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Slashing Fangs
The next picture told a different story. "I see hundreds of dens dotting the edge of the water. Fish are still jumping, but the shore is so crowded. Look, some desperate young adults are storming an existing den, trying to take it by force. The pack in possession has formed a ring around it with their pups in the middle. They are meeting the intruders with slashing fangs. Two slain enemies, one from each faction, are lying half in the water. This one has one white left ear and that one two white ears.
"Sadly it seems that the Dog People's descendants are
warring with each other," Meredith had become so involved in reading
the ancient story written in stone that she almost felt it was real. "Such
brutality," she said, reeling with empathy, then recovering herself.
The shaman nodded gravely, then moved to the next image.
A Bleak Picture
"This is a bleak picture,"
said Meredith, moving with the shaman. "There are so many Dog People
now that they have built their dens one on top of the other, crushing the
dens below. They hardly come out of their dens anymore, and those that do
come out seem to have difficulty walking. Their tails are hanging down between
their legs, their heads drooping down. Some are crawling. They must be very
weak and sick."
"It is so," said the shaman.
Dead Fish
"No fish are jumping now," said Meredith. "A
few dead ones have washed up on the shore, but they are strangely colored. It
seems that contamination is fouling the water, feeding the algae. No sign
of shellfish, either. The Dog People must be starving.
"Look how shallow and brackish the water is now. The weakened Dog People are wading out into the mire, getting trapped and dying," said Meredith.
The Way of the Animals
"How could this have happened?" asked Meredith.
"What brought about all this destruction?
The Dog People led good lives. They felt pleasure and pain, joy and fear,
love and hate. Maybe not as humans do, but in a simple way, the way of the
animals." She searched the shaman's face for an answer.
"You see, there were too many of them," he said. "They had plenty of food and had no natural enemies, so they kept on multiplying until they filled up all their space, and when they couldn't stop, they destroyed their world with their own refuse."
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The Flood "Look," said the shaman,
pointing to the next paintings. "Water is seeping in from the outside
world, dripping slowly at first, then pouring in, flooding their caves.
The Dog People have no way to escape. They thrash about in water beyond
their depths. Some try to climb the cave walls, but it is no use. They
slip back, sink and drown. "Here is a sipapu descending
from the ceiling. A few Dog People are climbing to safety. They hang
above the water, afraid. Some urge the others on. Those who climb up
are saved. The others perish. "This is the story my people
tell," said the shaman. "Oh! Poor creatures," said Meredith, "must they end that way?" She was pensive for a long moment, then remembered that they could not linger. |
Hummingbird
At that moment, the green-headed hummingbird appeared and flitted before Meredith. "Ah! my hummingbird! You saved us once. You must be here to guide us now."Swiftly she turned to follow the tiny bird's darting flight.
The pond had risen suddenly in the last few moments, nearly touching the cave
walls. Meredith could not walk without stepping in ankle-deep water. How could
they save themselves? The walls were impossible to climb.
Meredith and the shaman watched the hummingbird, who led their eyes to a sipapu suspended from the cave ceiling. "We must go up. Hurry!" cried the shaman. The hummingbird darted into the sipapu. With the rising waters close behind them, Meredith scrambled up, followed by the shaman.