Heros Journey - Stage 3 Comp - Across The Threshold - Comprehension Pack.pdf

STAGE 3 Unit focus: A Hero’s Journey Text focus: Narrative Chapter 3 - Across The Threshold It took a few hours for all of the soldiers to get kitted up. When they were all clanking and cla...

STAGE 3 Unit focus: A Hero’s Journey Text focus: Narrative Chapter 3 - Across The Threshold It took a few hours for all of the soldiers to get kitted up. When they were all clanking and clattering in the midday heat, one of the sergeants stood on a wooden crate and began to talk to them all. Pendril let his droning voice wash over her and tried to make out the rest of the squad. It looked like there were a dozen soldiers, maybe a few more. Certainly not the hundreds that she had expected. If there were so few, why had they picked her over the rest of the city? Maybe it was just a case of the wrong place at the wrong time. The sergeant’s speech was filled with words like “valour” and “honour”. She tuned back in when he started to tell them about the quest ahead. They were to travel to the Drailands during the afternoon and set up camp before nightfall. The Drailands were a desolate desert filled with sharp rocks, deep crevices and hideous monsters. They didn’t want to enter while it was dark. Pendril agreed wholeheartedly. In the morning, they would head through the Gates of Menace. Pendril learned that the Gates was more of a towering archway made of deep red sandstone. Once in the Drailands, the group would pair off and set out looking for the dragon. It had been seen several times lately. There was a good chance they’d find it. If they did, they had all been given a tiny whistle that would alert the others. The sergeant didn’t say whether the whistle was to alert the others so that they could run to help or so that they could run away. She considered asking but felt a bit daft. By the time they left the city gates, the sun was beginning its lazy descent back towards the horizon. It was still unbearably hot in the layers of armour. Sergeant Munk, as he introduced himself, wouldn’t let them take any of it off until they were out of sight of the city. “We need to look like we know what we’re doing,” he said whenever they asked. “We don’t, though,” offered one unhelpful soldier. “Sarge, what are we doing? How do you kill a dragon?” all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com “That’s enough of that,” Munk said dismissively. “We’ll figure all that out when it’s time. Remember, soldiers know how to think on their feet!” Their speed picked up considerably once they were able to shed a few layers. Pendril noticed that she wasn’t the only one who tried to avoid the long fingers of shadow reaching out from the Temple of Souls when they passed it by. At one point, there was so little space out of the shadows that the whole unit fell into single-file. Nightfall fell quickly. The towering Gate of Menace was even more foreboding up close. They had no choice but to set up their tents at its feet. The darkness beyond looked ominous. The speckled stars that littered the sky like broken glass elsewhere, seemed dim and distant in the Drailands. Whatever was waiting for them, it could wait until morning. RETRIEVAL FOCUS 1. Where were they heading? 2. Who was speaking to the new recruits? 3. How were they supposed to let the other soldiers know if they saw the dragon? 4. Why weren’t they allowed to take their armour off before they left sight of the city? 5. Where did they stop for the night? VIPERS QUESTIONS V Which phrase in the first paragraph means “get dressed”? I Why might Pendril have expected hundreds of soldiers? V What is “valour”? V Find and copy a phrase that means the sun was heading slowly downwards. V What does the phrase “shed a few layers” mean? all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com