Week 7 Story: The Tiger King
There was once a magical rock in the land of Wynnewood, where a tiger was born of stone. He had magical powers that sprang from that rock which shone all the way to the heavens. The tiger grew up and met other tigers in Wynnewood, until one day they stumbled upon a waterfall. The tigers agreed that whoever could cross the waterfall without being injured would be the Tiger King. The stone tiger volunteered himself, and on the other side of that waterfall, he found a cave where everything was made of stone. The other tigers named him the Tiger King and he ruled the land of Wynnewood.
One day, the tigers were sitting at the dinner table when the Tiger King began to weep because he feared death. All the tigers began to cry, as they feared death too. An old tiger spoke up,
"You may seek immortality from the Gods and live forever among them."
The Tiger King decided at that moment that he would leave Wynnewood to seek immortality. He left the next morning and sailed across the great Lake Texoma with hope to find the higher power to make him immortal. He spent years in Texas learning to act like a human and exploring famous places, and one day he made it to the Mississippi River. He thought to himself, "Surely the one I'm looking for will be on the other side of this river."
He crossed the river and ran into a woodworker. He asked the woodworker,
"Where can I find the higher power that will teach me the secrets of life?"
The woodworker pointed up a mountain. "You should find him at the top of the Arbuckle Mountain."
He thanked the woodworker and went up the mountain. To his delight, he was able to find a cave with an entrance that read 'G.W. Exotic Zoo'. He knocked on the entrance of the cave, and a disciple of the higher power brought him inside to the master. The master was named Joe Exotic.
"What have you come to seek?" asked Joe Exotic.
"I have come to learn life's secrets." said the Tiger King,
The Tiger King trained under Joe Exotic for years until he was disciplined enough to learn the secrets of life. Joe Exotic gave him many different ways to learn, but every time the tiger asked if he could be immortal, Joe Exotic said no. Eventually, Joe Exotic became frustrated and slapped the Tiger King 3 times. Through his wisdom and training, the tiger knew that this meant to meet Joe Exotic later that night so that he could learn the way to eternal life. The Tiger King entered his room later that night and revealed to the higher power that he understood the implications behind his harsh actions. Since the tiger was able to figure it out, he agreed to show him the way to immortality.
After he was granted immortality, the Tiger King began to share his secrets with the other disciples of G.W. Exotic Zoo. This infuriated Joe Exotic, as it showed that the tiger was still immature in his ways. He exiled the tiger and said that he must keep his discipleship a secret or he would lock his soul in hell.
The Tiger King returned home to Wynnewood and told his ape friends that he was able to achieve immortality. They revealed to him that while he was gone, a tragedy struck.
"The evil Carole Baskin ambushed us while you were away. We did the best we could, but she took some of your children captive." said one of his friends.
The Tiger King set out immediately to find his children and made his way to Big Cat Rescue, where Carole Baskin resides. Carole Baskin was going to defeat him mercilessly if it wasn't for his new powers. He was able to transform into hundreds of tigers that defeated her. He got his children and they made their way back to Wynnewood.
After defeating Carole Baskin, the Tiger King began to realize his true power. The tiger went and wiped other empires of their weapons so that he could build a tiger army in Wynnewood. He could not find a weapon powerful enough for him, so one of his tiger soldiers suggested that he visit the Dragon King. Upon his visit to the Dragon King, they attempted to find him weapons, some up to thousands of pounds. The Tiger King was too strong.
"Take the iron rod." suggested the Dragon Queen.
At first, the rod was too heavy when the tiger picked it up. He then discovered that he could change the size of the weapon whenever he pleased. It was the perfect weapon for him, so he decided to take it. Upon taking the iron rod, he demanded that he receive armor from the Dragon King. The Dragon King had none, so the tiger threatened him with death. The dragon compiled whatever he could find and gave it to the Tiger King, taking note of his arrogance and use of force.
The Tiger King traveled home, satisfied with his new weapon and armory. When he went to bed that night, two men appeared and dragged his soul to the Nether World. Once he arrived at the Nether World, he was met by Princes of Death.
'Why have you brought me here? I demand to see the book of life." scolded the Tiger King.
The Princes of Death were so terrified at his mannerism that they gave him the book. The tiger proceeded to remove tigers from the book of life, so that the whole species would be immortal. The Tiger King awoke from his sleep and told the other tigers of Wynnewood the news that they had achieved immortality.
Hi! I really liked the way you wrote this story. I think it was very mysterious and made me want to keep on reading what would happen next so good job. I also think its very fin how you related it to the tiger king because that was such a relevant show that I'm pretty sure 90% of the country watched and became very invested in.
ReplyDeleteHey Sidney, this is such a creative story and I never knew that I needed a Tiger King inspired story until now! The fact that the Tiger King went to Joe Exotic to train under him is actually really fun, but also makes so much sense since Joe was a tiger trainer. Just throughout the whole thing I was curious to see what would happen next! If you ever decide to maybe do a series of this, I'd be totally interested in reading it!
ReplyDeleteSidney,
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite aspect about your story was how you incorporated the old folktale story into the modern storyline of the Tiger King. Personally, I never watched the show itself, but I won't deny that it hasn't been on the headlines of every social media platform for the past year. Although there is less talk about the show now, it's still something that's been fresh on people's minds from the recent past. I also enjoyed you adding the aspect of individual powers that is mentioned in the beginning of the story. This was a very interesting read and I look forward to reading more from you in the future!
Hi Sidney,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this story. It's very creative and i like how used a lot of suspense scene. It made me want to read more and more just to know what will happen next. I haven't watched the show, but i heard that it's a must watch. Now after reading this, i really want to watch it. Very good job!
Incredible. That's all I have to say.
ReplyDeleteOf course I have to have more words in the comment so I'll think of more things to say, but I really liked your story! I was not familiar with the story of the Monkey King, so the plot kept me in suspense. But I also thought it was hilarious the way you incorporated it with Tiger King characters! I think the best part about this type of story is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Sometimes mythology can feel sterile and written in a very high-brow way, but being able to communicate stories in a fun, creative way is a great talent. Good job!
Hi Sidney, this story was so clever. I love how you modernized the title into Tiger King, something that is/was so relevant recently. I like how you added areas that many Oklahomans know of already which can illustrate a better picture of the landscape. I especially like how defeating Carol Baskin showed the Tiger King his potential. That was very interesting. Overall, great story!
ReplyDelete