Week 1 Storytelling: The Young Lone Wolf

The Young Lone Wolf

One night, the young lone wolf was stalking the old hare late into the night. The old hare caught the wolf’s scent, and he decided to speak with the wolf, for he knew he was too old and frail to flee from him.

            “Why waste your time hunting old hares, like me, when there is a herd of deer just past the bear’s den?” asked the old hare.

            “I dare not attack that herd, for the bear is feeding on the young fawn. I am a young lone wolf, and am too small to fight the large bear.”

            “I know of an ancient, secret magic,” lied the old hare, “that will allow you to become larger even than the bear. If you spare me this night, I can teach you this magic so that you will not only be fed this night, but for many nights to come.”

            The young lone wolf considered what the old hare had proposed. He knew the only disadvantage he had against the bear was his size, but if what the old hare had said was true, he would gladly trade his meal this hour for many meals in the nights to come. The young lone wolf agreed and the old hare instructed the young lone wolf what he must do for the magic to work. The old hare kept the young lone wolf busy with foolish errands until dawn.

(The Young Lone Wolf)

“It has worked even better than I thought!” lied the hare as he pretend to look amazed at the young lone wolf’s size.

            The young lone wolf did not feel like he had grown, but as the sun rose, it cast a long shadow behind the young lone wolf. He gawked in amazement, and immediately ran off to the herd of deer before the magical effects wore off.

            The young lone wolf was stopped at the bear’s den by the large bear. The bear was still much larger than the young lone wolf, and he cast a far longer shadow. With one strong strike of his paw, the bear sent the young lone wolf back from where he came.

            When the young lone wolf returned home, the old hare was gone; the young lone wolf then spent another day with an empty stomach.


Author's Note: This story is based on the fable The Wolf and His Shadow, which can be found in Aesop for Children, illustrated by Milo Winter . The original fable tells the story of a wolf who sees his own shadow as the sun sets, causing him to think himself much larger and much greater than he really is. He then decides he should be king instead of the lion. When he goes to challenge the lion, he immediately finds himself under the much larger shadow cast by the lion and is killed.
           When I first read the fable, I thought, 'Wolves aren't in Africa with lions, are they?' so I changed the lion character into a bear. Wolves and bears sometimes compete for food, so this made sense to me. Of course, now that I think about it, the lion could have been a mountain lion, which would have made sense, but oh well. I also added the hare, because I like a story with some deception in it. The deception wasn't life threatening, too, so the wolf gained the opportunity to learn from his mistake. The lessons I would like the wolf to learn are: pride comes before the fall, and NEVER trust a bunny.

Works Cited
"The Wolf and His Shadow" by Aesop, from Aesop for Children (2006). Web Source: www.gutenberg.org