Canku Ota

(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

August 24, 2002 - Issue 68

Thunderhawk - The Legend of the Dragon’s Tail - Part 2

By this time, little Paddy O’Malley and several of the other little mice were really scared. They had watched Brogan very closely as he told the story of the Devil Dragon. Brogan had been very animated. His arms, eyes, expressions and body language had all made the story very real. Most of the little mice were unable even to speak at this point in the scary tale.

Brogan had been talking a little more softly with each sentence as he led up to the point where the Devil Dragon was about to attack Thunder Jack. Now he screamed at the top of his lungs, “Not Thunder Jack!” At this sudden loud utterance, all the little mice screamed out loud at the same time and hugged each other for a feeling of safety. Brogan continued, “This is what Autumn screamed just as the Devil Dragon was ready to eliminate Thunder Jack with another fireball. Then the huge beast recoiled in anger. His thirst for blood had overwhelmed him. While Autumn had held him under her spell earlier, this fierce encounter had caused his blood to boil with hatred toward the human creatures.”

Lorcan landed on the ground in a fit of rage. He reached back where Autumn had been standing and grabbed him with his front right claw. He held her up to his eyes and let out an earsplitting sound as his eyes looked toward the sky. Autumn was petrified with fear. She could never have expected the beast to turn on her.

As Lorcan stared hatefully at Autumn, Thunder Jack rallied the warriors to a spot just over the hill from the dragon. He spoke to the warriors and said, “This beast is formidable. I’m not sure what we can do to kill it. I am happy that Autumn is no longer in control and if he kills her, then that’s okay. It saves us from having to do it!” The others nodded their heads in agreement.

Meanwhile, as Lorcan stared in anger at Autumn, his eyes once again beheld her exceptional beauty. His mind began spinning around and thinking confused thoughts. A moment ago he had been about to destroy her, but now he was becoming disoriented. As Autumn saw the great beast hesitating, she immediately began speaking softly to him. She said, “You are so impressive my pet. I love how strong and powerful you are. I love when you listen to me and do as I say. Your reward will be great for pleasing me!” The dragon began to shift his head back and forth as she spoke, much like a dog hearing something of interest.

Autumn was now resuming control over the great beast. She had learned a valuable lesson. She must now remember not to get the beast too angry or she may lose control of it again. This time she had been lucky. She had regained control.

As the beast melted back under Autumn’s control, she again smiled an evil smile. She still had a chance to gain her vengeance on Thunder Jack and the other Cherokee brothers. Autumn climbed back onto Lorcan’s back and ordered him to fly away. She wanted to put a little more time into training him. She didn’t want any more mistakes or missed opportunities. As the Devil Dragon lifted off the ground, Autumn let out one of her evil hysterical sounding laughs.

Thunder Jack and the other Cherokees looked up in time to see Autumn back in control and the huge beast flying away from them. As they watched, Autumn turned and screamed out, “I’m coming back to kill all of you! You can’t run and you can’t hide from my precious pet! Thunder Jack! You! You’ll die last, just as I will command my pet! Farewell for now you pathetic little men!” Then she laughed demonically again as the dragon faded into the distance.

Thunder Jack and the other Cherokees stared in disbelief. It was some time before any of them spoke a word. Then, it was Thunder Jack who spoke saying, “Brothers. Today we lost a great leader.”

Raven Feather would be dearly missed. Some even shed tears for the great loss. Raven Feather had trained every one of them and had led the tribe with great wisdom, knowledge and incredible bravery. They wondered how they would ever be able to replace him. Thunder Jack had once been a fierce warrior and many had thought that he would be the next leader of the tribe, but since Autumn had turned him into a wolf, it seemed slightly far-fetched to think that he could successfully lead them into battle.

Thunder Jack sensed their feelings and immediately addressed them by saying, “I know what you are thinking. I am not afraid of the beast or of your doubts. I will lead anyone who will follow to victory over this vile creature. I have more power than you may think in this situation. Yes, Autumn hates all of you as well, but if you think over her last words, she is going to save me for last. The poor fool is still obsessed with me. If we plan carefully, we can kill Autumn first and then kill the beast. The only logical explanation here is that the beast is in love with Autumn. If we kill her first, the beast will be momentarily distracted. He will then go into a rage and try his best to kill us. If you wish me to lead you and hear the rest of my plan, then meet me here tomorrow morning. If you decide against it, then that is fine and I will kill the beast myself.”

The others were hurt by his words but appreciated him giving the opportunity to think the situation over. They all struggled with the decision that night. They loved and respected Thunder Jack, but this situation was life or death for the entire tribe against an unfamiliar enemy with tremendous powers.

At first light the next morning Thunder Jack appeared at the meeting spot as he had said he would. There were seven warriors waiting for him. Thunder Jack thanked them for coming. They did not judge the others but simply set out to plan for their upcoming battle with the Devil Dragon.

Thunder Jack led the men in the direction That Lorcan had flown. As they walked, he spoke to them. “The Great Creator is with us. We will defeat the mighty beast and Autumn. They will never bother our people again. This battle is final. One side will lose all. It will not be us!” The others nodded their heads in agreement. Then there was silence and the brave men moved very skillfully, making no noise as they moved through the forest. All of their senses were on full alert.

As thy neared the top of a hill one of the warriors stopped and raised his hand as to say, “stop”. They all stopped and listened. No one moved or made a sound for about ten minutes. Then they heard a woman’s voice in the distance. Then they heard the sound of the dragon breathing fire followed by the sadistic laughter that Autumn used when she saw something evil or hateful.

The men carefully crept to the crest of the hill and lay on their stomachs so that they could see what was happening. Down in the valley below by the river they saw Autumn and the Devil Dragon. They seemed to be working on some type of tactical communication and attack plan. Autumn would scream out words that they could not understand and the dragon would do some maneuver or act like he was attacking some unseen enemy.

Thunder Jack softly whispered for the men to follow him back down the hill a little ways. He said, “Men. This is our best opportunity. We have the complete element of surprise. We must not fail. This is what we are going to do.” He began to draw in the soft dirt with his right front paw. He strategically placed his men in positions that they could get to without being seen. He told them that once they were in position he would suddenly attack and kill Autumn. This should momentarily cause the huge beast to hesitate. Then his men were to rise up quickly and fire arrows into Lorcan’s eyes to blind him. Then Thunder Jack would run up the dragons back and look for any weaknesses in his armor around his throat so that he could kill the huge beast.

Thunder Jack thanked his brave brothers and wished them success. Then he said, “Men, we cannot fail. Let us take the battle to the beast and show it that we can never be defeated!” Then the men quietly slipped away to take their positions. Thunder Jack climbed back to the top of the hill to watch for the time when his men were set. It took awhile as they were all highly skilled in concealing their movements. Once they were in place, Thunder Jack began to creep down into the valley to a point near Autumn. He patiently waited for a moment when the beast was away from her and then struck like lightning. As Thunder Jack struck Autumn he knocked her to the ground. She let out an agonizing sound that Lorcan heard. The great beast looked toward Autumn just as Thunder Jack moved to finish her. She screamed out in fear as the huge wolf attacked again. Lorcan was stunned. He stood still momentarily and was filled with rage. Suddenly the warriors stood up and fired their deadly arrows straight into the dragon’s eyes. Lorcan let out a thundering sound of pain and anger. The arrows had found their marks. Lorcan was blinded.

Thunder Jack ran up the giant beasts back and went straight for its throat. The dragon was huge so its neck was incredibly large. However, Thunder Jack had been hunting all of his life and he knew where to strike. As Thunder Jack attacked the neck of the beast it fought back. Its huge razor sharp claws found their mark in Thunder Jacks back. It created a huge wound but Thunder Jack knew that he had to hold his grip. The huge beast thrashed around and ripped Thunder Jack again and again. Each time the claws tore flesh from the wolf. The other warriors looked on in disbelief as Thunder Jack was actually killing the huge beast. Lorcan began to gasp for air and his resistance became weaker and weaker. The other Cherokees were cheering as the huge beast fell to the ground with a thunderous sound and breathed its last breath.

They all ran over to celebrate with Thunder Jack but they were horrified when they saws the terrible wounds that he had sustained as he valiantly fought the dreadful beast. Thunder Jack was gasping for air. The men looked on in horror as they knew wondered what they could do. As Thunder Jack lay there suffering his eyes slowly looked around at each man. He looked directly into their eyes and they each knew that he was grateful for their bravery and for being a part of the battle to kill the beast. As Thunder Jack breathed a long desperate breath his physical body returned to that of a man. The other men were stunned. Thunder Jack was a huge man with very distinctive handsome features. They all went to work at once tending to his grotesque wounds. Then they carefully carried him back to the rest of the tribe.

The tribe celebrated the great victory and thanked the Great Creator for helping their brave warriors in their battle. They immediately voted to have Thunder Jack become the tribal leader. Thunder Jack healed slowly but regained his incredible strength and went on to be a legendary leader. Thunder Jack and his bravery would never be forgotten!

Later that fall the tribe returned to the battle scene and cut the huge beast into pieces. They did as Thunder Jack had said. They spread the beast like fertilizer. The only part of the beast that never returned to the soil was its scales. They remain scattered throughout Deals Gap to this day!” said Brogan.

All the little mice started talking at once. Brogan had to ask them to raise their hands and wait to be called on so that he could answer their questions. The first mouse called on was little Paddy O’Malley. He said, “Mr. Brogan…if the bad dragon got killed, them how come some people say that one day he will come back. Even you said that earlier tonight! How can that be?”

Brogan cleared his throat, “Aaaaaah Hmmmm. Yes. It is true. There is more to the story than what I told you tonight, but the evil Spirit Woman Autumn had cast a spell on Lorcan after she first gained control of him. Her spell was that if he were killed, at some time in the future the Devil Dragon would be raised from the dead when his name had been repeated 657 times. There is no way to know how many times its been mentioned so far. The spell said that when Lorcan returned he could never be killed again. Her goal was for Lorcan to gain control of Mother Earth and then she would return to join him in the form of another dragon and they would live happily ever after to rule Mother Earth together. That is why it is unwise to even think about that evil creature.” Then other mice asked him many questions, but little Paddy O’Malley was mesmerized by the story. He knew that he just had to go up to Deals Gap and try to find a scale from Lorcan.

That night little Paddy couldn’t sleep (many other little mice who heard the frightening story couldn’t sleep that night either). He kept thinking about the Devil Dragon and how his scales had been spread throughout Deals Gap. He was trying to think of a way to get his family to go up there with him. He was far too afraid to go by himself, but he just had to try to find a scale or two.

The next morning he jumped up and tried to talk Papa O’Malley into going with him to Deals Gap. Papa said no. Little Paddy tried every mouse he knew. They all said the same thing, “No!” He was discouraged and went to sit and think about a way to get up there. A little voice started talking inside his little head. It said, “Paddy! It’s time to grow up! Think about what Thunder Jack would have done! Are you a man or a mouse?” Paddy said out loud, “I’m a mouse!” Then the voice continued saying, “Okay, forget that. Are you a mouse or a chicken? Just be brave like Thunder Jack and go up there alone!” Little Paddy shook his head in an attempt to get the voice to stop talking. However, he did have to admit it. Thunder Jack wouldn’t be afraid to go up to Deals Gap alone. So he said to himself, “I’m going!” Off he went.

Thunderhawk and Blaze were in the vicinity and were surprised to little Paddy running off through the woods by himself. They looked and looked but didn’t see any of the other mice. Paddy seemed very sure of himself as he ran full speed through the woods of happy valley. The two hawks simply circled high above him to keep an eye on his progress. Paddy ran and ran and ran. Finally he was growing tired and getting scared as well. As he ran his imagination began to run away with him. He began to think that he was hearing all kinds of strange noises. Then Brogans words started echoing in his ears, “When his name has been spoken 657 times Lorcan will reappear.” Then Paddy started to wonder how many times the name might have been spoken and he got even more frightened.

Even though he was tired he still ran like the wind. He actually arrived at Deals Gap much sooner that he would have expected. He climbed up to the highest point to take a good look around. He was amazed at how beautiful it was there.

Even though little Paddy was exhausted and afraid he really wanted to find a piece of a scale from the Devil Dragon. He started looking all around. He searched and searched and searched but didn’t find anything. Poor little Paddy O’Malley was getting so tired. Finally he just had to rest for few minutes. He climbed into a small hole at the base of a tree and fell fast asleep.

Thunderhawk and Blaze both knew that if Paddy slept too long he would never make it home in the daylight and nighttime can be very dangerous for a little mouse. They both realized how lucky little Paddy had been to get all the way up to Deals Gap by himself without getting into deep trouble. They began to wonder why he had come up there by himself. Then Blaze had a thought. She asked Thunderhawk if he thought that little Paddy had gone up there looking for scales from the Devil Dragon. Thunderhawks eyes lit up. He said, “I think that you might be right Blaze! That’s got to be it! We can really surprise that little guy and help him out at the same time.” Blaze said, “What are you thinking?” Thunderhawk explained that he wanted to go find one or two pieces of the scales for Paddy while Blaze kept an eye on the little mouse. Blaze agreed and off went Thunderhawk.

It wasn’t long before he returned carrying two pieces of dragon scale. Blaze smiled broadly. Thunderhawk said, “Now, let’s pick him up gently and fly him back to happy valley where he’ll be safe. We’ll drop these next to him and when he wakes up we’ll see if that was what he was looking for!” Blaze loved the idea and she gently picked him up and flew towards happy valley. Thunderhawk flew right beside her with their gift of the dragon scales for the little mouse.

The two hawks gently set little Paddy down near his home ground and nudged him awake. He was at first terrified to see the two huge birds but they immediately flew away. Paddy jumped up and looked around in fear. Then his eyes beheld an incredible sight! He saw the two pieces of the dragons scales that had been left next to him. He also suddenly realized how close to home he was!

Paddy grabbed the pieces of scales and ran for home. He made up an incredible story of the danger he had encountered and how Thunder Jack’s spirit had given him incredible bravery. He then explained that Thunder Jack had spoken to him from the spirit world and told him where to find the dragons scales.

Little Paddy O’Malley gained a piece of local fame that day long ago. It was a great adventure and he should have been proud of his bravery. However, lying is a terrible thing. The Great Creator frowned on Paddy’s lies and made him feel awful from guilt. Finally Paddy could bear the guilt no more and told everyone the truth. He didn’t really know exactly what had happened, but he truly had felt Thunder Jack’s brave spirit that day. He was forgiven and still remained a celebrity of sorts since he did go all the way up to Deals Gap alone. And no matter how, he did have two pieces of Lorcans sales!

The Great Creator smiled at Paddy’s honesty and all was well again in happy valley!

The End.

©2002 Geoff Hampton

Geoff Hampton is an internationally known author, speaker, motivator and business consultant. He is also the Director of Marketing for Indian Voices newspaper and may be reached by E-Mail at GEOFFLHAMPTON@aol.com. Hampton also has a regular wellness/fitness management column at www.fitcommerce.com

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