Story By:
... AND THE YOUNG SHALL LEAD
by: WalksFar
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My mother cried and tucked her head against my father's
chest. I blinked, bewildered and fanned my ears hopefully.
My father pointed to a small parchment which lay flat on the
table. My eyes focused on it and I read ...
The council of Elders had demanded my presence. Anxiety,
apprehension, then fear. Why me? Nothing I could think of would
give them reason to summon me thus, unless ...
The Elders filed into their places on the curved dais behind
the main floor of the council chamber and made themselves
comfortable, reclined and curledtheir tails around themselves
gracefully. Wings fluttered and folded, relaxed on their backs.
The council came to order. The filled galleries quieted and I
could see my parents, heads drooped, eyes downcast, ears
collapsed against their heads sadly. My mother rested her head
against my father's chest and he held her tenderly. Around them,
the audience settled into place. Heads craned to watch the
proceedings. Wings fluttered noisly and folded out of the way.
Those of us in the ante chamber could see everything clearly
on the main floor lit by torches and glow-lights. We watched
with dilated colorless eyesand pounding hearts. It wasn't often
the Elder's Council met in the Grand Council Chamber of our Kind
this way. Only dire crimes committed by one of us could bring
the Council together like this. Why was I here? What had I done
to deserve to be scouraged?
The Elders opened the meeting. None of us spoke. We
listened fearfully ...
I stood, self conscious and fearful, before the Elders, eyes
averted, head lowered and downcast. My ears lay collapsed flat
against my neck. My trembling wings folded against my back and I
wished their fluttering wasn't so noisy. I could already hear
the Elder's pronouncement, feel the agony of my wings severed
from my back and banishment to "their" world; defenseless,
without power or illusions to be hunted and killed ...
"WalksFar!"
I raised my head and bowed respectfully. Tears ran down my
muzzle.
"Please, Great Elders," I said humbly. "Before you
pronounce sentence on me, what have I done to warrant a
scourage?"
The Elders glanced at each other curiously. Ears fanned and
flattened with surprise. One of the Elders lifted his head high.
His lips spread back along his muzzle into a smile that revealed
gleaming rows of sharp teeth.
"Thee are not here to be scouraged, WalksFar," he said
kindly. "We meet for much more than to scourage those who commit
crimes against the Kinds. Thee are young and spend too much time
in their' world. Tis dangerous for a young Chouka Kind to
expose himself thus and we would hear thy reasons why."
"Sir, I tell stories to their young," I said in my defense
and hoped they would understand.
"Stories? WHAT stories?" asked another Elder, ears fanned
outward curiously.
"About the Kinds," I said. "I teach them the truth. In
time, they will teach their young the truth. I believe in what I
do and ... They like me!"
"They do not suspect what thee really are?" another Elder
asked.
"When I am there, I look and dress like them. I have
schooled and worked with them. They call me Teacher,'" I said.
The Elders looked at each other, smiled and nodded. One of
them turned to me and smiled.
"We commend thy efforts to help their race mature," she
said. "Through their young, thee will produce generations that
will accept and live with us in peace. Tell our stories! Write
them for all who read and want to understand. Bring them to the
truth!"
My ears sprang up and fanned with surprise. A joyful wisp
of smoke curled upward from beneath my upper lip.
"Work with them! Help them!" The Elders smiled at me and
nodded approvingly. "We will send others who will help thee ..."
The bell rang. I adjusted my tie and coat and walked into
my Language Arts class willed with Seventh Graders ... Another
generation eager for the truth ...