The Attack on the Great Elk
Jona reached the last of the trees and stopped just before he stepped out in the open. Out on the plain the Great Elk lay sleeping. It was a towering beast, capable of leveling mountains and flattening villages in one stride. Not only that, it was a killer. Hundreds of Jona's people had been taken by the beast. It didn't eat them, no, it was an herbivore. This thing killed for sport but that was over now.Years ago, Jona's mother had prayed to the Spirits for an end to the terrible beast. The Spirits had answered by giving her Jona. His entire life he had prepared for this and now, finally, his training had come to an end. His mother had finished making his powerful bow and his strong arrows. He had taken them up and trekked to the land where the Great Elk dwelt.
Unfortunately, with the large plain between himself and the beast, there was no way to get close enough to kill it. The Elk was said to have impenetrable hide. Besides that, it had a great sense of smell. If it sensed him, one thrust of its mighty antlers would end his life.
Jona was contemplating how he would tackle the problem when he saw the ground tremble beneath him and he realized it was Gopher, the digger of the ground. Jona knelt and tapped the earth until Gopher appeared.
"I need your help," Jona told Gopher, "today I am going to kill the Great Elk but I can't do it alone."
Now Gopher hated the Great Elk. One step of its giant hoof smashed the earth and killed any gopher underneath. He personally knew many gophers who had been lost that way. Therefore, he was eager to help Jona and together they schemed.
Finally, Gopher tunneled his way to the Great Elk and began gently gnawing at its powerful hair.
"What are you doing?" The Elk demanded.
"Just collecting some hair for my nest," Gopher responded before hurrying away. The hair he had collected was around the Elk's chest.
When the Gopher returned, Jona followed the hole until he reached the beast. Then he readied his bow and arrow, aimed for the patch Gopher had created, and fired. He penetrated the weakness in the Elk's tough coat but did not immediately kill it. Instead, the Elk leapt to its feet and in a blind rage it ran this way and that, furrowing its antlers into the ground, creating large troughs and mounds, what are now rivers and mountains.
It ran and ran until finally, it collapsed.
Jona left the hole once it was safe and hurried to the Elk's body. The fur would be perfect, he knew, to wear as armor, Meanwhile, the antlers would be the only weapon there was which would be able to harm his next foe.
Quickly, he skinned the Elk and hacked off its antlers. Then he turned toward the home of man's next nemesis. The Great Eagles.
Author's Note
This week, I have been really busy. I didn't even get to both readings. I am traveling and have exams in other classes so suffice to say it has been a bit hectic. Sadly, I wasn't able to come up with anything super creative. I copied part of one of the stories I read in the Hero Tales. If you are interested, follow the link and check out the original!
Attack on Giant Elk, from the Hero Tales Unit by Stith Thompson
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Hi Elyse,
ReplyDeleteWe all have those weeks where we feel like there is just too much on your plate. Good for you for still posting a story though! In your author's note you said you didn't have time to get very creative but retelling a story as well as you did does take some serious creativity. Your dialogue was great and the story ran very smoothly. Good Job!
Hey Elyse!
ReplyDeleteI can relate to having a crazy last week. It seems like all of my classes are trying to cram every little thing before the semester wraps up. Even though you said you wrote it quickly, I think you did a really good job of keeping the original feel and vibe while at the same time adding a personal touch.
Best,
JD
Hello, Elyse!
ReplyDeleteLet me just say that I thought that you still managed to produce a creative story despite your hectic schedule! I never thought that an elk would have such a bloodlust! I hope you decide to write another story about Jona’s battle with the Great Eagles!
Hey again Elyse, great recap here. I know that things always get busy around this time in the semester, but I think that it always helps to just sit down and write. That is- we can still get better at writing even when it is just putting pen to paper (or keystroke to screen!) So, props for still getting the story finished and posted. Sometimes a closely following recant like this is exactly what a situation may call for. Plus- it is always fun to write with animals as characters :)
ReplyDeleteHey there Elyse,
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to having a crazy week, because at this point my entire semester has been a crazy week. With Capstone, labs and trying to get those pesky freshman credits I never got, its been a packed semester. You did a fantastic job of keeping the original plot of the story, and then making it into your own!
Hey Elyse, totally get what you're talking about when you say crazy week. The end of the semester is never the most fun but we're almost there. Aside from that chaos I think you did a really good job with this story. I enjoyed reading it and I thought you put your own spin on it in a successful way. It was easy to follow and to know what story you based your retelling from. Good job.
ReplyDelete