[ WP ] When colonizers came to Canada in the early 1600s , they discovered bears were the size of elephants . How did they fight and claim territory ?

He knew that he ’ d require communion with the church. Without their approval, nothing would be set forth. The question was whether or not they would listen. The town was starving, if it could still be considered such. Winter would continue to grow harsh, until it was cruelly bitter. 
 
 His wife was losing weight. His first son was crippled and the ribs of his second had become visible. Where were the gods? Everything was dwindling. The clergymen must have seen it. But if they had, why had nothing been done? 
 
 He felt the rounded edges of the cathedral ’ s steps dig into the soles of his feet. In the sanctuary, they awaited. In proper fashion, they were elevated, and looked down onto him. The High Cleric was the first to begin. It was a large chamber. So large and empty that the voices echoed. 
 
 “ What is it that you ’ ve come for? ” 
 
 “ The giants, they plague the lands. ” 
 
 The clergymen ’ s silence flexed and stretched, until it was broken. 
 
 “ Giants, you say? They are more than their size. ” 
 
 “ Yes. They are our extinction. ” 
 
 “ The extinction of our sins, of our impurity. ” the Bishop smugly chimed in. 
 
 “ And my sons, Cleric? What crimes have they committed? ” 
 
 “ Their transgressions were inherited, as ours were. ” 
 
 “ My children starve and suffer, and I do nothing but watch. ” 
 
 The Bishop turned to address the Cleric, pointing a decrepit and twisted finger at the single man that made up the chamber ’ s audience. 
 
 “ His attachments have blinded him. ” 
 
 The Cleric didn ’ t acknowledge the words, nor the fact that they ’ d been spoken. He thought in silence, before speaking to the man again. 
 
 “ You wish to see your family reap the fruits of the field? ” 
 
 “ Yes. ” 
 
 “ That time will come. For now, we remain tested. These beings are Jehovah ’ s mammoths. They possess a strength that should not exist in nature, and are therefore divine. They have been placed here to ensure that we stay, and that we don ’ t turn away from our deliverance. ” 
 
 “ They hold us captive. You thank them for it? ” 
 
 “ I thank God, whose power I fear! ” the Cleric ’ s voice had escalated, adopting a sharp, confident, and thunderous tone. 
 
 Silence overtook the chamber as the echo faded away. The man looked down and muttered audibly. 
 
 “ You must see that this is foolish. We will slowly die, whether it be the cold, the mammoths, or hunger. ” 
 
 The Bishop responded harshly. “ I see that you ’ re a fool for coming here. They have not attacked us since our ancestors arrived nearly two-hundred years ago! As long as we do not provoke them, they will not be hostile. They are watchful protectors serving Jehovah, and serving us. The souls that wander out to meet death were already lost. ” 
 
 Light peered through the cathedral ’ s stained glass and shimmered in the air. They held the images of the mammoth, standing on its hind legs. Just one of its kind. The man gazed at it as he spoke. 
 
 “ Then I will be the one to take my wife and sons out to the snows, and beyond the border. We will certainly die, but it will be quick. This is no life. ” 
 
 “ Then your impatience has killed you, as well as the ones that you love. ” the Cleric told him. 
 
 “ You should go home and say a prayer. ” the Bishop suggested, raising his arms towards the sky.
