Having found a collection of mouse skulls heaped on a log, Wood Spider regarded it for a moment, tail lashing against her flanks. She hadn't seen any kimeti in a days' time, and for some reason her head was full of stories. Maybe it was because she'd eaten the leaves of the speaking-tree -- willow leaves, that seemed to whisper on the summertime winds. What they said she didn't know, but she'd heard (or maybe she'd just made it up) that eating them made anyone able to talk the sun out of the sky and the birds out of the air.Since she had no other audience, Wood Spider decided this was the best she'd find. Settling onto the ground, folding her legs underneath her and letting her tail lash across the mud, she tilted her head and began her tale. The skulls remained silent, waiting with a patient air.
"One day, long ago, when the Swamp was all that there was, two kimeti lived on opposite sides of the Swamp. They were friends, and loved to visit one another as often as they were able, journeying for days and days just to see one another. One was brilliantly green, as if he had been dipped in grass, and was very handsome and charming. The other was plain, brown and tan, but hardworking and honest. Every time the brown buck visited his friend, he brought food and treats with him; the green buck would always eat them, but never supplied any of his own. He preferred to sing to the fireflies and dance in the mud, to spin tall tales and chase the alligators. The brown buck simply went about his business, making sure that his life would always be simple and happy, if not very exciting.
"However, being a kind buck, the brown buck always provided for his friend, content with his friend's promises that he would bring the best food and sweetest treats next time.
"As the seasons passed and hot summer gave way into cooler autumn, when the green buck visited his friend, he noticed the brown buck had stockpiles of berries, nuts and even some dried meat. That was a dull hobby indeed to take up, and the green buck laughed at his friend, teasing him for being so practical minded. Better to dance and sing and have fun!
"The brown buck accepted this as gracefully as he could manage, though he did feel bad. He wasn't much of a dancer and never sang, but he was safe in knowing he wouldn't go hungry through the winter.
"When winter arrived and froze the mud and crisped the leaves with frost, the brown buck ceased to see his friend. After a few weeks, he began to worry. Winter is not a kind season in the Swamp, and his friend had never bothered with securing food for himself. So it did not surprise the brown buck, safe and warm in his den during a freezing rain storm, when the green buck suddenly appeared.
"'Can you help me?' the green buck pleaded; there were hollows in front of his hips and even his eyes were dimmed, no longer the bright silver that the Motherfather had blessed him with. 'I have no food, and I'm starving! No berries grow, and there are no tadpoles to eat!'
"The brown buck shook his head. Though it hurt him to deny his friend anything, he had had the whole summer to secure food, and the Swamp was bountiful. 'You've had the entire summer to gather food. Dancing and singing will get you joy and laughter, but you cannot live off of those things alone. You must nourish the soul and the body.'
"Unhappy with this verdict, the green buck set off during the long winter and only just survived to see the buds grow on the trees. He survived by eating brown grass and wrinkled berries. All of his ribs could be counted and his hipbones jutted out, sharp enough to split wood on. It is said that the Swamp herself took pity on him for his lesson learned. From then on, the green buck changed his name to Should Have Listened, to honor the wisdom of his friend."
Wood Spider nodded to herself, pleased to see that her audience of skulls seemed interested in her story and that all of them had sat patiently through to the end. Gathering her long legs up underneath her and switching her tail, she danced in place for a moment. "And now you all know -- it is important to take care of yourself! There is always time for dance and play, but you must realize that the not-so-fun things are important too."
Seeing that her audience seemed to accept this lesson, and pleased that the speaking-tree leaves had done their work, she set off across the swamp in search of more charms to collect and stories to tell.