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Megafauna (Working title)

1. Introduce human characters and setting
   
1. Set in North America during the Younger Dryas period (~10,000 BCE)
   
2. Introduce main character named Ash, a male teenage Clovis in a hunter family (PaleoIndian)
   
3. Show conflict between Ash and father (named Cliff) over Ash's introversion and daydreaming
   
4. During evening meal, the villagers mention food shortages in general
   
5. That evening Ash tries to give snake bracelet he made to his girl of interest (named Melody), and fails miserably
6. Friend named Hazel comforts him before they head home
   
7. As he is trying to sleep, Ash hears parents talking about conflict with other human groups, the "wolves"
   
2. Ash goes hunting by himself
1. Ash complains to himself about the pressures from his family to grow up
   
2. Spots and follows herd of megafauna (Woolly Mammoths? Bison?)
3. Starts stampede by accident
1. Stampede spotted by pack of Dire Wolves
2. Stampede scatters a pack of Scimitar cats
   
3. Stampede causes Ash to drop the snake bracelet, which is trampled
   
4. Ash falls into river and get swept over cliff into the ocean
   
3. Ash meets Wraith after going over the cliff
   
1. Wraith is a large Scimitar cat (Homotherium), white with black spots
2. Wraith was also washed over the cliff
   
3. Wraith has a cave which Ash takes shelter in after crawling out of the river
   
4. Wraith starts to chase Ash out, but Ash passes out and Wraith sees that he doesn't have any weapons, so he leaves him alone
   
5. Wraith vanishes deeper into the cave while Ash shivers
   
4. Melody meets the dire wolves
1. Melody wandering around, singing to herself and looking at the stars
   
2. Melody finds a hurt wolf cub because it howls back at her
   
3. Feed the cub some jerky, gain immediate trust
4. Chased off by mother wolf
   
5. Ash researches his return the next day
   
1. Waterfall is unscalable
2. No large paths touching the beach
3. Caves are a dead end
   
4. See Wraith in the woods with a fish in his mouth
   
5. Cliff faces are vertical and smooth, leads Ash rage against his father
1. "You are always keeping me from being where I need to be!"
   
6. Ash become discouraged, pitches camp under a log
   
6. Village hunters look for Ash
1. Cliff lead hunters almost to valley
2. Turn back before they reach the cliff edge, because they find the crushed remains of the snake bracelet
1. "I'm sorry Cliff, but there's a lot of blood in that direction."
2. "If he did survive, he'll have to find his way home with the spirits' help."
7. Melody meets the rest of the wolves
   
1. Surrounded by dire wolves while gathering berries
2. Cub is excited to see her, but other dire wolves are defensive
   
3. Alpha male snarls at her, she casually knocks him senseless with a small wood club
4. Other wolves are initially alarmed, but take to her when she gives them jerky as well
   
8. Ash bonds with Wraith over next few days
   
1. Next day Ash tries (and fails) to scale walls again, sees Wraith watching him
2. Ash find claw marks on cliff walls where Wraith has tried to escape
3. Share fish after tense confrontation at Ash's crappy campsite
4. Ash decide they'll have to hoof it around the cliff
9. Melody gains control over the wolves
1. Teach wolves to fetch sticks
   
2. Introduce some of the other young villagers to wolves (Hazel is not one of them)
   
10. Ash and Wraith journey homeward
    
1. The two share the cave a few nights later, after Ash nearly freezes to death in rain
2. Ash makes a simple bow using a sharp rock
1. Wraith plays with the cord
   
3. Introduce fire to Wraith when the rain starts to turn to snow
1. Initial alarm eases after Ash gives Wraith a warm rock to curl up on top of
   
4. Find a herd of deer
5. Cooperate to hunt down a deer (Wraith chase deer to Ash, where Ash shoots with bow)
   
11. Villagers meeting about the current status
    
1. Stronger concerns about wolves, note that at least three packs have been spotted
   
2. Rising concern about food supplies, lots of pressure on Cliff
3. Melody brooding over a chewed-up stick during entire meeting
   
4. After meeting, conversation between Hazel and Cliff
1. Hazel express frustration that she never made a move on Ash while he was around
   
2. Cliff certain that Ash is, by this point, dead
3. Mourn together
   
12. Ash and Wraith make it over the cliff
1. Idea come from watching Wraith jump up on top of a boulder using a fallen tree
   
2. Build large-scale springboard
1. Partially uproot pine tree
2. Push to 45 angle with Wraith's help
3. Chop off limbs on upper side
3. Ash attempt to jump off tree to ledge using a simple jump (fail)
4. Wraith attempt to jump off using running start (fail)
5. Ash ride Wraith up the tree, barely make it to ledge
   
13. Melody and the youth discuss the packs
1. Melody proposes that wolves can help them hunt
2. Initial rejection from other youth
3. Melody reveals that she has combined four packs into a small army
4. Melody demonstrate that she can sic the wolves on specific objects, using a bush as an example
   
14. Ash and Wraith part ways
1. Wraith hears something in the distance
2. Ash decides they have to split up and rejoin their separate people
1. "I don't think your pack would like my dad very much."
3. Ash hugs Wraith before they part
   
1. "I'll miss you... my friend. May the spirits watch over you as much as you have watched over me."
   
15. Villagers and Melody argue over wolves
    
1. Melody claim that partnership with the wolves is the future of man
   
2. Cliff states that there isn't enough food to go around
   
3. Melody assert that the wolves have a right to the herd as well
4. Villagers conclude that there are just too many wolves, ask that Melody find a way to only bring in a few
1. Sustainability message goes here
   
5. Melody angered at the idea of breaking up her pack
   
16. Ash returns to village
1. Learn that village men have gone to drive the wolves off
   
2. Hazel explain that wolves amassed when they saw the herd and what Melody wants
   
3. Ash ascribe guilt to self for starting the stampede
4. Ash dashes off back the way he came, away from the battle
1. "Where are you going?"
2. "To get help!"
   
17. Villagers battle with the wolves
    
1. The number of wolves, coordinated by Melody, is proving to be a crushing advantage
   
2. Ash ride Wraith into battle
3. Cliff struck down by wolf leader, directed by a village youth
   
4. Ash strike down wolf leader by dropping a dead tree on him, holds youth at spearpoint
   
5. Other Scimitar cats appear, members of Wraith's pack, and serious bloodshed starts to happen
   
6. Hazel arrives and brings about compromise
1. Melody and the youth which joined her are allowed to leave to form their own village
2. On the condition that it is far far away of course
   
18. Happy ending
1. Hazel and Ash get together
2. Other scimitar cats stay with Wraith, who stays with Ash
   
3. Thereafter, a small number of giant hunting cats keeps the village safe and well-fed