by Susannah Orwoll
Never written about in the history books, there lived in a certain forest a great hunter wolf, the most powerful creature who was ever seen.
His whole pack was excessively frightened of him, and his mother frightened still more.
This old mother had great fear for him and his mighty fangs.
It suited the wolf so extremely well that everyone called him Great Grey Hunting Fang.
One day his mother, afraid and wanting him to leave, said to him, "Go, Great Grey, and find a bridge across the creek. We will need it if we are going to travel this winter."
Instead, Great Grey Hunting Fang, who did not want to help, set out immediately to go to his friend, who lived in a different pack.
As he was going through the wood, he saw a girl, who had a great mind to take his pelt, but she knew the forest needed wolves, and he had not threatened her.
She asked him where he was going.
The hungry wolf, who did not know it was dangerous to deceive a girl, said to her, "I am going to see my grandmother to tell her of a herd of deer scented to the west."
"Does she live far off?" said the girl.
"Oh I say," answered Great Grey Hunting Fang, "it is beyond that river you see, at the first rock in the hills."
"Well," said the girl, "and I'll go and see her too. I'll go this way and go you that, and we shall see who will be there first."
The girl ran as fast as she could, taking the shortest path, and the wolf took a roundabout way, boasting to all friends that he could find that he had caught a succulent morsel to eat.
It was not long before the girl arrived at the pack's territory. She rapped on the rock: tap, tap.
"Who's there?"
"A friend of your grandchild, Great Grey Hunting Fang," replied the girl, raising her voice, "who has come to tell you of a herd of deer scented to the west."
Great Grey's friend, who had known she was coming and was ready, cried out, "Come around the rock, and I will be ready to meet you."
The girl came around the rock, and the pack was waiting, and they leapt at her to devour her, for there was no grandmother. But the girl drew her knife and slew the pack, for it had been more than three days since she'd had a good fight. She then took the pelt and slipped it on, expecting Great Grey Hunting Fang, who came some time afterward and rapped on the rock: tap, tap.
"Who's there?"
Great Grey Hunting Fang, hearing the high voice of the girl, was at first confused, but believing his friend was too strong to be beaten by anything, answered, "It is your friend Great Grey Hunting Fang, who has come to help hunt the succulent morsel I've caught."
The girl cried out to him, lowering her voice as much as she could, "Come around the rock and we will wait for it."
Great Grey Hunting Fang came around the rock and saw his friend.
The girl, seeing him come around, said to him, pulling the wolf pelts tighter around her, "Come sit by me on this tussock and we will wait for the morsel together."
Great Grey Hunting Fang shrugged off his travel dust and came to sit. He was greatly amazed to see his friend after so long apart and said to him, "Why friend, what a strange tail you have."
"All the better to brush the earth, Great Grey."
"Why friend, what strange paws you have."
"All the better to hunt with, Great Grey."
"Why friend, what strange ears you have!"
"All the better to hear with, Great Grey."
"Why friend, what strange eyes you have!"
"All the better to see with, Great Grey."
"Why friend, what strange claws you have got!"
"All the better to cut you up with."
And, saying these words, the clever girl fell upon Great Grey Hunting Fang, and slew him with her knife.
Moral: Wolves, especially crafty, powerful great wolves, should never underestimate strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide a coat for one. I say "stranger," but there are various kinds of them. There are also those who are beautiful, charming, lovely, graceful, and strong. And in truth, it is these she-wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all.
Susannah Orwoll is a student at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor's in English with a focus on Creative Writing, as well as a Minor in Linguistics. She has been writing since her youth and aspires to become a children's science-fiction and fantasy author and has a passion for space history and astronomy. Susannah is set to graduate in the spring of 2022.
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