Week 2 Story: The Alpaca and the Beasts
In days long past, there was a great and prosperous kingdom suddenly ravaged by drought and hardship. The once green fields had turned brown, and beasts prowled the countryside. Farmers fled from their herds, leaving for the safety of the keeps.
For the beasts, oxen were tough to hunt, as they banded together in large groups for protection. A lone beast watched the largest herd and had a great idea, he would have the oxen voluntarily come with him alone.
"Friends!" Exclaimed the beast as he boldly approached the herd. "Why are you staying here where the grass has died? There lies a lush meadow on the far side of the forest."
"Come no further beast. We know of your kinds hunger." Proclaimed the largest of the bulls. "And why would we go through that forest; it holds the den of your brothers."
"I have no hunger for oxen, your meat is too tough. I think only of your well being. As for my brothers, I know a path upon which they wont notice single oxen pass through. Should you follow me one at a time, we can reach the meadow safely."
The oxen debated this, for they were starving, and needed to find a new field. At last, they elected to send their oldest and most feeble with the beast. She bravely went upon the path with the beast to see the meadow, and told of it's beauty and plenty upon their return.
"See my friends, I would not lie to you." Smiled the beast.
And so the oxen followed the beast, one at a time through the forest. But none ever reached the meadow, for along the way, the beast and his brothers descended upon the lone oxen and devoured them. For many days, the beasts feasted on the unsuspecting herd, until the pasture was empty of all but a single oxen and an alpaca. As the last oxen was taken, the alpaca secretly followed, and witnessed the horrible affair. The alpaca ran from the field, following the path the humans had also escaped upon.
Meanwhile, in response to the worries of his people, the king of the land had dispatched knights to remove the beasts from the land. The alpaca happened upon these knights as they searched for the den.
"Sirs! I seek shelter from the beasts, save me and I shall tell you of their den!"
The men brought the frightened animal to the town, and he told them of the forest and of the oxen. They set a plan to trap the pack of beasts.
Early the next morning, the alpaca approached the lone beast in the fields. "Good beast! I have heard you took those oxen to beautiful meadow, would you be so kind as to show me as well?"
"Of course!" Replied the hungry beast.
And so the beast led the alpaca into the forest. The king's knights trailed behind in the bushes, waiting for their moment. As they approached the den, the hungry pack of beasts emerged from hiding and surrounded the alpaca. They jumped at their prey, but were met with the arrows of the king. So the beasts were ended and the alpaca led to the field of plenty.
Author's Note:
This story is based off The Cunning Crane and the Crab, in which a crane is able eat an entire pond of fish through trickery, but is then tricked in turn by an alpaca. Then, rather than having the beasts killed by the alpaca, since I made and entire pack of them, I also added the dynamic of the knights and the kingdom setting.
Bibliography:
The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse
"Friends!" Exclaimed the beast as he boldly approached the herd. "Why are you staying here where the grass has died? There lies a lush meadow on the far side of the forest."
"Come no further beast. We know of your kinds hunger." Proclaimed the largest of the bulls. "And why would we go through that forest; it holds the den of your brothers."
"I have no hunger for oxen, your meat is too tough. I think only of your well being. As for my brothers, I know a path upon which they wont notice single oxen pass through. Should you follow me one at a time, we can reach the meadow safely."
The oxen debated this, for they were starving, and needed to find a new field. At last, they elected to send their oldest and most feeble with the beast. She bravely went upon the path with the beast to see the meadow, and told of it's beauty and plenty upon their return.
"See my friends, I would not lie to you." Smiled the beast.
And so the oxen followed the beast, one at a time through the forest. But none ever reached the meadow, for along the way, the beast and his brothers descended upon the lone oxen and devoured them. For many days, the beasts feasted on the unsuspecting herd, until the pasture was empty of all but a single oxen and an alpaca. As the last oxen was taken, the alpaca secretly followed, and witnessed the horrible affair. The alpaca ran from the field, following the path the humans had also escaped upon.
Meanwhile, in response to the worries of his people, the king of the land had dispatched knights to remove the beasts from the land. The alpaca happened upon these knights as they searched for the den.
The men brought the frightened animal to the town, and he told them of the forest and of the oxen. They set a plan to trap the pack of beasts.
Early the next morning, the alpaca approached the lone beast in the fields. "Good beast! I have heard you took those oxen to beautiful meadow, would you be so kind as to show me as well?"
"Of course!" Replied the hungry beast.
And so the beast led the alpaca into the forest. The king's knights trailed behind in the bushes, waiting for their moment. As they approached the den, the hungry pack of beasts emerged from hiding and surrounded the alpaca. They jumped at their prey, but were met with the arrows of the king. So the beasts were ended and the alpaca led to the field of plenty.
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| The Beast |
Author's Note:
This story is based off The Cunning Crane and the Crab, in which a crane is able eat an entire pond of fish through trickery, but is then tricked in turn by an alpaca. Then, rather than having the beasts killed by the alpaca, since I made and entire pack of them, I also added the dynamic of the knights and the kingdom setting.
Bibliography:
The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse
Geoff, I really liked how you took the original story and put a new twist on it. I thought the beasts made a much more menacing villain to the story than the crane in the original, and the addition of the knights made for an interesting dynamic. I also really liked the image you included of the beasts, it gave a clear idea of how terrifying they're supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your story. I liked how you took a much darker and gritty approach to the story. I thought the writing and plot of your story was really tight. everything made logical sense and seemed much more grounded in reality - talking animals included - than the original story. You have a really good writing style and were able to convey a lot of imagery with limited words.
ReplyDeleteThis is real and raw writing and I appreciate that. I enjoyed the bits of suspense and the tying together of the story at the end. I always enjoy a good story full of imagination and creativity and this story was just that. This story was made very real in my mind and I was able to fully engage the entire time. Thank you for sharing! I look forward to reading more of your stories to come in the semester later on.
ReplyDeleteI thought the change of beasts in this story made for a much more dynamic situation. It sort of embodied the Jungle Book sort of best dynamics in my mind while I read it, where each creature does pose a threat to the others, but in the end it is the most cunning who win. The beast image itself you chose was perfectly terrifying, and of course, a tale of this sort would not be complete without the lesson at the end, which you added perfectly.
ReplyDeleteHi Geoff! I really enjoyed reading your story. I liked the way that you changed so many elements of the original Jataka Tale and made it your own while still keeping the true meaning of the story there. I think you did a great job with the details of your story. The descriptions and the language that you used made me feel like I was almost there! I look forward for reading more of your posts in the future!
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