The adventure of a group of animals written in lyrical poetry. |
I was journeying to see the Emperor,
(At that time of year, we all were) On a bright, sunny spring day, when I happened across a group of ten Of the strangest pilgrims I ever did see. I introduced myself, and they invited me To journey with them. Well, I was a bit lonely, So I accepted their offer, but said I could only Stay with them awhile, so I would not intrude And stay past my welcome, and be thought of as rude. So I got to know each and every one Of that strange group before the day was done, And then, at dusk, we were joined by two more And our party was like none ever seen before. At the head strode a wolf and his wife, He, whiter than snow, and on my life, She was as black as the darkest night, And they led the way, the black and the white. His name was Arin, her name was Nilea, And while he was curt and civil with me, She was kind and quite good-natured, And seemed to enjoy the company of a bird. Next came a lynx, his name Garvin Lo, His coat sleek and full, his eyes seemed to glow. His claws were well-kept, his teeth were all fine, His fur so immaculate, it would sparkle and shine. His smile seemed sincere, but I kept my distance, Though we talked about many things, for instance, The way the sea crashes, and the way that the snow Falls in the mountains, and the way the winds blow. He was quite friendly, but a cat is a cat, And for right now, I’ll leave it at that. A sprightly young hare was next in our group, He told me he was part of an acrobat troupe. As a wandering performer, he told many a tale Of his adventures and tours, over hill and dale. His name was Jax, he was dark like sable And he entertained us all at night with a fable Or two. His ears were long, his nose was twitchy, And he couldn’t sit still, as if he was itchy. His bright black eyes were always merry And his puff of a tail was brown as a berry. The came a mouse by the name of Scollin, Who, though rather tiny, was by no means small in Courage and charm, and with him was his wife, A pretty, young thing, the love of his life. Her name was Tremai, a good mousewife she was, Quiet and thoughtful and loving because Her husband was good and exceedingly brave, And always received just as good as he gave. Together they traveled, every step of the way, And they slept paw in paw at the end of the day. Then a joker, a thief, was next in our party, Miodriskin, the raccoon was good at his part, he Asked that in friendship I call him just Mio And he told me some tales of the raccoon thief trio. In all of the forest, they were the best At thievery and prank, at cunning and jest. His mask was black, his coat was gray, His paws were quick and I kept away Lest he make off with a feather of mine, For I kept them neat and I let them shine. Next came a toad, one of the warty sort, With a blue striped skink as his consort. The toad was Ric’rio, as said in toad tongue, He was boastful and arrogant, but he was young. His eyes were gold and they bulged from his head, His skin was green, and spotted with red. He waddled and hopped in a comical way And puffed up his throat when he’d something to say. The skink was far quieter, her name was Sillik, She was rather cynical, but moved rather quick, And although her eyes looked to be dead, She could catch any bug with a flick of her head. And last of our party, as I met them that day, Was a diamond-backed snake, all brown and gray. His name was Icasius, he spoke well and seemed nice, But all kept their distance, especially the mice, And only I spoke at length with the snake, Though I kept well away, not a chance did I take And not once did I look in those beady snake eyes, For a bird who does that very soon dies, Lost in the trance snakes only can weave. And now, I think, yes I do believe That we had stopped for the night in a shadowy dell When two small birds appeared and, well, It was too late to turn them away, They were sweet and polite, so we said they could stay. They were both chickadees, Deedee and Feebee, And they were the only birds, other than me. They were merry and bright, and flitted about, They chirped and they chattered, and we had no doubt That they were the happiest of our motley crew. And now I will introduce myself to you. I am a raven, my name is Carrak, My claws are sharp, my feathers are black, My eyes are bright, I tell no lies, And although this may come as quite a surprise, This story I tell is entirely true, So now I will tell my tale to you. We were all in the woods, and climbing the rise That leads out of the forest, when two, great, green eyes Flashed in the shadows, and then disappeared. Arin assured us it was not what we feared, But we all watched the shadows, and jumped at the sound Of a twig snapping somewhere, and we all spun around When an ear splitting scream came from behind us. We ran and we hoped that it would not find us, But our hopes were in vain, for it gained every pace Until we could see its malevolent face. She was a cougar, wiry and thin, Long-boned and scarred, and evil as sin. One ear stood in tatters, one eye was no more, Her fangs were like sabers, her claws ripped and tore At the earth as she chased us and as we ran I searched for a safe place for our caravan. Then I saw it ahead, a cave in a hill that Seemed enough for us all, but too small for the cat. As I led them to safety, I looked back and saw Both the skink and the toad fall under her claw. The rest of us made it to the cave safe and sound, We could hear her outside, tearing at the ground. Then she spoke to us, her voice like smooth slate, And what that cat said, I shall now relate. “Do you know who I am? You fools,” said she. “I am the lion of the mountain, the great Lyrani. You cannot escape, this cave will be your tomb, You will all die, you have met your doom.” Her long paw snaked in, all tawny and white, And her long claws extended made a fearsome sight. The mice squeaked in terror, the hare quaked in fear, White Arin whispered, “It’s all right, my dear.” To hi wife as she wept, and even I thought That the way things were going, there really was not Any chance we would live, or that someone would save All of us from her and an early grave. She must’ve had a thought that made her pause For she withdrew her paw and retracted her claws, And she said as she bent and peered into our cave: “I wonder if you would accept if I gave You a chance to escape, something quite fair. One of you has to face me, the wolf or the hare, The mouse or the raven, it does not matter to me. Whether they fight or they run, the rest can go free. A sporting chance for one, freedom for the rest, If you accept my offer, then send out your best!” Well, Garvin Lo quickly said, “I say we agree, Let’s send out Arin to face Lyrani.” But Nilea cried, “Oh, no! Don’t take him away. He’s all that I have, with me he must stay.” Then she turned her eyes on the cat, Garvin Lo. “You’re a cat, just like her. Why don’t you go?” “She won’t care what I am,” he said. “And she will Not pause for a moment, for she likes to kill. Hey, let’s send the raven, he’s swift and can fly. When she tries to attack, he can take to the sky.” They all liked the idea, but I’m not very brave So I had to decline, and I stayed in the cave. The hare said the mouse was the one who should go, But Scollin had a wife and stoutly said no. Mio said that Jax was the best of our lot, And should go, but said the hare, “You’d have thought A thief like our Mio would hesitate To do this great deed, so he can relate His tale far and wide. Why I’d jump at the chance, But my paw has gone lame, and I can’t even dance. Let’s send old Deedee to do this great thing, But let us decide, for time does take wing.” And they argued like this, back and forth, over who Would be sent to the cat, to do what they must do, When a soft, gentle voice, silent ‘till then Was heard above all and listened to when It said, “I will go.” And everyone stared As Icasius the snake, though shaking and scared, Slithered from the cave to face the great foe, And we all agreed, It was he who should go. I mean, after all, who cared if he died, He just like all snakes, must have cheated and lied, Though he wasn’t the one, specifically, who Tricked Eve in the garden, all of us knew Of the evil inherent in every snake’s heart, So who really cared if he was torn apart? We watched as the cat looked at him in disdain And said, ”Poor, simple creature, let me make it plain That nothing can save you from certain death.” Icasius said nothing, just took a deep breath And struck at Lyrani, his fangs sinking deep Injecting his venom and trying to keep His hold on the cat as she clawed at his body ‘Till he bled from the spots where she had clawed. He Was growing weak, But he did not let go And soon the cougar was weakened and slow. She fell in a heap and gave one last cry, And the snake and the cougar together did die. Well, we journeyed on, no longer afraid Having left the bodies where they were laid. No tears, of course, were shed for the snake Who defeated our foe and died for our sake, For the truth, after all is said and done, Is that snakes are evil, and you cannot miss one Just because of one deed that they happened to do. A snake is a snake, and no matter who You may ask on the matter, the answer’s the same; No matter what the crime, the snake is to blame. At length we reached the mountain peak. All of us sore, weary and weak As we made our way through the ice and snow To a palace of ice that seemed to glow. Inside we found upon his throne Of blue crystal and polished stone, Our mighty Emperor, a beast and a bird In one awesome creature, just as we’d heard. A great golden eagle and a tiger so white That his fur shone like diamonds in the ice blue light. The front of an eagle, the rear of a cat, But when he looked at us, his eyes were flat, Not bright like an eagle’s, as they should be, But cold, and the look sent a shiver through me. He spoke to us, his voice rich and deep, And our surprise we tried in vain to keep Hidden from him as he asked after the toad, And the skink and the snake that we’d lost on the road To find his palace. Then he said, in a cool and dignified way, “Did you honor the snake at all on that day, When he gave up his life, so that you all would live? When he gave to you all the greatest gift one can give?” “Oh, Emperor,” said Arin. “He was only a snake, A low, evil creature and we did not take One single moment out of our day To honor his death in any way.” Then spoke the Emperor to us all in A strange, dark voice. “You have fallen And you cannot see beyond the skin, You cannot see what lies within. Whether beast or bird, fish or reptile, The species does not determine if vile Or good is the creature’s truest intent For many a savior in rags had been sent, And many a well-dressed demon has come, And judge not them all by the actions of some.” Then he spread his great wings and with royal grace He climbed into the sky and away from that place. We had nothing to do but to return to our homes, Except for the lynx, who continually roams. We left the palace and said our good-byes And with heavy hearts, (and a few teary eyes,) We went our own ways, and I was alone Once again on a journey that was my own. When I reached the place where the snake had died, (His name was Icasius!) I stood and I cried For at last I had realized what I had done. I had put the sins of all onto this one, A far braver creature than any I knew, And still to this day what I said holds true. I have not met one, of any species or breed, Who has acted as noble, in word or in deed. What, you may ask, is the point of my tale? Only that sometimes we all can fail, And sometimes we only see fur and skin And we are blind to the beauty and goodness within. So judge not a book by it’s cover, lest ye Be judged as unfairly by what others may see, The actions of one need not condemn all, Or into the darkness of hate we will fall. Carrak the Raven |