April 2

Mix of cloud and sun, temp is 6C. The birds are really active out there, so far only one pair are being very domestic, I better check the other houses. Enjoyable time yesterday with bowling club, early supper and a hockey game. I guess the question is - what story to put on here today.

I tried my hand at writing an Indian Legend so will put that on today.

A WINTER’S TAIL

P

ond Water awoke as the grey of dawn pushed the last of night shadows from the forest land beside the village. He lay in his bed of deer skins for a few moments then quietly rose pulled on his moccasins and vest then slipped out through the doorway and stood looking around the small cluster of log and cedar bark buildings. He noticed that the cougar hide that served as a door had caught on a knot when he came outside. He quickly unhooked the hide and let it swing back to cover the entrance keeping the coolness of the morning from disturbing his still sleeping sister and parents.

  He didn’t know what had awakened him so early. He usually slept until the smell of cooking food and the morning clatter and talking of the elder tribe members pulled him from his bed. But today something within his body and head had called him and now he stood next to the fire pit wondering what was calling him.

  As he stood there something cold lit on his nose then another something on his ear, he suddenly smiled as a white flake floated earthward past his face, ‘snow flakes, yes it’s snow’ he thought. Suddenly he turned and started walking quickly away from the fire pit and past his parents log shack. He felt something drawing him, directing his steps; he didn’t know for sure what was compelling him but he had learned in his twelve summers that sometimes the Great Spirit called and when it did you should heed that call.

  In seconds he entered the forest and followed along a barely visible trail, in a short time another trail joined the first then a third and a fourth. He knew these were the trails made by the deer, bears, foxes and other animals and the now obvious trail would lead to the small lake where they all went for water.

   He started to trot, an urgency building within him, perhaps fifteen minutes passed and he came to the pebbled shore of the lake he knew so well. It was here in the summer that he and his friends would swim and frolic in its warm water and catch trout in the two streams that flowed into and out of the lake.

  At the lake’s edge he paused for only a moment then turned to his right and made his way through the willows and alders that drank the lake’s water and offered shelter and small bugs for the fish in return.

  He came to the stream that fed the lake it’s water then followed along up the stream. Suddenly he stopped abruptly, his eyes opened wide in surprise. The stream had a dam across it, a large dam made of sticks, small logs, leaves, mud and grass! He could see that the dam curved on either side and he remembered that the stream came down a shallow draw with poplar and birch growing abundantly along the lower slopes. He moved along following the edge of the dam and after a short distance spied a large mound similar in construction to the dam. He noticed that the bigger logs that were part of the dam were pointed on both ends and most of the bark was missing. ‘Odd” he thought, ‘I wonder who has done this?’

  He decided he would stop and study the structures and maybe figure out why someone would go to all this work when there was a very useable lake just a short distance away.

Pond Water sat down and in a little while he saw a small log drifting towards the mound, then he thought, ‘that’s drifting too fast cause there shouldn’t be much current with the dam being there.’ As the thought occurred he saw that a slick head of some kind of animal appeared to be pushing the log. He watched in amazement as another head popped up from beside the mound, the two heads came together then the log was grabbed by two sets of furry hands and was dragged down below the surface of the water.  Moments later one head popped back up and immediately started moving back to where the log had been floated from.

  Pond Water quietly rose and carefully followed.

 Shortly the head he was following turned into the shore, he stopped and as he watched a water sleek animal larger than a rabbit but smaller than a fox emerged from the dam’s lake.  It looked like a muskrat, he knew there was a family of them in the swamp near the village, but this animal was bigger and not quite so squat. He watched as it got out of the water then walked up to a small sapling, stood on it’s hind legs and commenced chewing on the trunk of the sapling. It appeared to be using it’s long round tail to balance itself, but as it moved around the tree, it would frequently lose it’s balance and slip side ways. After a few minutes the small tree fell with a small crash and a splash as it’s top and upper limbs fell into the water.

  With no hesitation the animal moved onto a second bigger tree and started the same chewing process over again. Pond Water watched for a few more moments, then cleared his throat and said, “Uh excuse me. Why are you chewing those trees down?”

  The animal glanced at him and replied, “ Why? What business is it of yours?”

  “Uh well, maybe none but I have never seen you before and I have never seen anyone, uh anything chew down trees before.”

  “Well if you have to know, it’s what me and my family eat, at least the bark part.” As the animal spoke the last he slipped sideways again and this time fell right on his side.

He righted himself quickly mumbling under his breath.

  “Did you also build that dam and what is that mound out in the water?” Pond Water asked.

  “You are snoopy, of course I did with the help of my mate of course.” Was the gruff reply. “And the ‘mound’ as you call it, is my house. You know what a house is don’t you?”

  “Well of course, I know but mine is very different. And I …..”

  The last was interrupted as the animal suddenly grunted and made a loud squealing noise. The tree started falling towards the water and at the same time Pond Water spied a smaller edition of the tree faller emerge from the water. The noise, obviously a warning was too late and the tree crashed down on the small body!

  With out hesitation Pond Water leapt forward, passed the slower moving tree faller, waded out into the shallow water and dragged the tree sideways. The small new comer floated on the surface then started to sink. Pond water reached out and grabbed one furry leg and dragged the small body out onto the shore. He rolled it quickly onto its stomach and pressed gently on its back. For a few seconds nothing happened then a spurt of muddy water jetted forth from the small mouth immediately followed by whimpering noises.

He stroked and patted the furry wet back then became aware that the tree faller was beside him staring intently up into his face.

  More seconds passed then the tree faller, in a soft voice said, “Thank you, you have saved my child, I am grateful.”

  Pond Water nodded, “I am glad I was here to help, the Great Spirit sent me here today and it must have been for this reason.”

  “Hmm, perhaps,” was the reply. “But most humans would not have helped. What is your name?”

  “I am called Pond Water.”

  “Hmm, a strange name even for a human. I am called Beaver and to thank you for what you have done I would like to offer you a second name, you may choose to use it or not but I will always know you by that name.”

  Pond Water stared at Beaver then said, “I would be honored to accept a new name from you.”

  “Thank you we will know you as Beaver’s Friend.”

  “Beaver’s Friend. I like that I am proud to be your friend and will be proud to be known to everyone as Beaver’s Friend.”

  Beaver turned away and spoke to his child in noises that Beaver’s Friend could not understand. The child replied then reached out with one small paw and touched Beaver’s Friend on one hand then turned and slid into the water.

  “If you will wait while I work, I would like you to meet all of my family, they will be here shortly.” Beaver said.

  “I will wait and I will help you with your work.”

The two the beaver and the human boy turned to the two felled trees, Beaver’s Friend took out the knife he carried on his belt and cut the small branches while Beaver patiently chewed the two trunks into short lengths.

  While they worked, Beaver’s Friend said, “It’s strange that because of what you must do to gather food that the Great Spirit didn’t make your tail so that it would support you better.”

  “Yes, I know.” Was the reply. “I think it could have been an oversite as it is the same as Muskrat’s tail and he just eats roots and leaves and doesn’t work like we do.”

  Beaver’s Friend grew silent and a thoughtful look came on to his face, he worked on in silence. Beaver kept busy chewing and watching out into the lake he had created.

  Finally his watching was rewarded when one large head and three smaller heads appeared then his mate and three children shyly crawled out next to the chewed and cut branches.

  Beaver said, “This is my or rather our new friend and I have named him Beaver’s Friend.  Beaver’s Friend this my mate, she has a beaver name but because of the children she is called Mother. These three are Dive Deep, Worker and the last who you have met is called Wanderer.”

  The three little beavers just stared quietly but Mother came close to Beaver’s Friend and said, “Thank you Beaver’s Friend we hope you visit us often.”

  Beaver’s Friend smiled and said, “What I did today was because the Great Spirit sent me but I believe he sent me for one more reason. The wood is all ready and while you move it I will make something for each of you. ”

  For the next couple of hours the beaver family worked steadily dragging, pushing and storing the cut up trees.  Beaver’s Friend searched for and found a small sapling from which he carefully cut, carved and smoothed six small boards and four larger ones. He drilled several small holes in each board. When they were finished to his satisfaction he climbed up the bank and searching about he finally found several long limber wild blackberry vines. Carefully oh so very carefully he stripped of the tiny thorns and the first layer of skin from the vines and carried them down to where he had left the small pile of carved boards.

When once Beaver and his family all arrived at the same time, Beaver’s Friend said, “If all of you will sit here in a row with your backs to me I would now like to give you each a gift. You must not look back and you must not move your tail even though you feel me touching it. Beaver I will start with you.”

  Beaver’s Friend bent to his task and in a short while said, “There, that part is finished, but I have one more thing to do, but for that you must turn side ways so you can see your tail while I finish.”

  Knowing that Beaver’s Friend was sincere and somehow knowing that what he was doing had great importance the beaver family turned as they had been told. There eyes widened as they stared at how their tales had been enclosed between rounded paddle like boards and bound with a fiberous vine.

  Beaver’s Friend took out his knife and with one slash cut across the ball of one of his thumbs and starting with Wanderer squeezed a few drops of his blood onto the vine and boards. When all five tails had received the drops of blood, Beaver’s Friend stood and with arms spread wide and face tilted to the sky cried out, “Oh Great Spirit, I have used the sapling and the vine you placed here on earth, I created the boards with your guidance and used my warm blood to bind those boards and having come here at your bidding I ask that you complete what I have done.” He stood there for a long minute, waiting, waiting for a sign but there was no sign and as he slowly lowered his arms and tilted his head to look down, his body jerked and he opened his eyes wide in amazement.

  The five beavers were also staring in amazement, staring at their tails, tails that were no longer round and muskrat like but were shiny and flat. Beaver walked over to a standing tree and stood on his hind feet then used his tail as a prop. He leaned one way then the other and did not fall over. The three young beavers jumped onto the water, they swam in circles, in tighter circles than ever before. They slapped the water making small popping noises. Mother cried aloud, “Yes, yes we can warn each other of danger, we can have slapping signals for different things. Oh thank you, thank you Beaver’s Friend.”

  Beaver looked up at his friend and said, “You are right, the Great Spirit sent you to us today and through you the oversight is no more.”

L

ater that day the boy walked back into the tribes clearing and walking up to his father he said, “Father, can you call everyone together? I must say something.”

  With out questioning his father did as he was asked and in a short time the tribe members were all gathered around the campfire. When all were seated, the boy stepped forward and in a clear and firm voice said, “The Great Spirit summoned me this morning and had me help change a mistake that was made a long time ago. Because of this I will no longer be known as Pond Water and my name now is Beaver’s Friend.

From that day to this the beaver has always had a flat tail.