Week 5 Storytelling: Aleah the She Wolf

Aleah grew up as the youngest of four siblings. She was 16 years old and had three older brothers. It was important for a girl to do household chores and take care of her husband; therefore, her parents were worried for Aleah because she was quiet and constantly sought knowledge of how the world worked instead of learning to cook and clean and take care of the house. They were worried no one would want to marry her, and they would have to take care of her for the rest of their lives. Her brothers, on the other hand, were ideal husbands. They were strong and able to help the parents with keep up with the fields and animals along with being proficient hunters and providers for the family.

Aleah always felt like she could never measure up to her brothers. She always felt out of place. She often spent time cleaning the house, making clothes, and preparing meals for the family with her mother. She loved taking care of the animals and tending to the fields, but her brothers mostly had those chores while she was stuck in the house. Aleah despised always staying in the house. She wanted to go out in the world and explore. She wanted to live with the animals and learn more about how the world works, but instead she was stuck seeing to the house, day in and day out.

One day it was announced that the king’s daughter had been kidnapped and disappeared into the forest. The king declared that whoever found and returned her home safely would receive a marvelous reward. When Aleah heard about this, she was determined to prove her abilities to her family and find the missing princess. She would no longer be treated like a child. When she told her parents of her plan to find the missing princess, they prohibited her from engaging in such behavior. This was a task for men, not women. Aleah was deeply upset with her parents’ response.

The next morning her father and brothers got ready for the journey to find the princess. Aleah and her mother prepared food for them to take and readied warm clothes for them to wear. Aleah was distraught about being left behind, and she felt even more like an outcast than before. When her family had left, she decided she was going to leave to go on the journey to find the princess too, but by herself. She prepared her things and left that night after her mother had gone to bed.

It started to snow as she wandered through the forest. She had been walking for hours and hadn’t found a place to sleep. She worried she was lost and would freeze to death if she didn’t find someplace out of the snow. As she kept walking she saw a large overhand in the mountain. She hurried toward it and found a large, dry cave. She crawled into it and quickly fell asleep.

The next day she woke up and ate some of her food. She left the cave to explore. She returned later that evening to her cave and fell asleep quickly. She awoke to the sounds of something screaming in terror. She ran out of the cave to find the source of the yelping. She saw a small wolf backed into a corner by a bear. Filled with fear she felt the urge to run the other way. The wolf cried out in terror. Then Aleah saw its leg matted with bright red blood. She became overwhelmed with a sense of urgency. She looked around and saw there was a boulder on the ledge above the bear. She climbed up the side of the mountain and pushed the boulder with all her might. The rock tumbled off the ledge and landed on the bear’s paw. It cried out in pain and ran away. The wolf had passed out and was starting to get buried in the snow. Aleah dragged the wolf to the cave from which she had emerged. She built a fire and tended to the wolf’s hurt leg. She then went back to sleep. When she awoke in the morning, she looked over to check on the wolf. Instead of a wolf she found a young boy with a bandage on his ankle. The boy stirred then lifted his head up and looked at Aleah.

“Hello?” Aleah whispered in amazement.

“You saved me,” the boy stated.

“Um, I guess?” Aleah replied.

“No, you did. I am forever in your debt.”

“Um, no don’t worry about it,” Aleah shrugged, “did you see a wolf here earlier?”

“No, I don’t see a wolf. Why were you in the woods?”

“Why were you in the woods?” she challenged.

“Could you help take me to my family?” he asked.

“I actually am looking for someone, but I suppose I could help you find your family, too.”

They left the next morning to look for his family. Aleah acted as a crutch as they walked through the forest. After hours of travelling he called out and some wolves appeared from the trees. Aleah grabbed the boy and tried to run, but he pulled her back. Then Aleah saw the princess among the wolves and stopped in awe. “This is my family,” he stated.

Aleah was confused. The princess walked up to her and took the boy on her shoulders.

“You’re hurt,” the princess stated.

“I would be dead if she hadn’t saved me,” he responded.

“We can never repay your kindness,” the princess said.

“Princess, what are you doing here?” Aleah questioned.

“I never felt like I belonged anywhere until I met them,” she stated motioning toward the wolves. 

“They’re the protectors of the forest, both man and wolf.  I joined them.”

“I want to join you all, too.” Aleah said hastily.

“Once you join them you can’t go back.”

Aleah nodded. She had always wanted to live with the animals. She was finally home.

 The Princess and the wolves

Author's Note: I read Santal Folklore by C. H. Bompas this past week. It was stories about animals that had very human characteristics so I thought I would incorporate that into my story. Except I actually made the wolves part human. I was trying something different so it isn't my favorite story that I've written, but it's different.