‘The Animal Child’
by Rosie Barwell

Grear

You won’t have heard my story before,
 my story is unique.
 I grew up with animals
 unlike any other –
 my parents
 and brothers and sisters
 were all black wolves
 that bit.

I lived with them ‘till I was seven
 and, during that time,
 I met Fauna
 a lot;
 she was like my grandmother.

Then, a couple of years ago
 someone hunted my family
 for their rare black wolf skin
 and they found me.

That is where I am now,
 in the village 
 they forced me to live in.
 Every time I run away
 they always bring me back.

Fauna

 I remember the first time 
 I saw this child.
 He was bounding around 
 a baby wolf.
 I remember hearing the wolf’s cry
 and him running off.
 I remember the times
 I was invited to their cave.
 I remember seeing him, every time
 until the hunter came.

I remember seeing him shooting
 shooting the black wolves.
 I remember seeing his shocked face
 once he’d spotted Grear.
 I remember him taking Grear
 to live in the closest village.
 I remember nothing else.
 That is all I remember.

Mama Wolf

 The day I saw him
 I knew he was mine.
 We loved him and offered him a home.
 This was until the day
 I spotted the hunter.
 I told Grear to run
 but he wasn’t quick enough
 and got caught.
 And then they took him away.
 I remember all the days he came back
 they took him away
 and then he didn’t come back.
 And now we never see him
 We don’t know where he is. 

Hunter

I remember when I was told to hunt
 anything I could find…