Thunderbird
Submitted to Fur the 'More 2015. Art by MischievousRaven of Weasyl and FA.
"You've
come to me!" The
bison, a young adult, stared transfixed at the creature he had
summoned. It was an enormous bird with the build of an eagle, brown
feathers and currents of electricity flashing around its body. It
seemed to fill the entire sky, blackening the clouds and creating a
fierce wind that the bison had to brace his legs against. Once
he steadied himself, the bison looked the spirit steadily in the
eyes. He clenched his fists in determination. "Please, Thunderbird,
answer my prayer!" The
creature spoke in a voice that was deep and otherworldly. "Are
you sure this is what you require?" Narrowing
his eyes and nodding, the bison said, "Yes, I command you to give
me the strength of Waya!" The storm surrounding the Thunderbird
obscured it so that it was difficult to see. The bison, however,
could not miss its ethereal, glowing eyes. The
Thunderbird stared, silent. Smacks of electricity emanated from its
body as its eyes bored into the bison, who stared back with a mixture
of determination, and sheer awe at seeing the being he had summoned.
"What will it say?" the bison wondered to himself. At
length the spirit spoke. "You feel as if you must have the powers
of your friend," intoned the Thunderbird. The
bison narrowed his eyes. He recalled his great love for and jealousy
of his childhood friend. Waya was born within the same month as he,
and yet he always seemed to get the better of him. Waya was the first
to catch a bullfrog that appeared in the ponds formed by the spring
storms. He was the first to hit the center of a target with an arrow
and the first, when the two had grown older, to shoot down a lone
feral wolf that had crept up on a wandering toddler. It was not a
matter of him feeling as if his accomplishments weren't acknowledged
amongst the group. He knew he was good. But Waya, as far as he was
concerned, was truly great. He
desperately wanted to be as powerful as Waya. He had trained hard,
and was certainly considered to be a man useful to the tribe. But he
wanted to be top, so much so that he had prayed many nights over how
to attain such strength. It was a dream he had, of falling endlessly
down a cliff while Waya's specter trailed him and looked at him in
defiance, that had given him the idea to summon a spirit that could
bestow some of its power onto him. And so the day before he had set
out, telling his tribe that there was something important he had to
do, and that he had to do it alone. His tribe and family were
concerned, but understood. "I
want to be a strong as him," implored the bison. "I have wanted
to be the man he is for my entire life. I want Waya's glory. Please,
give it to me!" Once
again the great beast went quiet. The bison, with both arms thrust
towards the heavens in exaltation, hoped fervently that the
Thunderbird would imminently grant his wish. He
received his answer. "Your request," said the Thunderbird, "is
denied." "What?"
said the bison in disbelief. "It
is true that I wield great power," said the spirit, accentuating
the point by creating a crash of thunder that frightened the bison
into a jolt. "I could give you more power than the strongest bison
who ever lived. Enough power that you would nearly become a spirit
yourself. But a true warrior would not desire such a thing." "What
do you mean?" the bison asked in confusion. "Waya.
Was he born great," questioned the Thunderbird, "or did he make
himself great?" Stunned,
the bison went through his memories. Out of all the children near his
age it was Waya that was the most active. Many times when he was
inclined to lay back and stare at the clouds or idly play in the dirt
Waya would be running with purpose, curious as to how far he could go
without running out of breath. Waya play-wrestled with his friends
till his coat was clumped with sweat. When it came time to learn how
to make tools, Waya practiced carving out tools and weapons from
stone until the soft portion of his hands felt cracked beneath his
coat. The young bison recalled what his father had once told him
about Waya. "Young Waya is the hardest working boy I've ever seen
in my life. He's going to grow up to be the strongest man in our
tribe. You should learn from his example, son." The jealousy he
felt from all this was great. But
there were fond memories as well. He also recalled his deep
comradeship with his fellow bison. He recalled how he and Waya played
together as young boys. How they came to be considered young men in
the eyes of their tribe. When he went through the scarification
ceremony that gave him the marks that deemed him a man in the eyes of
the tribe, it was Waya who went with him that night as he ran far, to
anywhere and everywhere, and hollered in exhilaration. Waya had been
his friend through many memories and experiences. How
could he become jealous of Waya, who never showed him anything but
kindness? What would Waya think, he suddenly pondered, if he found
out about this? Would he not be disappointed that his best friend was
trying to cheat his way into gaining the strength that only comes
from consistent effort? Silently,
he lowered his head. He knew that what he was doing was not the right
way. Confirming
the bison's thoughts, the Thunderbird said, "The power you seek is
not something I need to give you. You have that power within
yourself. It is you who must find out how to awaken it." With
that the Thunderbird slowly receded into the heavens, the celestial
storm surrounding it fading from view. The young bison was left to
stand in the grass, alone, contemplating what the spirit had said.