Chapter Three:
The Cleverest of Deer
After the Hunter had left the woods, years had past and all animals felt safe again. There were no more hunters in the woods. In security all the animals freely roamed. Some animals still thought that their safety was too good to be true. Master Badger still lay hidden under his tree, only going out to get food once a day. Master Badger was not alone though. Phil’s own mother, even after hearing the stories from Phil himself, was skeptical of the idea that the hunters had left. Feeling this skepticism she asked her brother Jeff to talk to Phil. She wanted him to learn even more about safety and leadership. Jeff being a good brother and uncle told his sister that he would talk to Phil.
Finding Phil he said that he would teach him the ways of the deer in safety and leadership. Phil, being older and wiser than he was when Jeff tried to teach him anything, thoughtfully listened to his uncle. Jeff said, “Phil, you have shown great leadership but there is much still to learn. Being a leader is about sacrifice, I know you know this Phil, you showed that well. But it is also about sacrificing your comfort of safety to let people know that there is still danger in this world.”.
“But Jeff,”, Phil started, “In peaceful times shouldn't we feel free in safety?”.
“Feel comfort, but be ever ready for danger.”, Jeff answered, “Understand that danger waits beyond the corner. That new hunters could come anytime.”. Taking these words to heart, Phil left encouraged. He understood his position as a leader and how he could better lead the animals in the forest.
Later that same month Phil went on a walk with his old friend Thumper. They were wondering the woods just talking about what Jeff had spoken to Phil. Thumper agreed with Jeff, for he always had a sense of unease about the hunters being completely gone. As they continued to walk and talk and consider all that had been said, Thumper got an uneasy feeling in his stomach. “I don't feel right being here Phil.”, Thumper said to him, “I think we should turn around. Lets get back home.”. Phil agreed and they started to head back home. Suddenly a familiar sound was heard by the two friends, and an all too familiar pain came over Phil. He looked down and a hunter’s trap was over his leg, again. Falling to the ground in pain Phil looked at Thumper, “Go Thumper. Get home and let Jeff know what has happened here. Tell them not to worry, I have a plan.”. Thumper, in a panic, looked at Phil wondering what his plan was. Not wanting to stick around, and trusting his friend, Thumper ran home.
“Jeff!”, Thumper yelled as he approached Jeff’s home, “Phil has been trapped, again! He said not to worry, that he has a plan.”. Trusting Phil and Thumper, Jeff told the pack to wait patiently, that there leader would soon be home.
Meanwhile, Phil was laying on the ground producing an escape plan. He decided that to the best of his ability he would lay down and act dead. So as he laid there he pushed his belly out and stuck his tongue out. He acted well enough that even the crows thought he was dead. Not too long later a hunter came across Phil. The hunter believed Phil’s tricking happy that he got a kill. The hunter then began to release Phil’s leg from the trap and turned around to grab his gear. Phil then stood up tall and kicked the leaned over hunter in the butt making him fall to the ground. Phil then ran as fast as he could home. Upon arrival he was welcomed by his mother and uncle. Thumper happily welcomed him home thankful his friends plan worked. It was from that day on that Phil told everyone to live free but to always be cautious of the dangers that could be around the corner.
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Author’s note:
I based this story off of the Jatakas story, The Cunning Deer. In The Cunning Deer, the mother of the young buck asked her brother to teach her son the devices of the deer. The brother gladly accepts this task to teaches his nephew the devises of the deer. The uncle tells his nephew to leave and come back to learn. But something goes wrong. The young deer was going to his uncle and was caught in a snare. He pretended to act dead and told his pack of deer to go home and tell his mother that he was caught in a snare. When the hunter came, seeing that the deer was supposedly dead, he released the deer and turned around. The young deer stood up and ran home. I decided to try and keep my story very similar but added in some of my own thoughts to it. I decided that instead of heading to get instruction from his uncle, instead he had already received the instruction. I also decided that instead of the pack of deer being with Phil, I wanted to bring Thumper back into the mix and have him there instead. Other than those changes I tried to keep it very similar. I wanted to show how the stories are an example of taking good instruction and how you learn from them. I also wanted to show how Phil had grown and learned from his young self to where he is now in leadership of the deer.
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Bibliography:
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The Cunning Deer
Jataka Tales
V. Fausboll
