Mckenzie Martin – The bears were the rulers of the woods; it had been this way forever as far as the bear cubs were concerned. Their mother told of great grizzlies who didn’t have to lift a paw for the fish would simply jump into their mouths, and whose very presence made all the creatures quiet down.
Both bear cubs were enamoured by these tales. They trotted along behind their mother with their heads held high, snouts pointed to the sky. They didn’t consider that their mother was in front, it just made sense the trees parted for them.
When it came time to learn to hunt, their mother separated them and wished them luck. They would have to rule different parts of the woods, so they must get used to hunting on their own.
One of the cubs approached the river, a massive body of rushing water to still such a small cub. He sat on the river’s bank, digging his claws into the solid ground, and opened his mouth, hoping dinner would hop in quickly so he could return to the safety of dry land. The fish refused. They jumped into the air, and dove back into the water, but never once landed in his mouth.
“Hey.” The cub spoke nervously, but the fish turned their attention to him. “Why won’t you jump in my mouth?”
The fish spoke in unison, a chorus of voices as calm but stern as his mother’s. “We don’t dance for you. We dance for ourselves.” In the distance he saw a grizzly swat at the fish as they did flips in the air. “You catch us by chance, or we aren’t your dinner.”
So, he gathered all his courage and stuck his paw out over the water.
The other cub made his way around the forest floor. His stomach growled, but he didn’t know where to find food. Food would simply drop at their feet when their mother entered the den. That’s how it was supposed to be.
He didn’t like that the birds still sang and the squirrels still chattered when he walked by. He was a mighty bear; they should all be cowering in silence.
Suddenly he stumbled upon a moose, with antlers so large and wide he towered over him. The cub waited, expecting the moose to lay down and be his meal, but the giant didn’t move. Angry at being ignored, the bear cub stomped his feet and roared.
“Lay down! Hey, you have to listen to me! I’m a great grizzly!”
The moose looked down. “You’re just a cub.”
“I’m still a bear! Let me eat you! I command it!” He roared and nipped at the moose’s leg.
“I have to do nothing.” The moose glared at the cub. “You have to learn to be patient and kind, or you will not grow.”
The moose hit the bear cub with one of his antlers and the cub’s fur became bark. Where a bear cub once stood, a stump now stands.
Photo contributor: Mckenzie Martin
Leave a Reply