(Wolf howling: Pixabay)
Once upon
a time, there was a mother wolf that lived with her four baby wolves. They
lived on a mountain in their wolf den. Mother wolf did what a typical mother
would do: she found food for her kids, taught them, played with them, and most
importantly she kept them safe. She had to work extra hard because she lost
papa wolf to a huntsman. He sacrificed his life so she could get away and
return to their four baby wolves.
One day,
mother wolf was strolling along the mountain trying to find food and she came
upon something surprising. She heard a distant cry but was not sure what it
was. As she got closer, she noticed it was not food but it was a baby human.
The baby was crying and mother wolf could tell that it was hungry. So many
thoughts came across her mind. Ever since papa wolf died, she held a great
grudge against humans. She thought, “Where are the parents? What if I take this
baby in and when it gets older it will turn around and kill me? Am I betraying
papa wolf? Will this baby hurt my baby wolves at home? Maybe this is a trap?”
As she
was just about to leave, something inside of her would not let her. Mother wolf
was such a caring and loving mother, she couldn’t imagine leaving this baby in
the wilderness with nothing. This baby may be someone’s supper if she left.
After debating, she decided to take the baby. When she got home, her baby
wolves were all confused but she told them that this baby was their new sibling
and his name was Ailbe. They all played together, ate together, and grew up
together.
Many
years flew by, and all of mother wolf’s babies grew. She was even more
protective because she knew about the evil huntsmen. She told them to always be
careful and watch out for one another.
One day, a
hunter passed the wolves’ den and noticed something very different. He knew he
saw wolves but one of them looked more like a human. He followed them and
decided to capture that thing, which was Ailbe. Since Ailbe was not a wolf, he
could not outrun the hunter. The hunter quickly grabbed him and flew away.
Mother wolf heard a commotion outside and ran to see what it was. All she could
hear was Ailbe crying for help. At that moment, mother wolf was furious and she
had so many emotions running through her mind. She could not handle another
human taking away someone she loved. She ran as fast as she could with her
children right by her side. After many miles, mother wolf did not want to stop
but her body would not go any further. All she could see was the hunter with
her Ailbe disappearing.
Ever
since that day, mother wolf has never been the same. She was very sad. Her
children tried to make her laugh but it just wasn’t the same without Ailbe. She
prayed each day for Ailbe to return but he never did. Many years passed, and
mother wolf was still wondering where in this world Ailbe would be. She finally
decided that she was going to go look for him.
As mother
wolf entered a town nearby, she sensed something weird. All of a sudden, she
noticed huntsmen running towards her and she heard loud sounds of horns. She thought
to herself, “Oh no, I have to find Ailbe, and if that means dying then it will
all be worth it.” She knew Ailbe had to be in that town but she just didn’t
know where. As she was running through the town, the huntsmen were getting
closer and closer to her. This brought back so many memories. Mother wolf
started to think about the time when she was being chased by hunters which cost
the life of papa wolf. It also brought back sad memories of when she was
running after the hunter that took Ailbe.
Mother wolf
could only run so far. As she knew she was about to get caught by the huntsmen,
she called out a great howl. As soon as she called out that howl, she noticed a
young man. He looked very different, but they had a quick connection. She
recognized his eyes and was certain this was Ailbe. This young man demanded the
huntsmen stop and not hurt the wolf at all.
As mother
wolf walked up to Ailbe, he recognized her as well. He told mother wolf that he
would protect her because she once protected him. He then explained to her that
long ago, a prince took him away so now he is a Bishop. He promised to keep
mother wolf and his brother wolves safe for now on. He also invited them every
day to come eat at his palace so they can all eat as a family like before. Mother
wolf was happy, not because she didn’t have to worry about finding food for her
children, but because she found Ailbe, whom she loved the most. The humans and
wolves then became really good friends and they all lived happily ever after
together.
Author's
Note: I was
inspired to write this story after reading “The Wolf-Mother of Saint Ailbe.” I
really liked how the story started and ended so I kept mine very similar to it.
In my story, I wanted to focus on a character I found interesting. Mother wolf
was a really big character when I first read this story so I wanted to turn
this story around and explain it from her point of view. I thought it would be
interesting to show how mother wolf felt and what she went through. I also
added a character in my story, which was papa wolf. I added him because I
wanted to show how great a wolf family’s love could be. I wanted to show that
mother wolf still had memories of papa wolf and she was not willing to lose
another loved one to the evil huntsmen.
I chose
this story because I think it goes along well with the other story that I
already have in my portfolio. In my other story “A Good Fortune,” two brothers are
told to work together to find good fortune by their dying father. The loyal son
continued to do what their father told them to but the careless son gave up and
left. At the end, the loyal son became wealthy. The two stories are different
because one is about a wolf family and the other is about a poor family, but
they both send out a similar message. A parent’s love will never fail and sacrificing
things will be worth it in the end.
Bibliography: The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown. Link to The Wolf-Mother of Saint Ailbe
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