The Beginning of Challenges

   Avashantu realized as he was watching his young pup, Torania, that one day after he and his mate die that their son will rule their pack. Avashantu was unsure what to think of this, so he began preparing his young son. He walked his son across a valley and led him to a pond.

“Father, what is this?” asked Torania.
“Well son, this is where we will begin your training,” replied his father.

   Torania gasped then looked at his father in a worried way. Torania thought he wasn’t ready for any training. His father gave him a quick wink and told him to catch some fish, so his son looked deep into the clear blue water and sighed. He began thinking to himself about how to do his father’s wish.

   Well, there is more than one way, but Torania was only a young pup. What could he do? Avashantu was looking at him sternly and was waiting for his young pup to do something, so Torania started walking into the water waiting, watching for anything to happen.

   Eventually a tiny, gray fish came up next to Torania, so he lunged for the fish, but he wasn’t quick enough. The fish had gotten away, and his father looked very disappointed in his son. Then his mother, Anamalia, walked up and said, “ Avashantu, leave the poor pup alone. He’s not old enough to do any of your challenges.”

   Torania had gotten lucky that one evening, but now he was two years older. This time his father told him he had to hunt down and kill one bull elk, so here begins his real journey.

                                                                      
                                                                       The Start of the Journey


   The morning was bright and sunny. Today was the first day of Torania’s journey. He walked through the pack’s camp looking brave. All of the pack’s members wished him a safe and lucky trip, and then he disappeared into the distance.

   He was now in unfamiliar lands where possible danger lurked at every corner. Then he heard it. A low, evil sounding grunt, but this was no bull elk. No, it was a m*censored*ive grizzly bear. The bear stared into his eyes, and then began its charge. Torania ran as fast as he could, but the bear caught up to him. The bear had caught him by his tail. Torania was able to regain his balance and took a good started run. Now he had lost the bear, and was very relieved about that.

   Afterwards he decided to have a nice rest for the night, so he wandered through the woods until he found the perfect spot. It was a green meadow that had dandelions and sunflowers growing in it. It  was surrounded by trees to seclude it.  There was also a clear blue pond next to it. He looked around for food and he found the carc*censored* of an elk from an earlier kill. He was going to stay the long, dark night there, but in the morning the second day of the journey would begin.

   The following morning began rather quiet. The only sound was of a rabbit hopping quietly in the distance. Torania woke up and squinted as dawn began. The sun was only beginning to rise. Bringing with it pastel purples and pinks and expanding their color into the sky. Torania stretched and got up onto his feet.

   Once he had left he saw a herd of elk running by the lake, so he decided to go for it. He crept up carefully behind the herd, but suddenly they charged. He didn’t understand why until he looked up. There again was the bear.

                                                     
                                                  The First Hunt

   He ran as fast as his muscled legs could go. He ran back into an evergreen forest and quickly started seeking for a hiding place. Torania stopped when he found a patch of thorns with a space big enough for him to fit in.

   After the bear was gone he got back up and began his hunt for food. Eventually he saw a few rabbits not paying attention while they were eating some vegetation. He crept up to them quietly and pounced on one. He now had his meal.

   He finished eating up his rabbit and then started running through the forest just for fun. Then he ran into the herd of elk again. This time he set his eyes on one very particular bull elk that was in plain view and separated from the rest of the herd. This elk was rather large and Torania knew this would be the hardest challenge of his life.

   Torania was not very experienced at hunting, so he just starting running at full speed at the elk. The elk took off, but since he was alone there was nothing that would save him. Torania bound toward the elk and leaped onto his back, but he fell off. He then shook off what had just happened and ran toward the elk yet again. This time he leapt for the elk’s throat. He lunged and got its throat. Then the m*censored*ive elk fell to the ground, breathing its last breath.

                                                  The Way Back

   Torania dragged the elk back to where he had stayed at the night before. He didn’t eat any of the elk because it was a very important kill. In the morning he would have to drag the elk’s lifeless carc*censored* to his pack’s territory.

  Torania awoke in the morning feeling refreshed and rather lucky. He used his mouth to throw the carc*censored* over onto his back. Then he spotted the bear yet again but this time the bear didn’t want to attack him.

“Well, hello there!” exclaimed the bear.
“Hi? I thought you wanted to kill me all this time,” replied Torania.
“No, no why would I do that? Well, nevermind that question. My name is Berrano,” said the bear.
“Well, what could you possibly want from me now?” exclaimed Torania in a frustrated voice.
“ Whoa hold on there youngin’ you don’t have to be frustrated. I was chasing you to inform you about your father,” said Berrano.
“What about him?” questioned Torania.
“Well, he said you don’t have to take the challenge anymore. Which means you can drop that carc*censored* and come back home already.”
“So I did this all for nothing? What a waste. Oh well. Gets a load off my back,” replied Torania while placing the carc*censored* on the ground.

  Torania and Berrano took off back to the pack’s territory, but only now things were different. Berrano wasn’t chasing Torania and they were now friends. Which is rather good.