To Fly Free written by Joe McCauley (mwalimu@lionking.org) Copyright (C) 2002 by Joe McCauley Dhagra soared through the clouds. It had only been a few weeks since he had acquired wings, but he was already getting quite good at aerobatic maneuvering. He looked around and below him, where he saw numerous other flying beasts. None aside from those born with wings were as good as he, but he supposed with practice many would get as good as he was now, though he planned to keep improving and be best as long as he could. It had been his lifelong dream to fly. In the normal scheme of things, a black deer spends his life on the ground, and that was all he had ever expected. He was prey for the predators, especially the tigers, and he knew he would likely one day fall victim to their teeth and claws. But if he could fly, he could escape the predators indefinitely and live to a ripe old age. Oh, to soar on the wind, to fly free! And then quite suddenly his dream of flying had come true. After a particularly close call with Tanjit, the alpha male tiger of the territory, Dhagra had a most unexpected encounter. The ermine fairy appeared in all her shimmering glorious beauty before him. "I have seen your need, and I have come to grant you one wish," she said. Dhagra thought about his dream of flying. It would be so easy to ask for wings, to escape Tanjit and the other tigers forever. He would still have to land to eat, of course, but it would be so much safer if he could survey an area aerially before settling down to graze. But then he thought about the rest of his herd. He had mates, children, and dozens of friends. He had already seen too many of them fall to the tigers, and knew many more would in the future. It would be so easy to ask to fly, but if only there was a way he could make it safe for the rest of them too. Then he had the perfect idea. "My wish," he told her, "is for you to enchant this bush so that all who eat of its berries now and in the future will grow wings and have the knowledge to use them to fly." The ermine fairy smiled. "Your wish is granted." She waved her wand at the bush. "Now and forevermore, may all who eat of this bush grow wings and know how to fly." A stream of blue light arced from her wand to the bush, which glowed briefly with a halo of light. Then she disappeared, the light faded, and the bush looked like any other berry bush. But it wasn't. He sampled a couple of berries, and within minutes he had grown wings which he was trying out for the first time. Overjoyed at his good fortune, he had shared the news with others in his herd, and by the end of the day, more than two dozen of them had taken flight. In the days that followed, hundreds of black deer could be seen aloft. Not only them, but buffalo, hares, and an assortment of other animals had joined them in taking to the skies. The buffalo were particularly impressive to watch. And the bush kept growing more berries to replace the old, and those worked just as well. From aloft, Dhagra occasionally spotted Tanjit or one of the other tigers, and noticed they were becoming frail and emaciated as it became ever harder for them to find prey. It would only be a matter of time before they left the area for better hunting, if they didn't join their ancestors first. Dhagra soared low near a thick cloud. He could hear a rush of air from within it. Probably one or two of the young ones frolicking with one another or preparing a practical joke on the next unfortunate passerby. But as he soared past, a huge shadow descended upon him from it. In the next instant, he was taken into a hold by powerful claws and paws. Then jaws closed on the back of his neck, and he only felt a brief moment of intense pain before his spine was severed, and he lost all feeling, all control over his body. As blood sprayed from his wounds, Dhagra and his assailant fell, tumbling end over end, until at last, huge wings spread out, bearing both of them up out of the dive. The other released its hold, and turned Dhagra's head to face him. It was Tanjit, grinning at him hungrily. "Silly deer," said the mighty tiger. "Don't you know, when a tiger gets hungry enough, he'll eat almost anything. Even berries." Then as the tiger flapped his wings to regain altitude, it closed its mouth over the deer's muzzle, suffocating him. Moments later, his spirit was released. To fly free.