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gather round my children.
look into the fire
and let my words bring the images
of our fathers and their fathers
to life for you.
many moons ago,
in the times of the ancient ones
lived a herd of beautiful elk
they lived near the edge of the great lake
on the end where the sun rose in the morning
one particular spring morning
when the dew carpeted the new grass,
a special doe was born
she was extraordinarily lovely
and grew to be sleek and fast
her mother was proud
for she seemed to be born with a grace
that only comes along every few generations
she called her Shiny Eyes
Shiny Eyes grew quickly,
learning to forage as a yearling
and was teaching her older brothers
almost from the time she could walk.
Shiny Eyes told her mother
she dreamed of a buck
whose name she did not know,
but that he was from the southern forests
where the ground grows tall
and the sky is but slits between the hills
he was strong and proud
she said she knew he was looking for her
her mother told her enough of that nonsense,
she was almost perfect
and the only thing that would prevent her
from being queen of the herd
were silly thoughts such as those
seasons passed and Shiny Eyes came of age
she was the most elegant elk in the forest
she stood erect and ran with a soft fluidity
like a song that a mother sings to her young
child
her mother told her she must take a buck
to perpetuate the herd and seize her place as
queen
“I’m slowing down Shiny Eyes” her mother said
as she stretched her tired shoulders
“Who will be your buck?”
“My love hasn’t come for me yet Mother”,
she said with reluctance and almost
embarrassment
“Running Fever from the herd on the cold side
of the lake
has asked that he may court you”
he’s very tall and handsome
and is sure to give you strong, healthy
offspring”
“But, I don’t think he is the one I’m meant to
be with”, she sighed
the season passed and the winter was hard
Shiny Eyes’ mother became very ill
and as the thaw came she called her to her side
“Shiny Eyes, promise me that you will take
Running Fever as your mate,
so that I may die in peace
knowing you will become queen of the herd.”
As her mother took her last breath
and tears streamed down Shiny Eyes’ cheeks,
she promised
“I will Mother”
Shiny Eyes and Running Fever became mates
and at first, it was better than she had
imagined
as the seasons came and went
they brought two beautiful daughters into the
herd
still, Shiny Eyes could not forget about the
buck in her dreams
Running Fever marveled at Shiny Eyes’ beauty,
but could sense something between them was not
right
he began to wander off and pay her little
attention
one day Running Fever was in the marshes
watching the young males lock horns
and Shiny Eyes was wandering through the forest
foraging
when out of the western sun strolled an older
buck
with chipped antlers and broad scars from
fighting
but the gentle eyes she’d seen in the buck of
her dreams
she was frightened and excited at the same time
he seemed fearless, but tired and lonely
he walked up to her and asked who she was
and what herd she belonged to
“My name is Thundering Hooves he told her
I come from the tall lands.”
“I am Shiny Eyes from the sunrise side of the
great lake”
they talked, and the more they talked,
the more they could sense electricity growing
he told her how he was scouting new land
because the furless ones were taking over his
forest
and they must find new ground
he did not want to crowd in on their land,
so he would follow the great river a few days
and look for a better place
“Have you a mate back at the tall lands?” she
asked
“I do and two lovely daughters”
“Is your mate beautiful?”
“She is fair, but doesn’t have that poise and
grace you possess”
he told her he must go but would return this
time next moon
and that he’d like to see her again
weeks passed and Shiny Eyes caught herself
thinking about him
and talking to her mother in her thoughts
”it’s him Mother, I know it is.”
she could imagine her Mother’s reactions and
could hear her saying,
“don’t be foolish
you will be queen next season
and this kind of love was foolishness now
the herd is what mattered most.”
Shiny Eyes made sure she was in the forest
as the sun touched the ground that night
when Thundering Hooves came back
they talked and drank from a small creek
where Thundering Hooves told her to look
at the reflection in the water
“See that beautiful face,
I see it in the water every time I drink now
and every time I look into a cloudy sky or a
starry night”
they knew they were in love,
but knew the situation was impossible
they spent most of the next two weeks together
and it was like Shiny Eyes’ dreams of her youth
truly he was the buck she longed for all her
life
Thundering Hooves also knew he was destined
to love only her for the rest of his life
finally, fall was closing in
and Shiny Eyes had to prepare for the winter
Thundering Hooves had to get back to the tall
lands
before the snows came
saying farewell tugged at their hearts
as Thundering Hooves walked back toward the
southern forests
tears streamed from Shiny Eyes’ pretty face
Shiny Eyes was to be ordained queen next spring
the whole herd was filled with excitement
except for her
Running Fever paid her little mind now and she
was glad
she was caught up in visions of being with
Thundering Hooves
she didn’t want to love him
and knew how the herd would be angry at her
but it was useless for she couldn’t help it
Thundering Hooves went back to the tall lands
and took care of his daughters and wife
he too could not keep his mind off the time he
spent with Shiny Eyes
and twice it nearly cost him his life
as the furless ones hunted him through the
forests of the tall lands
when the thaw came, Thundering Hooves listened
for assignments
and volunteered to scout the north lands again
much to Gathering Moss, his mate’s, dismay
“why would you volunteer to go back there” she
fussed at him
“you have a wife and family to take care of,
you know
what kind of buck abandons his family?”
she went on and on her words still trailing as
he galloped away
sure enough, Thundering Hooves saw Shiny Eyes
in the clearing
with her whole herd around her making her queen
but she didn’t look happy to him
one of the young bucks noticed him and the
males all chased him off
“there’s a time to fight” he told himself,
“but it is not now”
he wandered back up the big river and followed
the streams
where he found a beautiful meadow with lots of
cover and food
on his way back down he found Shiny Eyes
wondering alone by the southern marshes of the
great lake
when she finally recognized him, her heart
jumped,
and she ran to him and pounced all around him
he told her about the meadow as they made their
way there
for two beautiful nights they shared their
hearts and feelings,
but they knew it could not last
Shiny Eyes knew the herd would be worried about
her
and Thundering Hooves knew he had to return to
the tall lands
and tell the elders of his meadow
now, Thundering Hooves returned to the herd and
told them of his find
he also knew he’d be closer to Shiny Eyes and
he felt very proud and excited
as he led them to the meadow and past the
southern edge of the great lake,
he thought he saw a beautiful elk up on the
bluff watching them
he hoped it was her, but he could not tell from
the distance between them
his daughters were grown now with bucks to
protect them
and Gathering Moss wanted no part of him
anymore
Thundering Hooves felt old and alone knowing he
had few seasons left
he was slowing and the furless ones were
getting harder to outwit
fall came once again and Thundering Hooves was
restless
he could not keep from straying back to the
southern marshes
he searched all directions of the winds, but
could find Shiny Eyes nowhere
one gloomy autumn day, he strayed too close to
her herd’s territory
where he ran into a young buck who challenged
him
the buck was strong, but Thundering Hooves was
a seasoned fighter
and soon he pinned the young buck to a tree
“Where is your queen?” he asked
“Why do you want to know?”
“I am a friend of hers.”
“She is very sick” the young buck told him
“Take me to her now!” demanded Thundering Hooves
as they walked to the camp, many bucks
challenged him
but he did not fight back
blood dripped down his sides from the antler
blows
he was knocked down twice, but kept coming
there she was…beautiful, but looking very ill
“Thundering Hooves, I can’t believe you came
here”, she said weakly
“I had to find you….what has happened?” he said
as the herd closed in around him
“she will not eat, she will not sleep, and she
cannot lead us”, said one of the elders
“may I take her with me?” asked Thundering
Hooves
“she hasn’t the strength and is spoken for”,
they answered
“you may take her” spoke up Running Fever,
“she’s of no use to me anymore”
So, Thundering Hooves helped Shiny Eyes to her
feet
“Lean on me, Shiny Eyes, I will be your
strength”, he said
he led her to the spot in the southern marshes
where they first met
he set up a shelter for her against the side of
a large hill
that would protect her from the weather
he gathered plants for that the elders had said
will help heal her
he brought long grass and made her bed soft and
warm
winter was coming to the lake lands early this
year
and a heavy snow fell while he was out foraging
he was trapped in a creek bottom where he was
gathering frozen berries
after several exhausting days, Thundering
Hooves finally returned to Shiny Eyes
“wake up, come see what I’ve brought you he
said as he neared
what a horrible storm…I’m glad I left you
sheltered and with food”
as he got closer, he saw that she was not
sleeping but has passed very recently,
yet he kept talking as tears stream out down
his tired eyes
“you should have seen the creek bottom I got
trapped in
I had to walk a day the other direction along
the big bluff to get back to you
I was hoping you weren’t worrying about me too
much…”
then he heard the growl of coyotes…they came
for Shiny Eyes
one jumped and started to tear into her
beautiful coat
Thundering Hooves put his head down, charged,
drove his antler’s deep in coyote’s throat and
tossed him aside violently
the pack surrounded him now and he fought each
one off
until he could barely keep his head up
one of them jumped on his back and tore into
his ribs
he finally had to bolt away
he took off running as hard as he could with
his head down,
bouncing off of trees and skidding in icy
patches
he would not and could not look back
he’d somehow made his way to the giant bluff
with several coyotes still in chase
then he heard the whistle of the furless ones’
weapon
and felt his side sting and knees go weak
as he hit the ground, his soul continued over
the bluff
where a beautiful young again doe was waiting
for him
in a lush meadow not unlike the one
where they had spent such wonderful times
together
the old ones say on foggy mornings in the
forests
near the southern marshes of the great lake
you can still see Thundering Hooves
strutting through the trails
with Shiny Eyes teasing and prancing around
him…
it is said that if you do see them, the gods
will smile
and you will also find true love, but late
in life
Runnells, Iowa ‘09
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