“Many many years ago hunters came to roam our land. Now as you all know, Chief Lone Eagle had an enchantment placed on our mountain. From that point on, no animal would ever live in fear of another. Unfortunately, this did not include humans, so when hunters came, animals hid. One crisp fall morning a large group of hunters came to our mountain. There were many of them and the word spread quickly. The dangerous hunters combed the land forcing the wildlife upon it to seek shelter. Smaller animals were able to hide in their dens and burrows or up in trees. The larger ones had to run. Soon the hunters spread out and formed a huge circle with the wildlife in the center. They were unable to get to the caves and caverns created for their safety. Hopamato and her friends began to fear for their lives. The circle became smaller and smaller as the hunters closed in. Before long they were trapped in the center of Tokeca Forest surrounding the great oak tree that Hopamato cherished. She done as she had done many times before and placed hers paws on the oak’s massive trunk for strength and advice. Soon she felt a sense of peace and knew they were all going to be safe. When the last of the animals entered the area, a thicket of dense thorny bushes and underbrush began to rapidly grow. It formed a large circle around all of them with the animals on the inside and the hunters on the outside. They grew so thick and the branches so strong, it was impossible for the hunters to get through it. Hopamato and the rest of the animals could hear the hunters chopping away at the thicket. As soon as one was broken, another one grew to take its place. The hunters tried for hours to get inside the circle of protection, but eventually grew tired and weary and left the mountain. All the animals were saved and spent the rest of the day celebrating and having fun. From that day on the area around the great oak has not only become a safe home for many but kept others safe from hunters when needed.
“Wow, that is so awesome.” Merle exclaimed as others clapped their paws and nodded their heads.
“Our home is so special.” Sonny said.
“Yeah, thank you for sharing your stories with us today. We will always take good care of our land.” Hunk added.
This put a big smile on Clair’s face. She had held back the two stories she had shared with them today because of their importance. She now knew she had made the right decision in sharing them with them today.
The time had now come to make history once again, for the humans were sound asleep. This time the animals were going to protect their mountain and the forest their way. Years from now Clair’s grandchildren would be telling stories about the legend they were going to make tonight.
It was going to be a night no one would ever forget, especially the humans. The chipmunks and gophers went in first, filling the workers boots with berries and termites. They stuffed their clothes with itch weed and filled their pockets with earthworms. The squirrels and bunnies got their reeds and gooseberries and hid in the underbrush. The wolves strung vines in front of the tents and took their places at the ends. The gophers bent over small sapling trees and held onto them as they hid in holes they had dug. It was going to be a showdown of the century. The rest of them planted cactus, dug holes, loosened tent stakes, and prepared for the attack.
Once everything was in its place the skunks took their position in front of the tent doors. When Cooter raised his paw, they all proceeded to spray thru the openings. Even the air outside the tent was tainted with the skunk’s scent. It was only a matter of seconds before they heard noise from inside the tent. At the first sign of the humans the skunks joined their friends in hiding. The coughing, sputtering humans scrambled quickly to exit their enclosures, while the pungent odor burned their eyes and throat. As they broke thru the tent openings the wolves pulled the vines tight causing them to trip, fall, and roll across the ground. Several of the workers landed with their legs wrapped around the well-placed cactus plants.
“That ought to put a damper in their pamper.” Hunk exclaimed.
The men were unsure what was happening and what they should do. With arms full of clothing they scrambling to get back on their feet. They tried to put on their pants and shirts as the attack continued. It was all too much for them and they abandoned the rest of their clothing in search for a safe place to hide. Dressed in underpants and t-shirts the men tried to make an escape without success as the attack continued.
The smaller animals blew the hard, round gooseberries thru the hollow reeds towards the already confuse humans. The beavers swatted walnuts and acorns with their tails and the porcupines shot quills at their rear ends.
“That’ll put a hump in their rump.” Spike announced with pride.
The workers had no idea what was happening around them. It was still dark, the attack was steady and strong, and they were not prepared. They tried to huddle together for protection when they couldn’t find shelter. The attack of berries and nuts was steady and strong. Next, they tried to flee in different directions but there seemed no place to go, and the ground was too slippery. The very earth seemed as if it was moving beneath them. The workers lost all sense of direction and were running on adrenalin and confusion. When they weren’t running into the animals assault they were running into each other.
The eagles then dropped snakes from the air onto their heads and around their necks. The men screamed like little girls and began running into trees, bushes and their own tents. It was a frenzy of flailing arms and underpants.
“That will put a sail in their tail.” Reagle chimed.
The deer and bears then entered the area nudging and pushing the workers towards their trucks. They turned them one way and then another. By now some of them had abandon their friends and vehicles and were headed down the mountain on foot.
“Here’s a push for your tush.” announced one deer.
“And here comes a moose for your caboose.” came another as the buck picked a worker up in the air with his antlers, spun him around in circles and tossed him in the back of one of the trucks.
“I call that my rack attack.” he announced as he puffed out his chest with pride.
One of the larger bears ran between a worker’s legs and gave him the ride of his life. He spun one way and then then the other while bucking back and forth. It looked like some kind of wild mountain rodeo. Then the worker ended up rolling across the ground end over end when the bear came to a sudden stop.
“No toll for the roll.” The bear informed him.
Another worker grabbed one of the small bent over sapling trees to try and steady himself. As he did the gopher in the hole let go and the tree swished up between the man’s legs flipping him up in the air.
“Heads or tails?” the gopher yelled out to anyone nearby.
“Heads!” responded Clair, as she caught the worker in midair and gave him a big hug.
“Not too tight.” Sonny advised her, “You’re squeezing the juices out of the poor fellow. The front of his britches is getting wet.
Among the flying nuts and berries, swishing tree branches and chaos came one last attack from the local bee population. The swarm swooped in with their stingers prepared.
“Cause them fear, if that don’t work, aim for the rear.” Ordered the queen bee,
“Poke, poke, poke, poke.” Chimed the rest of the swarm.
The surprise party lasted almost twenty minutes and was a complete success. The workers not only fled the area, but they abandoned all their belongings and took off in their trucks as fast as they could drive. The animals had won and the forest was once again theirs and theirs alone. There would always be humans who would come and visit, but it would definitely be a long time before one would try to come to live there.
After the coast was clear and all was settled the animals celebrated with funny stories, and food from the night before. Clair and Cooter both told about their past experiences with humans and the weird things they learned about them. They all laughed well into the night.
“We won, the humans are gone.” Butch announced. “I like it.”
That night the boys wrote in the journals.
Animals 1. Humans 0.
The End
The Legend and Land Battle Page 6