It is late January, 2021 and I´m awake at 2 am when I hear this loud whining sound that seems to come from inside the house, then another sound that is like a growling animal sound, loud, but I am still focused on the darkness inside, searching for the sound. Then I realize it is coming from outside, and I open the blinds to look out the front window of our San Rafael home, and I see a wolf standing at the edge of the sidewalk in front of the door, his long snout angled up, howling at the moon. Wolves use a variety of sounds to communicate. When the pack howls together they create a chorus, similar to humans. They overlay their voices, characterized by rapid pitch changes and wavering howls. Wolves are very rare in California, but I know this one resides locally. Sofia, on the other end of the house, is awakened and recognizes the call of the wolf. I listen to the howling like it´s music. Is this a sign? A few years ago there was a mountain lion in the same spot in front of our doorway. It reminds me of Aldo Leopold´s lesson about wolves in "Thinking Like A Mountain" that characterizes ecological thinking. "Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf." Having once believed that the eradication of predators, the wolf and mountain lion, would preserve the deer, but didn´t recognize the imbalance it caused, Aldo transformed his thinking to recognize the wolf with a sentiment of ecological integrity. He understood the nature and mystery of the howl. I listen for several minutes, amazed that the animal does not go away, and the howling is louder than any other animal I´ve heard outside. I look through the peephole of the door and he´s in the same position howling, and as soon as I open the door, the wolf runs away.