Storytelling: week 3 How the Crane Found the Wolf

It was a cold winter night when the wolf met up with the Crane. The wolf had been walking around for days looking for food but the snow had made it difficult to find any prey. Finally the Wolf caught a whiff of a deer that a hunter must have lost because it smelt a few days old. Luckily the cold weather had preserved the deer and it was just right for eating to the wolf, so he began his feast. Being a few days without food made the wolf eat so fast he was practically inhaling the meat. He noticed that there was something caught deep down his throat. He tried to cough but it would not budge. He looked at the feast and realized he must have swallowed a deer rib. He decided he needed help getting the bone out so he started his journey up the cold mountain side seeking help. He came across a pack of coyotes. “Brothers!” the wolf cried. He made motions to the bone stuck in his throat. “Is there something we can do for you?” asked the leader of the pack. The wolf managed to say “Yes! Please help me with this bone,” as he opened his mouth. The coyote laughed and said “Remember that time you told us about the farmer’s calf and how he never checks on them at night? Well you were wrong. We lost one of our strongest pack members to the farmer’s buckshot. Why would we help you when you only want to help yourself?” The wolf hung his head and went on to look for more help. He soon came across a shepherd guarding his sheep. The shepherd ran towards the wolf with his staff and wacked him on the head. The wolf again pleaded for help. The shepherd responded with a laugh, “Why on earth would I help you, think of how many sheep you have stolen from me.” The wolf couldn’t help but understand why his enemies would not help him. He went away from the shepherd to lie down and prepare to die with the deer rib in his throat. Suddenly he heard a noise; it was a crane that had landed right beside him.  “Are you the wolf with the bone stuck in your throat?” asked the crane. He had heard all the animals telling of how the wolf was in desperate need of assistance. The wolf nodded. “Well I think I could be of some help to you, but you must make me a promise? You must never eat a single crane.” The wolf agreed on the terms of the crane and soon the crane had pulled the bone out with his large beak. “Thank you!” the wolf exclaimed. “Now as for that promise, I do not see any one else with you, therefore I did not eat a single crane,” with that the wolf turned and ran up the mountain side to find the deer he had left and finish his meal. 

Author's Note:
I chose the story The Wolf and the Crane because I thought it was entertaining the first time I read it. I thought it would be a good idea to take a different approach, which was that the wolf did not have any friends because he was so greedy. I wanted to show that he was not concerned about others well-being. I decided to show the wolf's journey to finding help from the crane to remove the bone in his throat. I tried to make my retelling of the story very descriptive to give the reader a good mental image. In the original story, the wolf tried to get anyone he met to take out the bone from his throat. The wolf came across a crane that said if the wolf would make a promise then he would take the bone out. He had the wolf lay on his side and he stuck his head inside the wolf’s mouth to get the bone. The wolf had said he would do anything to have the bone out and after it was out the crane asked for his reward. The wolf responded with how the crane was lucky he stuck his head into his mouth without the wolf ending his life.

Bibliography
"The Wolf and the Crane." by Joseph Jacobs from The Fables of Aesop (1894).
story source



picture source
I think this picture does a good job of indicating the Wolf's character.