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First Story

Creative writing charity for young people

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‘The Animal Child’
by Rosie Barwell

Melior Academy, Scunthorpe, 2019

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…

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