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-Kuniku- Inari Vice Captain
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 Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 1:03 am
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Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 10:52 pm
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A long time ago the butterfly and the frog....
…rested together on the bank of the slow, lazy river. The two had been fast friends since they were both very young, when they were still the caterpillar and the tadpole. Back then they were both very small and very lonely; the tadpole had been washed down the river and away from its family when it newly hatched, and the caterpillar’s egg had blown far away from those of its brothers and sisters. The two of them met on a spring day at the edge of the river, where leafy branches dipped low over the shallow water. They saw in each other kindred spirits, and eased their loneliness every day with pleasant conversation. The other creatures mocked them for their unusual friendship, but the caterpillar and tadpole did not think it was unusual at all. They were both small and green and long of body, and neither knew that someday they would both be quite different.
As the days passed the two of them became the best of friends, they talked often and each admired the other greatly. The tadpole admired how the caterpillar could be so close to the sunshine, for below the water all of the light was filtered and dull, and the caterpillar admired how quickly the tadpole could move about, for he was slow and ponderous. Despite this they never grew jealous and were as close to each other as two friends could be. On the day the caterpillar was drawn to wrap himself up, safe and warm in a cocoon, he did so on a branch that hung over the tadpole’s home on the river. The tadpole was very lonely for awhile, but he watched his friend and waited patiently. Over time he noticed that he was not the same anymore, for as the day’s passed he stopped being the tadpole and he started being the frog. As he had changed so much, he worried that once his sleeping friend awoke he would no longer like him. However this fear was greatly eased the day he was able to protect the small cocoon from a passing fish, frightening the hungry creature away with his form. He appreciated that though he was now much different than he had been, it was not a bad thing.
Not long afterward the caterpillar awoke again, and he stretched himself out with a great yawn, pushing his way out of his cozy home. He became suddenly and inexorably aware of the fact that he was no longer a caterpillar at all, he was undoubtedly a butterfly. He flapped his slightly wrinkled wings softly, wondering what to make of himself when he heard a cry from below; it was his old friend the tadpole, now in a very different shape! He was so startled that he fell from the branch and onto the frog’s broad green back. The frog swam him back to the shore easily and hopped onto the dry land as he explained all that had changed since the two had last seen each other. The butterfly listened attentively until his friend had finished, after which he exclaimed that some things never changed, and he still, in fact, talked too much. The two of them laughed cheerfully, aware that on the inside they were still the same as they had ever been.
And so the two continued to spend their days together resting on the banks of the river, talking of the things they had seen and done that day, the butterfly fanning his great wings, spotted not unlike large eyes, and the frog sunning itself in the warm mud. The other animals mocked them more than ever, for butterflies should be in fields, and frogs in water, and they should be enemies and not friends, but the two of them ignored them all. One day while the two of them were discoursing, the butterfly resting on the frog’s back, a great hawk flew overhead, its dark shadow passed over them. They spotted it, but knew they could not flee quickly enough for both of them to escape. In a moment of panic the butterfly spread its wings wide and the frog shot out its long tongue, leaping straight up. And the hawk itself was presented with a fearsome sight! A beast with huge, fierce eyes and a lashing tongue flew up at him, it’s long legs trailing behind, and it startled away with a sharp cry, flapping for all it’s worth far away from the strange, terrifying creature.
When the frog and butterfly landed they were silent with surprise, aware of how nearly they had escaped death. They also knew for certain that alone they would have stood no chance against the feathered nightmare. Nor would two frogs or two butterflies have fared any better. The two were stronger for their differences and their friendship.
“I am suddenly glad I didn’t eat you,” the frog joked, cheered.
“Me too, you have horrible breath,” the butterfly answered, fluttering his wings.
And they spent many more days together on the banks of the lazy river.
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Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 12:22 pm
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A long time ago the butterly and the frog...
...grew to be the best of friends. At first one seemed better than the other, but one circumstance was able to show who truly was the better creature. It all started at the Great Pond in the Magnificent Forest.
One day, Butterfly was flying in circles around the pond. She was incredibly beautiful with her great wingspan and shiny wings that dropped golden dust as she flew. She could do flips and turns as quick as fox, and most were envious of her many abilities. She often went to the lake in order to show off her prowess over the other forest creatures when she spotted the only one who didn't seem to be jealous of her at all; the frog princess. Huffing and twitching her little antennae with dislike, she flew down and landed on a rock next to the shallow end of the pond where the Frog Princess was just lazing about.
"Oh, Frog Princess!" she called, trying to get the other's attention. Sitting up a bit as she realized she was being spoken to, the Frog Princess smiled politely at her visitor. "Oh, good morning Butterfly. You seemed to be having a lot of fun up there in the sky. Did you need something from me?" Even though Frog Princess was dull and gray and one of the least beautiful creatures in the entire forest, she was always kind to everyone, even those who looked down on her. "Yes, in fact I did." replied Butterfly. "I would like for you to have a contest with me so that the other animals know which of us is better." Butterfly sounded smug as if she already knew that she would be the victor. "That's perfectly fine with me, Butterfly. I'm always up for a good challenge." The Frog Princess wiggled her toes with delight. How much fun this would be! "I will come back tomorrow morning with Judge Owl, and he will decide how we will face each other." The two said their goodbyes, and Butterfly flew away to talk to Judge Owl.
By the next morning, Butterfly had in fact returned to the pond with Judge Owl, and lots of other forest animals also arrived at the news of the contest. "Be seated, please!" cried Judge Owl. "The contest, a race, is about to start!" He motioned with his large wings for Butterfly and the Frog Princess to stand side by side at the edge of the water, where they would begin. "You two will race all the way across the lake. Now then... On your mark, get set, GO!" The Judge hooted, sending the two girls off. Butterfly quickly took off from the ground and flew high into the air, and Frog Princess hopped right into the water and began swimming away. Butterfly flapped her wings as fast as she could, and looked beneath her to see where the Frog Princess was. It seemed she was trailing along, not even trying! There was a large distance between the two and Butterfly was very pleased with the results of her skill.
"Haha! Now everyone will see that I am the best!" Butterfly cheered, seeing that Frog Princess was far behind her. She began to whirl about, making splendid arcs and somersaults in the air. She could hear the crowd of animals 'Oohs' and 'Aahs' below her as they all were impressed by her maneuvers. Butterfly gradually moved further across the lake, but continued her aerial show. Soon however, her dazzling abilities took a turn for the worse: her wings were quickly becoming tired. "Oh no!" she cried, not realizing that she would wear her stamina out so quickly. Butterfly did her best to keep flapping her wings, but the other side of the pond was still so far away, and there was no place for her to land on the water. She would surely crash and drown.
"This is the end of me..." Butterfly said as she began to fall downward, headed straight for the deepest part of the pond. Just before Butterfly was about to hit the water... "Butterfly, quick! Land on my back!" a voice called. Despite being afraid, Butterfly realized it was the Frog Princess calling out to her. Carefully stretching out her wings, she was able to land safely on Frog Princess's broad back. "Gotcha!" With a grin, Frog Princess carried Butterfly across the lake and safely put her on the grass out of harm's way. All the spectators had seen what happened, and quickly ran over to talk to the two challengers. "Butterfly, are you alright?" They asked, checking on their friend. "Yes, I'm fine." she answered, her pretty wings quivering from just how tired they were. "Judge Owl?" she asked, looking up at the large bird. "Would you please declare Frog Princess the winner of the race?" The crowd gasped, very surprised at Butterfly's request. They never would have expected such a thing! "I asked for this contest because I wanted to prove to everyone that I was prettier, faster, and better than Frog Princess. But now I know she is better than me. I could have died today, but instead of leaving me behind Frog Princess saved me." Hearing Butterfly's speech, Judge Owl agreed. "Alright everyone, it seems we have a winner. The victor of today's race is none other than Frog Princess!" Everyone began to cheer happily as a crown of flowers was placed on top of Frog Princess's head. Despite being slimy and dirpping with water, everyone agreed that she looked beautiful with the crown. It seemed that while Butterfly was visibly more pleasing than Frog Princess, it was her heart of gold that proved to be the more valuable asset in the end.
The moral of the story: Beauty may be more appealing, but kindess leaves a longer lasting impression.
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Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 9:22 pm
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-Kuniku- Inari Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 12:02 am
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