The Different Gazelle
Clearwater Bay School, Gemma Duncan, Fiction: Group 5
Chapter 1
Gazelles are remarkable creatures, brown skinned and white underbellies. The goitered gazelle, or
the black tailed gazelle, has these things, but as well as a short black tail. Now that I have told you
what they look like, reader, you should see them in your mind. This story will be about a special
gazelle, called Hugh.
Hugh was different than other black-tailed gazelles. He had brown skin, brown eyes and a
short black tail, but his legs spoke different from his tribe of gazelles. The problem was exactly
that Hugh had a limp left leg. It hung back as he dragged it through the hot sand, trailing after
his mother, Iris.
Iris was a caring mother for Hugh, but sometimes it embarrassed her immensely that her son
was different. His father, however, had a completely different approach. It tore his life away to
find out his only born son was disgruntled in his tribe of gazelles. Rhys never forgot the day his
son was born…
In the heat of the sun and the endless sand, a few rocks huddled together, near a small ditch
of water. Dry bushes littered the land as if scattered carelessly. Here in this spot lived the Tribe
of Endless Sand, or the tribe of gazelles. 16 gazelles thrived there, drinking little and eating the
grass they could find. It was always burning hot, and on one day a strong gazelle was drinking
slowly near his tribe. Another gazelle, Alexus, leaped towards him, panic on her slim face.
“Rhys! Rhys! Your wife is giving birth!”
The broad-shouldered gazelle looked up quickly. “What?”
“Hurry!” Alexus bleated, turning towards the small cavern, this time another following her.
Inside the cavern, a lady gazelle lay, breathing heavily and honking loudly, as five gazelles
stood by her. Rhys pushed through, and placed a hoof on her shoulder, breathing words of comfort.
Hours later, Iris took her newborn baby who had started to suck and licked him. She was so
happy-Rhys’s face was beaming with happiness. Gazelles began to gather towards the baby.
The baby gazelle turned his face towards his father-and smiled a gazelle smile. The celebration
dulled as he limped, the leg now obvious.
Rhys’s eyes twitched as he frowned. A word flew quietly out of his mouth into the air.
“Hugh. His name is Hugh, for failing me.”
Chapter 2
“Mama! Mama!”
A bleat, loud and clear, called the name of a gazelle. A mother gazelle was feeding on short
shrubs of grass, surrounded by friends-other mothers. They chatted busily, whilst the eldest of the
gazelles rested in the hot, small cavern. Sand brushed around the fur of the gazelles. The Tribe of
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