A Long time ago during the wars among the tribes there were two boys from Takchak who were feared by many tribes. This was because of their strength and skills with the bow and arrow. The boys were known to nail a bear to a cottonwood tree with one arrow. They were also known to bow and arrow a swan for 12 miles, hitting it at one end of the muddy lakes and nailing it to Pilcher Mountain. Pilcher was know to the natives as Chuggerpak, and is located behind the village known today as Marshall.

In those days the river in front of Marshall was like a slough, and the two boys would go up Maserculiq (Willow Creek) to hunt. The sounds of their bows and arrows could be heard in Takohak (six miles away). The vibrations of their bow were powerful enough to kill snipes along the beach as the boys canoed on the slough.

As the years went by one of the brothers went up river above Takchak to camp with his wife. This was the time of the Thunderbird, known to us as Tengmiarpak (meaning big bird). The bird was so huge it could carry a man and his canoe or a white whale off in flight. The Thunderbird's nest is located 15 miles below Russian Mission. Even today the mountain is called Ungluq which means "nest of the Thunderbirds".

One fine day during the summer the wife of one of the brothers was cutting fish at the beach while he was tending his trap. Suddenly a Thunderbird swooped down and carried the wife off. In the past some times children were also carried off to be fed to the baby Thunderbirds.

With anger, the man with the powerful bow (known as Urlurpalik)climbed the mountain. When he got to the nest he found only his wife's head was left over for the two baby Thundersbirds. The man was so angry he took out his arrows and killed off the baby birds. Then the mother attacked. But the boy was quick and warded off the attacks. When the battle was all over Urlurpalik had cuts on his arms from the talons of the bird, but he had managed to kill the mother Thunderbird who rolled down the mountain into the Yukon. While waiting around for the father Thunderbird to return the boy observed many skeletons of bears and people, and even a whale. There were also many remains of broken canoes. When the father Thunderbird arrived the boy was hiding behind a rock. He took out his arrows and shot the father Thunderbird in the breast many times. It flew up north and has never seen since then.