind by the tide.
It's the alpha female, Dagger, and Cedar.
[sniffing]
Co-parenting has created
a special bond between them.
[howling]
Jasper calls the pack together.
[Jasper howling]
[birds squawking]
[Jasper howling distantly]
They come from miles
up and down the coast.
[panting]
For the first time in months,
the whole family is together again.
[howling]
[uplifting music playing]
[sniffing]
And Blaze is back with them.
[playful growling]
Jasper found him a few weeks ago.
His leg has healed nicely.
He's slightly smaller than his siblings,
but he's just as lively.
[howling]
Jasper has finally
reunited his entire family.
It's a chance for the alphas
to remind everyone who's boss
and for a good old catch-up.
But the search for food must go on.
[enthralling music playing]
[howling]
And this time,
no one's getting left behind.
[music ends]
As fall marches on,
temperatures start to plummet.
Esmerelda and Bonnie
have had a lucky break.
The cougar has finally gone away.
Now, they can focus entirely on foraging.
[mellow music playing]
These sugar-rich huckleberries
are perfect
for gaining weight for hibernation.
But there's a lot more than berry picking
these captive-raised sisters
need to figure out.
Marmots who grew up in the wild
learn from their parents
how to find the best dens
and build snug, insulated nests.
And cuddling up as a family
means more warmth all round.
[music fades]
As first-time homeowners,
this abandoned den
might not be the best investment
for Esmerelda and Bonnie.
[pensive music playing]
Is it deep enough?
Safe from flooding?
They have no parents
to teach them the ropes
or to warn them to be wary of strangers.
Esmerelda is going to
check this older guy out.
Hmm.
She likes what she sees.
[pleasant music playing]
Ezekiel, like her, was raised in captivity
and released here a few years ago.
He might actually want
to share his den with her for hibernation.
And perhaps share some body heat too.
But that would
leave Bonnie out in the cold.
[solemn music playing]
[music ends]
Down in the valleys, lots of other animals
are preparing for winter sleep as well.
[grunting]
A mother black bear, Willow,
is foraging with her cubs.
[cub whines]
Lucky for them,
the bounty of the ocean is moving inland.
[captivating music playing]
Countless salmon
pour into these forest streams.
Battling their way upriver.
Overcoming every obstacle.
On a trip that none will return from.
[music ends]
This huge salmon run could sustain
Willow and her cubs through the winter.
If they can make the most of it.
But the salmon attract other bears too.
[intense music playing]
Like this big male.
Willow is not taking any chances
with her cubs.
It's his fishing spot now.
[solemn music playing]
For Willow and her family,
it's back to the safety
of the dense forest
and back to hunger.
[music ends]
[thunder rumbling]
By mid-September,
the nice fall weather is coming to an end
and the rain is here to stay
for the next seven months.
And that's just fine with Rocky.
Water is his home.
And he's nearly full-grown,
so he can feed himself now too.
Though, for some reason,
mom's dinner always looks tastier.
Skye is exhausted from six months
of constantly catering to Rocky.
[intense music playing]
But now Rocky's father,
Titan, is returning.
And Skye's reaction
is completely different this time.
She's ready to move forward with Titan.
[solemn music playing]
And just like that, Rocky is on his own.
Skye and Titan
will spend several days together,
renewing their bond.
Then she'll need time
to build up her energy reserves again
before she has her next pup.
[calls]
Rocky's no longer welcome
in his father's territory.
It's an abrupt shove out the door
into a new life of uncertainty.
[music ends]
September brings
the first in a series of massive storms
that smash records across the island.
A month's worth of rain in just two days.
[rousing music playing]
It's thought climate change
is making these extreme
weather events twice as common.
[howling]
River levels swell by more than six feet.
The creeks are transformed.
[music ends]
But the salmon are unstoppable.
To overcome a force this strong
shows the incredible drive they have
to reach their spawning grounds.
The big male bear
has come to try his luck at the falls.
It's risky
fishing so close to the raging current
but he's got
an old bear trick up his sleeve.
In this white water,
the fish are jumping blind.
He doesn't even have to get wet.
Things are not going so well
for Willow and her cubs.
[somber music playing]
She still hasn't caught any salmon,
so she's trying her luck further upstream.
But the water is still dangerously high.
[grunting]
And the salmon can easily escape.
[dramatic music playing]
The cubs aren't safe here,
and the risk is not worth the reward.
[music ends]
Back to eating berries again.
Some islanders are enjoying
a more comfortable fall, though.
Rocky has been
living on his own for a while now.
Thanks to his mom's excellent schooling,
he's finding plenty of food.
[pleasant music playing]
But he still needs
a safe place he can call home.
[whines]
And he's lonely.
[music ends]
Today, Rocky discovers
something he's never seen before.
A community of sea otters. All males.
And they seem friendly.
The place is part seniors' home
and part frat house.
Maybe they'll welcome him in.
[enthralling music playing]
Almost instantly, he is challenged.
Maybe this is how they initiate newcomers.
Rocky passes the test.
And he's made a friend.
Joining up with these guys
is a perfect start to adult life.
He might spend several years here
before he'll be ready to strike out
and establish his own territory.
[music ends]
Rocky may have found a community,
but some young ones have to go it alone.
Luna's fled the nest.
And is realizing how hard it is
getting by without Spiro and Misty.
[rousing music playing]
On the upside, she has learned to fly.
Finding food has been tough though.
[music fades]
Finally, she tracks down
a sea lion carcass.
But a feast like this
[intense music playing]
is an open invitation.
[eagle screeches]
And the adult isn't willing to share.
[chittering]
Luna's too scared to challenge him.
If she doesn't learn
to stand up for herself,
she won't make it
out here in the big wide world.
[solemn music playing]
[music ends]
A bold attitude is paying off for some.
[serene music playing]
Assertive, young Esmerelda
and her handsome Ezekiel
are now officially an item
and are moving in together.
Ezekiel's hard at work
getting things ready for hibernation.
Looks like Esmerelda is all set up
[trills]
to share her first winter
in the wild with her new man.
[mellow music playing]
And to share with her bestie sister.
Bonnie is hooking up with Ezekiel too.
It's a pretty unusual setup.
But sometimes,
in the marmot world, three's company.
Next spring, they might both
mate with him and have pups of their own.
Excellent news for one of the most
endangered mammals on the planet.
These sisters are crushing it.
They survived the cougar
by having each other's backs.
And by sharing Ezekiel,
they should both make it
through the winter just fine.
[music ends]
[birds calling]
It's October, and the cold weather
is chasing the birds south.
[quacking]
[captivating music playing]
Things that have died
are transformed into things of beauty.
Earthstar fungi unfurl in the humid air.
And falling raindrops
unleash their spores.
[elk bugling]
Roosevelt elk
are just finishing their fall rut.
And the salmon have finally arrived
at their spawning grounds.
They will use
their last reserves of energy
for one final life-giving ritual.
The females dig nests.
And as they lay their eggs,
the males jockey
for position to fertilize them.
Across the island, millions of new lives
are set into the gravel.
With the salmon run in its final weeks,
Willow has got to make the most of it.
[grunting]
[music ends]
She instructs her cubs to stay put.
- [grunts]
- This will need to be a solo venture.
[tense music playing]
[thrilling music playing]
It's not as easy as it looks.
But she'll never give up on her family.
[music fades]
[grunts]
And that is a family-sized fish.
[uplifting music playing]
If she keeps this up
for the next few weeks,
they'll all be bulked up enough
to make it through till spring.
[music ends]
Just like Willow,
thousands of other black bears
are carrying tens of thousands
of salmon deep into the forest.
And here, the salmon
give their ultimate gift to the island.
[solemn music playing]
[captivating music playing]
Up to 80% of the nitrogen
in these trees comes from the sea,
carried here in the bodies of the salmon.
It's the ocean
reaching far inland to feed the forest.
[music ends]
Not every salmon's journey
ends in the interior, though.
Thousands of carcasses
wash back down to the sea.
[gripping music playing]
Setting the scene
for the last big eagle feast of the year.
[raven cawing]
And if you want a seat at the table
- [squawking]
- you have to fight for it.
[screeching]
Luna is here too,
but on the edge of the fray.
[music ends]
At last, it's her turn.
[intense music playing]
[chitters]
[screeching]
Breaking a wing
would be a death sentence for Luna.
But there's more where that came from.
[screeching]
Unless Luna learns
to stand up for herself,
she's always going to lose out.
[valiant music builds up]
[Luna chittering]
[rousing music playing]
In the eagle world, it pays to be bold.
[screeches]
[music ends]
By early November, the sea wolf pack
is leaving the coast and heading inland.
And Cedar is leading the way.
The pups are close to full-grown
and can keep up on long journeys.
But back on the beach,
two wolves have slipped away.
[panting]
[captivating music playing]
[barking and whimpering]
It's up to Cedar
to keep an eye on the rest of the group.
She's had an unbelievable journey.
From outcast
- [howling]
- to trusted lieutenant.
For all the island's residents,
it's been a year of unprecedented events
and enormous challenges.
And those who've made it through
are now ready to take on whatever
the next year has in store for them
[howling]
on the island of the sea wolves.
[enthralling music playing]