The Competition

It was a glorious winter's day on the highveld. The sky was azure blue, the veld gold and crisp, and a cool wind kept our Fawn Maiden comfortable as she napped in the bright sunshine. All was peaceful. Except...
Her ear twitched. The wind carried sounds of an argument towards her.
"You're wrong! Small and agile is the best!"
"No, little one, it is you that are wrong. It is by far better to be big and strong."
The Fawn Maiden yawns as she opens her eyes.
"O, really? That big body could never keep up with me!"
"Yes, really! You may get there first, but those tiny teeth could never crush a bone!"
In front of her basking spot, her two friends stood arguing.






The Dusky Lady snapped: "well, come over here, and I'll show you tiny teeth!", to which the Loping Gent replied: "Ha! You could only nibble at my ankles!"
"Good morning!" said the Fawn Maiden.
Both black dogs turn to her with a start. They were so absorbed in their argument that they did not see her sleeping there.
"Say, Fawn Maiden, perhaps you can settle this for us?" asked the Loping Gent. "You see, I am convinced that it is better to be big and strong, while the Dusky Lady over here believes it is better to be small and agile. You are clever, and a good judge of character, help us out of this dilemma?"
"Yes, which of us is the better dog?" Asks the Dusky Lady.
"The better dog? My word, what a question. You both have your strengths, you are both excellent dogs!" the Fawn Maiden answered.
"That may be so, Fawn Maiden, but which of us is more excellent than the other?" pressed the Loping Gent.
"If you insist on finding an answer, Loping Gent, perhaps we should hold a contest. That would be more fair than simply relying on my say so."
Both the Dusky Lady and the Loping Gent agreed that that was a splendid idea, and so, the three friends set off to a place to test themselves.








"There will be three contests. The first one," the Fawn Maiden explained "will be a test of speed. Whoever can make it to the top of this cliff first will be declared the winner of the first contest."
"Ha! I've got this one in the bag." said the Loping Gent. "I'll be up there in three big leaps."
The Dusky Lady scoffed. "You'll try, big guy, but those big feet of yours won't find anywhere to grip. Three big flops, right into the dust, more likely!"
The Fawn Maiden nimbly hopped up the cliff, using tiny footholds for small leaps, and larger surfaces for big leaps. She did not go too quickly, but took her time to make sure her footing was stable before she moved on. Once at the top, she told her companions that they may begin, and that she will check to see who makes it up to her first.







True to his word, the Loping Gent ran up to the cliff and made a gigantic leap, trying to get as much height as he can. He used all his might, his muscles first bunched then drawn taught, like a bowstring, as he flew through the air.







The Dusky Lady stormed the cliff, and scrabbled desperately up the sheer face. At his first leap, the Loping Gent was nearly half way up already! She dug in her nails and wiggled her legs and climbed and climbed with all her might. When the Loping Gent gathered himself for his second leap before she had even reached half way she thought all was lost, but he did not look before he leapt, and had nowhere to grip when he landed. His nails screeched as he tried for a foothold, but to no avail. He slid all the way down the cliff until he sat in the dust.
This gave the Dusky lady a chance to get ahead. As she neared the top she heard the Gent leap again, and she knew she had to hurry. In her rush she did not see that what she thought was rock, was in fact a small lizard sunning himself. The suddenly squishy surface under her paw alarmed her and she leapt back, landing just below where the Loping Gent had just landed.

"Ha!" He laughed, "I'll see you at the top!" and he leapt once more, with all his might. But her scrabbling was a better method for scaling cliffs, because as once more the Loping Gent slid to the sand below, she made it to the top.

"The Dusky Lady has won" called the Fawn Maiden loudly, and more softly, so only he would hear, "would you prefer us to climb down to you, Loping Gent?"
He nodded his head and turned away, muttering that there is no reason for a self respecting dog to go climbing cliffs any way.
Together, the Dusky Lady and the Fawn Maiden hopped down the cliff.








"The next challenge will be one of endurance. You will race to the rock stack, North of us, on the other side of the Magalliesberg. It is an hour away, more or less."

"Oh, that suits me just fine!" says the Dusky Lady. "I am fit, strong and in excellent condition, I can easily run all the way there."
"Yes, that's fine by me too. There is no way this little Lady will get there before me! But tell me, Fawn Maiden, how will we be judged?" asked the Gent.
"Do not worry, Loping Gent, I will be at the finish to check who gets there first." answered the Fawn Maiden.
The Dusky Lady asked if she knew a shortcut, that she could so confidently say she'll arrive first.

"Something like that" she said. "Now, there is yet another contest after this one, so we'd best get started."
Fawn Maiden had barely spoken those words when Dusky Lady and Loping Gent set off as fast as their legs could carry them.








Winter is bone dry and the winter sun beats down on the veld without remorse. The direct route, with both the Dusky Lady and the Loping Gent had set off on would be dusty and hot, with no shade and no water. The Fawn Maiden knew this, so she planned her route to the rock stack to go along the river for most of the way. This would allow her to trot in the cool shade, and will let her drink as much water as she would like. She had no shortcut, in fact, her planned route was longer than the direct path. Knowing that the easy route is often faster than the direct route, she set of at a fast but comfortable trot to her destination.
Just about an hour later she saw the rock stack in front of her.







Neither of the other two had arrived yet, as she anticipated. So, she sat down and waited for them.








About half an hour later, two tired, dusty dogs came walking up to where she sat. The Loping Gent collapsed down, and the Dusky Lady put her head on his back for support.

"We made it!" he sighed.

"It was so very hot and dry" she added. "He outran me at first, but I passed him panting in the dust not too long after. Then I had to lie down too, which is where he found me. After that, we traveled together"
"I am glad you are safe, friends" said the Fawn Maiden. "It seems to me this is a tie."
"Agreed!" Said the other two in unison. They were simply too tired to argue.
After a rest, the Fawn Maiden asked if they were ready for the final test.

"We are, I believe" said the Loping Gent, his statement confirmed by a nod from the Dusky Lady.




"The final test is a hunt", said the Fawn Maiden. "Whoever catches a guinea fowl first will be the winner".

"I will overpower such a small bird! This is no problem at all." said the Loping Gent, and set off into the veld.
"Ah, what a fool!" the Dusky Maiden said. "You catch prey by agility, not by force!" She too set off to find her prey. Not too much time later, she was stalking up to where the fowls were hunting grubs among the bush willows. Her focus narrowed to a fine point, her whole body waiting for just the right moment to strike.





The time was right, the bird blinded by the slanting sunlight. She leapt, there could be only one conclusion... When suddenly the Loping Gent burst into the clearing, scattering the birds. Squawking they fled away from the two dogs, and in her great frustration the Dusky Lady turned her anger on the Gent. Laughing at her, he ran just quickly enough to keep out of reach of her white teeth.







Soon enough, though, they forgot their quarrel, and resolved to go and hunt in separate areas. Not too much later, the Loping Gent brought a fowl to the Fawn Maiden, followed shortly by the Dusky Lady.
"Well done both of you!" she said. "But, seeing as Loping Gent was back first, he won this contest."

"That's right" he said, and puffed up his chest. "I won!"
"So what's the final result, Fawn Maiden? Who is the best dog?" The Dusky Lady asked.

"It's a tie" the Gent said. "You climbed the cliff faster than me, but I caught a bird before you. We shan't mention that horrible race."
Then, they noticed that the Fawn Maiden was surrounded by guinea fowl feathers.

"Did you catch one?" they asked.
The Fawn Maiden answered yes. "When you chased them up, Loping Gent, they were confused and scared, and not watching where they were landing. I simply had to position myself nearby and wait for it to land near me. I ate it while I was waiting for you two to come back. But yes, it is indeed a tie. You are both the best dogs.
Now, friends, shall we head home?"








On the way home, the Dusky Lady and the Loping Gent looked at each other. Whispering, one asked the other if they also felt a bit like they'd been had. The other agreed. They confronted her. She had in fact done all of the challenges, and finished all of them the fastest!
Laughing, she said that you need not be strong or fast if you are clever!

Wildflower

Old Cabbage Tree was watching the sun set over the hill one night, when he heard a deep sigh coming from underneath him. He spotted a small black dog, hiding between the rocks that anchor his roots. He would have ignored the creature, many mammals seek shelter for the night near him, but when another sigh escaped the Little Black Dog's mouth, he found himself too distracted to ignore her.

Rustling it's leaves, the Old Cabbage Tree asked Little Black Dog what had made her sigh so sadly, and why she is hiding here in stead of home with her family.

She explained that early that morning, she had come upon the most beautiful flower, glistening with dew. It stood tall and proud above the grasses, a soft yellow with a dark center.

Now, quite confused, Old Cabbage Tree pointed out that seeing beautiful things are a reason to rejoice, not be sad. But the little black dog explained that she realised, as she looked at that flower, that she was the opposite of what she saw. She was neither light, nor delicate, nor tall. She does not stand proudly above the grasses, nor does the dew glisten in the morning sunlight on her fur.

"I am not beautiful, Old Cabbage Tree, and that makes me very sad."

Old Cabbage Tree took a moment to consider. He observed the little dog underneath him closely. Just as she was beginning to squirm under his scrutiny, he spoke up.

"It is true, Little Black Dog, that you are not like that flower."

His words made her shrink into herself.

"But, that does not mean you are not beautiful. Look here:"

He directed the wind around himself, gently parting a clump of grass. There, deep amongst the yellow shafts, was a small, bright red flower.

"Do you see that flower?" he asked her.

It was no bigger than her nostril, and she only noticed it when she had gotten up and inspected the parted clump closely.

"Is it not lovely?" he asked her.

She nodded, it was a beautiful little flower indeed.

Old Cabbage Tree explained. Some things are like the morning flower, tall and proud and easy to notice. Most everyone can tell that they are beautiful.

"That is fine and good, and I am glad to have such beauty in the world", he said, "but some things are not like that. Some things carry their beauty close to their heart, like a secret. It is not a fault of theirs that they are like this - they are still very beautiful, like that red flower there.

In stead of being cultivated beauties, like your dew-flower this morning, they are wildflowers. Because their beauty is harder to see, some overlook it. Sometimes, they even overlook it themselves."

He dropped a piece of bark pointedly near her.

"Remember, Little Black Dog, it's not their fault if others fail to see their beauty. That does not mean that it is not there, and that it is not truly wonderful".

Little Black Dog looked up at his leaves, watching the late sunlight filter through them.

"Thank you, Old Cabbage Tree." she said, and turned to depart, feeling much happier.

"A last secret, before you go, Little Dog."

She pricked an ear his way, listening intently.

"Some even prefer the hidden beauty of a wildflower. Like me"

She could not help but smile as she headed to her home.

The Rain Bull - a Traditional Tale, adapted.

Once upon a curly tail, there was a beautiful fawn maiden.



While everyone admired her looks, her real worth lay in her heart, that was bigger than she was by far. If someone needed a courageous companion, it was to her that they came. She had a very good friend, a dusky lady from a distant land, that approached her in the very heart of winter.



"Will you help me, dear fawn maiden? I seem to have lost my herd of cattle" the dusky lady asked. "The day is short, and I have a lot of veld to search."

The fawn maiden knows that for the dusky lady and her people, cattle are incredibly important. They are their wealth, and they center their lives around them. They build their doghouses in circles, surrounding the kraal where the cattle are kept, both to protect them from the outside world and to mark their significance to their way of life.

"Of course I will help you search. Two noses are always better than one!"

To find the cattle, they divided the world into four parts. The sky, tall and blue, the desert, warm and unforgiving, the veld, with flowing waves of grass, and the koppies, where the spirits dwelt.

It was the dry season, so they set off, starting their search in the plains. The tall grass there offers good grazing, even in the driest of winters. It is a favourite place for the cattle, and a familiar one too. Dusky lady often brings them here to graze. They ran hard, and covered a lot of ground, but they did not find the cattle anywhere!



They had to search elsewhere. The blue sky had no clouds behind which the cattle could be hiding. The desert shimmered with heat. The sand was so hot that their paws burned when they tried to go there.

"Surely this would burn your cattle's hooves too?" asked the fawn maiden.

The dusky lady agreed, but this left them with no other option. They would have to search the koppies. There is little by way of foothold for cattle there, and even less to graze. It is a dangerous place to go to. It is all too easy to get lost between the tall boulders that jut out of the ground, jagged and weather worn. Leopard hides there, his spotted coat making it all too easy for him to disappear completely. By far the worst, though, was the spirits. They hid in the shadows, and would gladly tease you into stepping clear off a cliff. They whispered witchcraft from behind, turning you around and around, making it impossible to ever get out.



"Why would my cattle come here?" wondered the dusky maiden out loud. More of a mystery was why the cattle left her care in the first place. She was a tenacious herder and an efficient protector. Her white, flashing teeth led them swiftly to the sweetest grass and the coolest water, and kept anything unwelcome well at bay. In return, the cattle gave blood and milk for food and dung for building floors and huts. Since her people were very clever, they used these gifts wisely, and the cattle never felt exploited.




"Careful, dusky lady! The rocks are loose here!" warned the fawn maiden. Indeed, they nearly stumbled. The dusky lady was ready to turn back, and she saw her uncertainty reflected back at her in the fawn maiden's eyes. Her keen nose had picked up their scent, though, and fawn maiden had spotted a trail, so further into the koppies they went.



It was a difficult path. Fawn maiden nearly vanished into the shadows, but the spirits could not hold on to her silken fur.



The boulders were large, and very uneven. The scent of the cattle was sometimes clear, but sometimes, they had to sniff long and hard to pick it up again.



They walked along rocky ridges, in the deep shadow, where a cold, dry wind blew. They did not give up.



They climbed over tricky rocky outcroppings which were hard on their paws. They did not give up.



They made their way up steep hills even though they were getting tired.



They made their way down steep hills, knowing that they would have to come this way again to return home.



They did not give up. They could not give up.

"My cattle is everything to me! They are my life, and the life of my people. But I am tired, fawn maiden, and I am afraid. I feel leopard's eyes on me everywhere we step" said the dusky lady. The fawn maiden suggested they rest for a time, stood over her to give her some shade. "I am no bigger than you are, my dusky lady, but together we have many teeth, and many paws. We need not fear the leopard while we are two".



Soon the dusky lady's courage had returned, and they kept going. Still the koppies tested their endurance. Finally, they crested the second tallest koppie in the whole world.



The fawn maiden was startled by the dusky lady's piercing bark.
"Finally!" she barked.
"Finally!" a bright and clear sound.
"Look, my fawn maiden, look, there on the ridge of the tallest koppie!"



The fawn maiden looked, with all her might, and finally saw them, like rocks clinging to the hillside.

They were too late, though. The cattle were being led by an immense bull, that dusky lady had never seen before, straight into the sunset. One by one they stepped off the koppie into the sky, walking along the sunbeams into the light.

"My cattle!" the dusky lady wailed.

The fawn maiden wanted to comfort her friend, but knew there was little she could do.
"Let us make camp here" she suggested. It is too dark to risk these koppies, and perhaps, in the morning, we can climb the tallest koppie ourselves and see what happened.

They curled up seperately but near each other, neither very comfortable on the hard rock.

The morning found them poorly rested, tired, and downtrodden.

"We should return to my kraal" suggested the dusky lady. "I must tell my people".

"I will come with you" said the fawn maiden. "I can confirm your tale, and tell them you did everything in your power."

Sighing, they set off. They did not go two steps before the dusky lady's keen nose picked up an unmistakable scent.

"Rain! I smell it as clearly as a veldmouse!" she said.
"That's all we need. Wet fur"

They looked up to the sky together as deep rainclouds gathered overhead. It was going to be a big storm, and it was too sudden for them to take shelter.

The water poured out of the sky like heaven's floodgates had been fully opened.

They did not get wet, though. In stead, the water changed as it hit the ground, gathering and collecting until nothing other than the missing cattle stood before them!



A small white calf, young enough that it had not yet forgotten how to speak, approached the dogs.
"We were called by the rain bull, the great spirit of the sky! He needed our strong backs to push the sun further up into the sky. If the sun does not rise higher, the water will never come from the sky. It will never rain again, and will always be winter.
He wanted to keep us, but he saw how you did not give up coming to get us. He sees that you are a good keeper, and will care for us well"

The dusky maiden was well pleased with the explanation, as her cattle would need the rain to refresh the grass in springtime.
Joyfully, they herded them home. From then on, year after year, the dusky lady and her people would, in the very heart of winter, call on the dusky lady to take her cattle into the hills, over the rocks, through the shadows and up the very tallest koppie to the rain bull. She would never give up, and the cattle would always come home.

They lived happily ever after.