Stories of the People

From RainGamersWiki

Stories of the People

How the Chief of Winter got the Bear's skin

When I was a pup this is what the old ones told me they had heard when they were pups. Long years ago, soon after the world was remade, the People had not yet found each other. Back then, the Chief of Winter was but a young pup. The land was still dangerous and the People only lived in one place. The Chief of Winter and his brothers and sister went one day to look around the land to see where else the People could live. They searched far and wide, and then they found the tracks of a Bear. Now this wasn't a People bear. It wasn't even a little people Bear. No, this was Mother Bear herself! They followed the tracks back to the cave of Mother Bear, but she and her children were out hunting. The Chief of Winter and his brothers and sister set a trap for Mother Bear.

When Mother Bear returned to the cave with her children in tow, she was very angry. Oh, how she growled and roared!

"What are you doing here in my cave! I will kill you all and feed you to my children!"

But the Chief of Winter and his brothers and sister were very brave and very strong. The Chief of Winter tricked her and burned Mother Bear's children to death. His other brothers and sister fought Mother Bear and killed her. As she lay dying, her spirit spoke to the Chief of Winter.

"Chief of Winter! You have killed my children! I am dying now and will have no more! You must pay for this. You will have to take their place and become a bear!" But the Chief of Winter was wise, and bargained back, "I will become a bear, but I must stay a wolf as well."

Mother Bear's spirit thought long and hard about this and finally said, "Take the skin of my children, and wear them. Then you will be able to turn into a bear, or a wolf, or any other animal".

And now you know how the Chief of Winter can wear a bear's skin, or that of any other animal, yet still he is always a wolf.