Once upon a time in the not so far away galaxy of Kewaunee hails the young Padawan Samuel Joski. Always the eager student, he left his galaxy for St. Norbert College to learn from the masters. While others around him decided to study the force, Samuel was attracted to Computer Science. Besides his studies, the Council of TKE elected him to join their ranks. While not learning the mysteries of computer science, Samuel explores new planets with his close comrades. Now close to becoming a Jedi, Samuel plans to use his new knowledge to save the galaxy. During his training, Samuel enrolled in many English classes, including a fiction workshop that helped fine tune his skills. He wrote many pieces for these classes; however, “The Cliffs of Rhondra” is his first published piece. It is sure to take you to a galaxy far, far away! - Madison Godawa
In the land of Lynel, deep in the woods of Hilkri, there lived a young kronar who went by the name of Bli. The kroneer were plentiful in the wood. Their appearance was that of a goat from the Forgotten Age, but were taller and had more slender legs. Their tails were thick, and their manes were handsome. Kroneer were orderly, generally sociable, but had strong tendencies to live plain and mundane lives. However, they were happy above all the other creatures, for they seldom found themselves the prey of the razvok – a winged predatory race with sharp fangs, treacherous claws, and uncanny wit and intuition – for the woods of Hilkri were too dense for razvok to fly into. In fact, it had been many centuries since any kronar had encountered a razva; they knew of them only through folktales.
Bli, however, was an unhappy kronar. He disliked the mundane life he lived and wished he had not been born a kronar. On his tenth season of the falling leaves, he ran away from Hilkri out into the open plains of Meshra. There he saw a short, stocky horned animal – a bramblebuck. Bli took some branches from a tree and fashioned them to his head like the bramblebuck’s horns. He then approached the creature.
“What are you doing out here young kronar?” the bramblebuck asked.
“I am not a kronar, I am a bramblebuck like you. I am lost and need to get back to our home. Please take me there,” Bli replied.
“If you are a bramblebuck, why do you have twigs for horns? And why have you such tall, slender legs? No, you are a kronar if I ever saw one. Go back to Hilkri,” the bramblebuck said as it turned to walk away.
Stupid bramblebuck, he thought, who wants to be that anyway?He continued through the plains of Meshra alone.
Walking for a week, Bli finally came to the Great Sea of Oshra. On the shore he saw a shelled creature with a long finned tail and strong limbs crawl along the sand – a tuhra. Bli had a clever thought to take from the beach some driftwood and fashion a bowl that he placed over his back. Taking some seaweed from the shore, he tied it to his tail to appear as though it had fins. He then approached the tuhra.
“Why have you come so far little kronar?” asked the tuhra.
“What is a kronar? I am a tuhra, can’t you see? Please take me back to our home so I might rest,” Bli cried out.
“Foolish kronar, you cannot fool me with your disguise. Turn back through Meshra to your home in Hilkri,” the tuhra said as it swam out into the sea.
What a stupid idea, I would have drowned had I gone out there.And so Bli continued down the shore of Oshra alone.
After three more nights, Bli came to the magnificent cliffs of Rhondra. He spotted on one of the jagged outcrops near a large creature. Bli did not recognize the creature, but it was a razva. Suddenly, the creature snapped its gaze on Bli, but did not move. It saw something strange about the kronar, and so hid its claws and tucked in its wings. Bli came closer.
“And what,” the razva asked when Bli had come close, “are you doing here?” Its voice was deep and mysteriously enthralling. It took care not to show its sharp fangs.
Bli felt entranced by its voice. He replied as he had to the bramblebuck and tuhra.
“I am…” he cut off. He did not know what this creature was, and he had not prepared a disguise.
“You are lost, aren’t you?” the razva replied.
“Yes. Can you take me home?” Bli asked.
“And where is your home, little one?”
“I am from here! I just seem to have been turned around so much that I have forgotten the way back.”
“Is that so?” the razva glared into Bli’s eyes.
"Yes,” Bli declared after a moment of hesitation.
“Well little razva, come with me then. I’ll take you home.”
Bli’s eyes widened in terror. Slowly at first but then quickly in panic, he turned away and began to run. The razva spread its wings, soared over Bli, and clutched him in its talons.
“Now then, let’s get you back. So many of us are just dying to see you come home.”
Flying alongside the great cliff rocks, the razva quickly made its way to a shadowed cave tucked away from the light. Descending from the sky, she elegantly swooped in, and the shriek of the kronar was drowned out as the waves of Oshra splashed alongside the cliffs of Rhondra.