The Tale of Thunder and Lightning

Thunder and Lightning

There once were two sons of the sky. Their names were Thunder, the eldest brother, and Lighning, the young and energetic one. Before they were realeased onto earth by their mighty father, Rain, and their caring mother, Cloud, Thunder and Lightning had to prove themselves worthy of earth.
         Thunder was always trying to outdo Lightning, tried to be the more impressive child, while Lightning focused only on meeting the expectation, knowing that that would get him to where he wanted to go.
         Finally, on Thunder's birthday, they were both released onto earth. Thunder found this unfair, and he was rather bitter about it. "Why should you be realeased, too?" Thunder bickered. "I am older, and clearly the more impressive one."
         "Does it matter?" inquired Lightning, who looked up to his older brother. "After all, we both proved ourselves worthy." At this, Thunder made a sour face, upset that, despite his effort, his younger brother had beat him in almost everything.

Both were making great sucess on earth. Quite different success, but success nonetheless. Lighning had used his powers to do and own good things: birds, rainbows, people, the sun, the sky (to which his parents were overjoyed), and other such things.
         Thunder, on the other hand, preferred taking the darkest of the things on earth. Caves, wolves, spiders and every dark cranny in the world. When Lightning was told that his own brother had been up to such things, he was sad. Wondering if he should, in fact, become more like his brother, Lightning trudged off to his bed, a patch of the world's softest and greenest grass, for a good night's sleep.
         And while Lightning slept, Thunder plotted and planned his revenge. He wanted to steal the sky from his younger brother. He was furious that Lightning had beaten him to it, and even more ticked off that Lightning had always made the sky perfectly clear and blue. A deep, thunder-like rumble issued from the depths of his throat. He despised his brother. Every little energenic bit of him. And that was what gave Thunder his true strength. For he was indeed heartless.
         The next morning, while Lighning was polishing and sharpening his lightning bolt arrows, a frenzied man got his attention.
         "Sir!" the man, who seemed a tad crazy, shouted. "Oh, good sir! I must warn you!"
         At this, Lightning's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Warn me of what?" he asked cautiously.
         "Oh, sire!" the man continued. "Good man, of your hateful brother, Thunder! He is coming! Coming to attack you for your sky!"
         "Oh, my," Lightning muttered, conflicted. "I knew he was bad, but I never thought that he'd attack me... Well... very well," he said, turning to the man again. "Sir, tell the village to prepare for battle. Have the farmers and the grocers give out extra food. Make the blacksmith give me and my troops the necessary battle equipment. You know what to do!" The man nodded and scurried away, leaving Lightning back in his bed, polishing is arrows twice as fast.

And indeed, the very next day, Thunder gave an almighty roar that split the surface below Lightning's soft bed, causing him to fall into the deep crack. As Lightning crawled out slowly, his men raced to stop Thunder, but Thunder only laughed.
         "Lightning, you coward!" he bellowed. "You helpless little infant!"
         "What?" Lightning asked, puzzled.
         "You've got a crew? Ha! I came here with just my weapons and my clothes! But you! You! Ha! You are weaker than I thought! You got little bodyguards to help you!" he roared. "Ha!"
         "Fine!" Lightning spat. "I'll show you that I don't need this crew! I'll show you that you are clearly the weakling! Winner takes the sky! And the loser..."
         "The loser gets inprisoned in a miserable little pit in the ground!" Thunder offered.
         "Sure," Lightning grinned. And so the battle began, with Thunder roaring so loud that the ground split, making Lightning weaker and unsteady. As Lightning struggled to get up, Thunder let out another roar that sent Lightning back to the ground. Now, as Lightning got up, he drew his bow and lightning bolt arrows, and as soon as he rose to full hieght, he aimed the arrow right at where Thunder's heart should have been. With no hesitation, Lightning shot the arrow, striking Thunder directly. After an outraged and pained cry of surrender, Lightning's men tied him up, and threw him into a deep pit in the ground.
         And as to this day, Lightning parades across the sky, celebrating his victory with his parents, Rain and Cloud. Whenever he does this, it reminds Thunder of his lost battle, and he growls an angry and threatening growl, shaking the ground and scaring the people of earth. But everyone knows that Thunder will never escape his miserable pit, for he is trapped for eternity.