Two Tales of Two Tails – Part I

Two Tales of Two Tails from “Myths of the Cherokee” by James Mooney – Retold by Navin

The rabbit is a clever creature, but very greedy. It has earned itself a name for being sly and mischievous through many deeds, and today, our tales will reveal to us one time when it was caught.

Part 1: How the Rabbit Lost its Tail

In the valley, the animals were of all shapes and sizes. Some were big and some were small, some were thin and some were round. But all of them had a coat. Each thought that his was the finest, and they were always fighting over who had the best looks. Now, there was also a river in the valley. Far up the river, it was said that an otter lived in a cave. The otter rarely came down to visit the other animals because he lived so far away, but it was rumored that he had the most beautiful coat of all. One day, the animals decided to have a council to decide who had the best coat. Messenger birds were sent to every corner of the valley, and everyone was invited.
The crafty rabbit also lived in the valley, and he decided to somehow take the otter’s coat for himself. It walked to the otter’s cave, and on the way, he met him. “Good evening,” said the otter.

“Good evening,” said the rabbit, “Are you on your way to the council?”

“I am indeed,” replied the otter. The rabbit told the otter that he would accompany him to the council as he was a stranger in those parts and did not know the way. While they were walking back, the rabbit picked up wood, and made one of the logs into a paddle. When the otter asked him what it was for, the rabbit replied that the wood was for a fire to keep them warm at night, and that he slept soundly with a paddle as his pillow.

A few hours later, the pair halted for the night. The rabbit made the fire, then prepared for sleep by taking off his coat. “Won’t you be cold?” asked the otter. “Maybe a little,” replied the rabbit, “but in these parts, it rains fire sometimes. I wouldn’t want my coat to get burnt! Hmm…I’ll tell you what. Why don’t I stay awake for now, and if it rains fire, I will call out so we can run to the river!” The otter thanked the rabbit for his consideration, hung up his coat as well, and fell asleep. As soon as the fire had burned out, the rabbit threw the hot coals that remained into the air with his paddle. “FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!” he cried out! The poor otter was so frightened that he leapt into the air and rushed into the river without even grabbing his coat. To this day, he stays in the water, fearing fire raining from the sky. The rabbit put on the otter’s luxurious coat and walked to the council.

All the animals at the council were surprised to see the otter walking into the meeting, and they were astonished at the beauty of his coat. “Such craftsmanship!” remarked the turtle. “Exquisite!” exclaimed the squirrel. The mouse was sent to welcome the otter and show him the best seat. All the animals greeted him and praised his coat. However, the otter seemed to be very bashful, as he kept his face covered with his paw. “Now, now,” said the impatient bear, pulling away the paw, “there’s no need to be shy!”

There was a moment of silence as all the animals saw the rabbit’s face. Then they exploded into action, shouting wildly. The rabbit had tricked them! Everyone reached to catch the imposter and pull off the stolen coat, but as we all know, rabbits are quick. He sprinted out of the clearing. However, in those days, he had a long tail. The bear leapt, and just before the rabbit vanished completely, he grabbed the tail. The rabbit was running so fast that the tail was pulled right off, and to this day, it has not grown back.

This is the end of this tale, but we have not seen the last of rabbit. Check next month’s column for Part 2 of this story.