There once was an elder beaver that loved all the animals in the forest and he spend his time at the river helping the other animals navigate the treacherous waters in the river to help the animals to arrive safely on the other side of the river. But the weasel, rats and gophers had infested this forest and they hated the elder beaver and all the beavers that lived in the forest. For beavers always lived in and around flowing water. The weasel hated water. He did not like what it did to his beautiful fur. He felt he was so beautifully designed that any water touching him destroyed the natural beauty of his fur coat so he stayed away from flowing water and made sure that every other animals in the forest stayed away from flowing water. The rats hated flowing water to for it would wash away the stench that they loved to smell that flowed from their wretched bodies for they loved to dig into every garbage pile they could find and roll in the rotting smell of garbage. The gophers hated flowing waters to for it could drown them in their tunnels of darkness. They rarely came to the light for they loved to spend their time in darkness and creating tunnels into other animals home to create as much disaster as they could while not being seen. The beaver lived in such a way that the weasel could not hurt him nor destroy his home in the river. The rats could never seem to get into his home under water and destroy his place for the rats loved to destroy other animals homes and drive them crazy until they felt they had to flee their homes and run to another place. If the gophers tried to tunnel their way into a beaver's home the flowing water would rush in and destroy them so they knew enough to stay away from a beavers home, yet they hated them still for beavers lived in the light and the gophers hated that.
The elder beaver was at the rivers edge when an owl staring at the moon began to draw close to the waters edge. "What are you doing," said the elder beaver? "I am preparing to go to the to the other side of the river," declared the owl. "How are you planning on doing that?" asked the elder beaver. "I am planning on following the moon. All my life I have followed the moon. It has guided me. I have flown the great skies and its light has guided me to every prey I have ever needed to sustain my life. I have known that the moon is the great guiding light in the sky and it has guided me here to the waters edge and I know that the winds across this river are too great for me to traverse for they would cause me to weaken and tire only to fall into the river and drown before I reached the other shore. So the moon has guided me to the waters edge and I am now to lay on my back staring at the moon and float my way across the river and the moon will guide me safely to the other shore." "Have you not read the signs in the forest?" inquired the elder beaver. "Yes I saw the signs. They spoke of asking the beavers for successful living and guidance to the other shore but they are creatures of the sunlight. I am a creature of the moonlight and I do not believe they have any knowledge of how a great owl like myself can live. It is the moon that has guided me here and I am ready to float to the other side" and with that he laid down on his back, stared up and the moon and floated on his back. Only to be washed out to sea and pulled under and drowned; forever living under pressure and torment, crushed under the land he will never see nor the moon he loved to worship.
The weasel began to laugh. "Did you here that boys? The moon guided me here! Great work boys. That bird brain never saw it coming. Hey joey you rat, I loved the part when you whispered,'The moon has shown you your prey.'" "Yep." " I guess he remembered that line and he never saw you hanging on to that mouse from your gopher hole." The two of then rolled in laughter. "Yes, nice work," said the weasel, "but I especially liked my added touch that I told him. 'Beavers are creatures of the sunlight but you are the great owl who follows the moonlight.' He actually thinks the moon can talk. I always made sure I whispered that when it was a full moon.'You are a creature of the moonlight,'" laughed the weasel. "You are a creature of the forest and now your not going to be living in this forest any more." Off they went laughing their heads off. The elder beaver was sad as he heard them say "one wise owl down, how many more of these great owls can we con with this moonlight story? This is great," they said as they slapped each other on the back and walked off into the darkness. "If only he would have asked a beaver", said the elder beaver.
A few days later a great grizzly bear approached the rivers edge and began to enter the water. "Stop," shouted the elder beaver. "I am going to the other side," declared the mighty grizzly bear. "How are you planning on getting there?" "I am going to swim the great river. I am the mightiest of all the animals in the forest and I am not afraid of any flowing water." "I take it you have never been to the inside of a beaver's home before," remarked the elder beaver. "Of course not," declared the mighty grizzly. "What could a little tiny beaver show me?" "He could have showed you how to trust a beaver to live in and near the flowing river safely, declared the elder beaver. "I have crossed all the flowing rivers safely with my great strength, my way," declared the mighty grizzly. "I will do it again with this flowing river," with that he entered the flowing water and was swept out to sea and drown. Never to arrive safely on the other shore.
"I am the mighty grizzly," roared the weasel in a squeaky mocking voice. "Your a drown grizzly," laughed the gopher. "I did it my way", mocked the rat. "He did it your way," said the rat to the weasel."He sure did," said the weasel. "I whispered from behind that rock at the waterfalls edge, 'you are powerful and you can swim across this waterfalls edge.'" "I thought we had him there boys but that brute was strong enough to actually swim across the river." "Yea he was so busy buffing himself up to get across the river that he never noticed the sign 'beaver home safe crossing in here.'"
"Well one less grizzly in this forest," remarked the weasel. "Yep," said the gopher. "Sometimes I wish this was our home," said the gopher. "Don't talk like that," said the rat. "You know how that upsets the boss. He knows what his future home looks like and well, let's not talk about it," and with that they scurried away from the rivers edge.
The elder beaver was very sad. He wished he could have saved the mighty grizzly.
The very next night a great massive grizzly bear arrived at the waters edge and said to the elder beaver, I guess it is time to go to the other shore and the elder beaver smiled and said, "I see you have been to a beavers home." "Yep," said the massive grizzly and with that the grizzly entered the water with the elder beaver. The elder beaver said when I say go under, you go under and as the water began to be above the grizzly's head the elder beaver said "now" and the massive grizzly went with the beaver under the water and they went inside the elder's beaver tunnel and made it safely to the other side.
The weasel scowled and said "well boys we did not convince that hulk to do it our way" and with that they left looking for other animals in the forest to speak to from the shadows.
When the elder beaver returned he saw a skunk sitting at the water's edge. She did not even look up with the elder beaver approached her. "What are you doing here?" asked the elder beaver. "Sitting." said the skunk. "Do I have to leave?" she inquired. "I 'll move on" and she started to move into the river. "You are not to be here," said the elder beaver. "I don't belong here," said the skunk. "Sure you do," said the beaver. "This is the home of all the forest animals and you are loved in this forest." "No I am not," said the skunk. "I am hated by all." "Haven't you been to a beaver's home." "Yes," said the skunk "but no one could really love me." "They do, all us beavers do." "I heard that many times, but I am a skunk." "You are loved and accepted for who you are now. This is once again my forest. I gave up my life for you so that you could be washed in the flowing water and cleansed once again." "But I stink. All the creatures of the forest used to stink but because of what I did the flowing water can wash away all smell of what used to be," encouraged the elder beaver. "I just can't accept that. I will never be better no matter what you did for me" and with that she walked into the river and was washed out to sea. She never looked up at the beaver's smiling face at her. She drowned and will live forever under the torment of never seeing the elder beaver's smiling face.
"Don't move," whispered the bunny. " No I have to move," whispered the frantic bunny. "If you move they will see you, whispered the calm bunny. "If I don't move they will see me since I am standing right here, but if I move they will see me. Can't they see me standing right here?" "Mooovvveee," said a voice from the shadows. The frantic bunny darted across the open area. "Mooovvveee," said another voice from the shadows. The frantic bunny ran into the trash can and made a great deal of noise. Frightened he ran to the shadows of the trees. The calm bunny said, "Be still, there is no need to be afraid." "Haven't you heard all the noises?," questioned the panicked bunny. "I have heard all the same whispers and the noise of you running into everything." "I can't help myself," said the frightened bunny. "Be still, the elder beaver is near and you have no need to be frightened. The beavers have told us the way home. We just need to get to them. So stop running into everything and we will get there safely," remarked the calm bunny. "Mooovvveee," said a voice from below the feet of the frightened bunny and the frightened bunny jumped so high that he actually jumped off the edge of the cliff and landed in the water and was swept out to sea. The calm bunny said to the shadows, "I hear your cry to 'Mooovvveee,' but I will not move until I am told it is safe to do so. I will not listen to you," and with that he quietly moved to the sign of the beaver's home and was guided safely home.
"Well we got that one bunny worked into a tizzy but man that other bunny wouldn't budge," moaned the rat. "Yes but we did get one more bunny out of this forest," remarked the gopher with a devious grin. "Ah looking on the bright side," said the weasel. "Let's frighten some more bunnies. That was so much fun! I love our 3 fear approach: from below, from the shadows and from the trees. That seems to get them every time. Let's go!," demanded the weasel.
As the weasel team left there, a turtle walking ever so slowly with a beaver arrived at the river's edge.
"I have walked with you all my life and I have followed the good ways and it is now time for me to go home," said the turtle to the beaver. "It is true you have walked all your days with patience and kindness but there is more to it than just doing good that needs to be done in order to prepare you for your journey home," explained the beaver.
"More to it you say," mocked the turtle. "You think you have the only way to get home? I have studied many a day. I have read the ancient manuscripts. I have learned the writings in their original languages. I have studied the text and have memorized great portions of those words in my slow methodical movements and study. It is clear that I have learned the correct ways and you are not the only ones who know the way. You wish to tell others that you know the only exalted way home but I too am of the ancient tribes from long ago and my fathers have shown me the way home so it is not right for you to try to tell me that you are the only ones who know the way home. I will arrive safely home as I have arrived safely to everywhere I have gone. Slowly, carefully, conservatively, restrained in movement and careful with approach. I will traverse the flowing water with my floating shell that has protected me from the attacks of others and has been a comfortable home for me as I have often pulled myself in during great trials and tribulations and I will do the same as I cross the flowing river and will eventually arrive home." There was nothing more to be said and then the turtle left the presence of the beaver and the turtle began his journey in the flowing water. He floated for a long time. He moved slowly and carefully but he never reached the home he longed for since he floated out to sea and was tormented forever knowing he never had the right path to make it home though he studied often to try on his own to find the correct path.
The beaver began to weep as he saw the turtle float away. I tired, he thought. "You failed, your a failure," whispers came to the beaver's mind. "There are so many beaver's who have walked in so much more success than you." "One little turtle that is all you had to do and you could not turn that situation around." You know that turtle will never find his way home and you couldn't help." The whispering began to come faster and faster. Whispers that reminded him of every failure he has ever had. Whispers of loss, whispers of loss he will have. Whispers of uselessness. Whispers of regret. Whispers of accusation, of how unlovely he is. Whispers of confusion. Whispers of fear. Fear he will never get it right. Fear that he has always gotten it wrong. The beaver froze and was unable to move. he could not help one more forest critter find his way way. The beaver's saw how frozen their beaver friend was and they brought him to the elder beaver and the elder beaver began to speak to his beaver. He quietly began to ask the beaver, "did I say that about you?" "Did I ever say that to you?" Did I ever treat you like that?" The little beaver began to come alive as he started to hear the elder beaver's voice again. "No, you never said that" "No you never acted that way to me." "No that is not what you said." Lies, yes they are all lies, I have been lied to, the little beaver realized. "Yes you have been lied to and you were believing those lies and that is why you were frozen. Go now and free every creature in the forest letting them know that they do have enemies in the forest and their weapons are lies. Set my critters free and help them to not only find their way home but help them to have fun right now in my forest until I do bring them home. This is my forest and my ways will bring you the greatest joy and the best life you can ever have.
With that the little beaver went with great joy talking to every critter he could find to not only help them find their way home but help them enjoy their life in the forest now.
