|
Primitive Nature
It was a called council of the animals and all had come. This was still when the animals could speak. It was a strange time.
First, there were many birds. Painted finches twittering loudly enough to know that gossip was underway. Cedar Waxwings swooping everywhere. A Mockingbird saying, “I saw it first! Hear me, I saw it first!”
White Bear called all the animals to order and asked what the noise was all about. Birds set up an awful noise with many layers of sound. Then it was Grandmother spider who spoke up and cried, “Let me tell it.” Here is her report.
“I saw them born. Twin owls. There was a light rain when they de-shelled so I spun a little umbrella over them. They were beautiful as hatchlings can be. So much alike but yet different too. I watched them grow, learn to feed, to fly, to find protection from the storm. Theirs was the night. And here is the difference, one was wise in the ways of all animals and the other was a natural helper.”
“Go on, go on,” twittered the birds. White Bear leaned forward and then asked, “So what is the problem?”
The chorus of animals replied, “It was that cat, you know which cat!”
Old dog took up the story.
“I watched out for the cat. She was never my friend, but we chose to exist in the same place. She mated and dropped kittens. Her brood was large. Then disaster came and she lost her mate. She never got over it. She could not let go of it. No other mate would do. Something snapped and she continued to brood, to fuss, to hunt, to control!”
Redbird stepped forward and said, “Let me tell it!”
“Cat and owl had formed a strange alliance. The helper owl felt needed and went to work to help in any and all ways possible. The wiser of the two owls watched from a distance settling himself near the top of Grandfather Pine! He watched and watched as the years passed. And he marveled that these two might get along so well. His intuition was that it would only be a matter of time!”
“But they didn’t always get along well!” Cried the mouse.
“Many times I saw that cat didn’t like what owl did. Cat always ran every show.” I was there at the final meeting when cat told everyone how wrong owl was. He did not feel well. To spare cat any embarrassment, owl
resigned and walked away.”
Then the bats sang in their strange voices, “Cat’s tail twitched and twitched and in pain from her personal hurting she pounced, striking owl across the leg as he jumped out of her way. She struck again and her claw caught the tip of his wing. She pulled, but he pulled away crying with inner pain.”
Hawk stepped forward and continued the story.
“Owl could barely fly, but flee he did. With all the strength of a warrior he left the territory of the cat and scrambled to the base of Grandfather Pine. Up he pulled himself using both feet and wings, bearing all the pain of it until he was cleaving to that pine for safety. His twin watched. They were together again and he was safe from the cat, though breathing hard. He would in time mend.”
All the animals asked, ‘Why? Why did this happen.”
And the answer came from the wise old owl as he watched his twin and finished the story.
“Pray for all of us. Pray for all the animals. We are never tamed and when we are threatened, we revert to our primitive nature. It is the nature of the cat to control, to hunt and to fight. It is the nature of the owl to cleave to Grandfather Pine for protection and for healing as I have. All that has happened is as it should be. Who can doubt it? Whoooo can but wonder. Whooo. Whooo!”
After a pause he continued,
“Now let us rest. Darkness is all around us. Let healing begin! Let there be no more negativity! It is over now forever!”
John Night Eagle Curtis
August 3, 2007 ©
Contents
Web page design Evening Rain 2007
Last updated on October 20, 2007
|
