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TWO BUCKS of much travel and travail were trotting through the swamp, their tails a-sway and their thoughts a-wander. They were a father and son, a storyteller and a singer, lost in the great maze of murk and trees and at a loss as to where they were. The father was a mottle of reds, oranges and golds, as of a fire seen through water; the son was a mottle of red, blue and green, as of flowers ground into paste poured tastefully over a rock.
As it were, they happened upon a number of foals, colts and fillies who were huddled together in the gathering dark of the evening. The singer and the storyteller conversed in brief, and approached the young ones with an offer. For their evening's entertainment, they would ply their art; and for their payment, they would take riddles, songs and stories. The children exchanged nervous glances at such odd payment, and such payment that they had so little of, but agreed to the offer, for the nights had been growing darker and darker night by night, and were at that time of year very long and lonely. So, the father and son settled down in the mire with the young ones, and the father spun a tale as his son sang lightly in the background.
The tale went like this;

spacerOnce, when all the world was young, and our Motherfather had yet to deign to hide her true face from her children, Matope came across a very young colt and a very old buck arguing about who was superior to who. The old buck argued that his age gave him wisdom, which was precious beyond measure, while the young colt argued that his youth gave him agility and strength, which were gifts from Matope to keep her children alive. Motherfather stepped into the clearing, and both Kimeti ceased arguing and bowed one leg to her, heads bent in respect. Matope spoke to them, saying that she would have a contest for them to see which was better.
spacerMatope led the two Kimeti to a tree with a bird's nest in its boughs. She asked both the colt and the buck to fetch down one egg from the nest in the tree. The old buck, being wise, sent a snake into the tree to fetch the egg for him, and it was brought safely to ground thusly; the young colt, being physical, jumped up onto a convenient rock, and from there to a low branch, and up and up until he got to the nest himself, and grabbed an egg gently in his mouth, and wove his way cautiously back down; his egg was also retrieved safely. The Kimeti presented their eggs to Motherfather, who ate them whole, and told them to follow her to the next part of the challenge.
spacerMatope led the two Kimeti to a log, which she turned over, exposing the many fungi beneath. She told them to bring to her the two on the log which were not poisonous; the old buck, being wise, sniffed and looked about, and found one of these mushrooms very easily; the young colt, being physical, paced along the length of the log, uncertain, and returned to Matope forlorn and mushroomless. Motherfather ate the mushroom the old buck brought her whole, saying nothing to the young colt, and led them to the last part of the challenge.
spacerMatope led the two Kimeti to a clearing in the swamp. Here she told the Kimeti to catch her a mouse among the grass. The old buck, being wise, sought to trap one, but was always foiled by the mouse's sharp eyes and ears, and so caught no mice. The young colt, being physical, tossed his head and ran into the grass, and chased and caught a mouse, which he gladly brought to Motherfather. She ate the mouse whole, saying nothing to the old buck, and led them back to where they began.
spacerMatope asked first the wise old buck who he thought had won. She had him whisper his answer into her left ear. His answer was the young colt. Matope asked the young colt who he thought had won. She had him whisper his answer into her right ear. His answer was the old buck. Matope congratulated both of them, and said that they were both right; for, while the strength and liveliness that were the gift of the young were valuable, the wisdom earned through the years was most certainly ample compensation for the loss of vigor. Humbled, the two Kimeti made amends, and Motherfather left them as they were.


His tale told, the storyteller smiled at the foals, colts and fillies. When he asked them for their stories, they answered eagerly, no longer doubting themselves.

In the light of the next dawn, the storyteller and the singer rose before the children and set out again. They ate as they walked, thankful to their home and family for their bounties in wisdom, vivacity, and, most importantly, each other.