This story was inspired by a Tarot Card:
https://images.app.goo.gl/po4PKYeDPhCUQh5F7
From the Spiritsong Deck by Paulina Cassidy
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Hills, Valleys, Rivers, Mountains, Fields, Forests, Groves, Caves, Crags, Swamps, Prairies, Tundras, Deserts, Cliffs
Wolf has been to them all and lived in each. From every location, Wolf has grown in strength.
The Hills taught him freedom
The Valley taught him despair
The Rivers taught him ingenuity
The Mountains taught him endurance
The Fields taught him indulgence
The Forests taught him respect
The Groves taught him peace
The Caves taught him patience
The Crags taught him cunning
The Swamps taught him tranquility
The Prairies taught him caution
The Tundras taught him planning
The Deserts taught him passion
The Cliffs taught him perspective
He roamed the world, consuming the knowledge and experiences it had to offer. There was nothing he could not handle, and no landscape he could not conquer. The strength of the soul and the skill of the body would overcome every landscape the world has to offer...but there was one place Wolf dare not tread.
In all of his travels, Wolf knew he did not belong in the Ocean. It is an insurmountable barrier that his kind had no business dealing with. It was vast, deep, and treacherous for one who lives his life on land. So Wolf never bothered to test himself in its depths, lest he be swept away and drowned. Such was common knowledge among his kind. If safety cannot be seen, then the risk was far too great. The world of the endless Ocean did not belong to him, so what could it offer his quest for knowledge?
Striding along the edge of a cliff overlooking the deep blue, Wolf once again told himself of the ridiculousness of such a barren landscape. Everything hidden, nothing to smell except the salt of the water crashing against the rocks. He had seen many of his more foolish brethren attempt to swim in those waters, only to watch them drown as the Ocean absorbed them. Satisfied with his logic that no Wolf belonged out there, he began to turn away to continue his hunger for knowledge.
"What are you doing up there?" called a voice from the sea
Startled, Wolf looked around to see where the voice came from.
A curious creature was looking up at him from the base of the cliff
A creature who seemed to be actually living in the vast churning oblivion of the Ocean.
"I am looking for something to eat" said Wolf, amused by this odd creature
"Oh are you? Come join us, there is plenty of fish here"
"Join you? What are you?"
"I am a dolphin. What are you?"
"I am called Hunger. I am a wolf."
"If you are hungry, then you must come join us." Dolphin said gleefully
"I cannot. I am a wolf. If I were to come to the water, I would surely drown and die"
"That is silly. You won't drown!"
"Of course I will. The waters will pull me in and I am not strong enough to survive such depths"
"What is going on here?" another voice chimed in.
A second dolphin head popped out of the water
"Look, a Wolf is coming to join us for lunch!"
"Oh, a Wolf? Splendid!"
"But he won't come down, he says he'll drown!"
"What? He won't drown if he just swims"
"I know. How silly he is!"
"It is you who are the silly ones. I don't know how you can be down there so comfortably, but it is not safe for me"
"Of course it is safe"
"I have seen many creatures drown and die in those waters. You cannot convince me that it is safe"
"You are right" came a third voice, poking its head from the waters
"We cannot convince you, only you can"
"I cannot swim very well"
"You don't have to swim"
"If I don't swim, I will drown!"
"You won't drown"
"You aren't making any sense"
"You'll just have to trust us"
Wolf was not convinced, and off he walked from the cliff to find something to eat.
"What a shame that he left"
"Too bad, missing out on all the fun"
"Oh well, come, let us eat!"
Wolf heard them playing as he munched on some eggs he found along the cliff. Curious, he decided to watch them while enjoying his small snack. He saw them laughing and playing in the waves. Making such daring leaps out of the water and come crashing back down again. Though he saw the surging waters and twisting whirlpools of the Ocean still, these creatures seemed to move so gracefully through it all, that it didn't seem nearly as intimidating as it was before. They were having so much fun it seemed.
"Look, he's back!"
"Come, come join us Hungry Wolf!"
"Come play with us!"
He was tempted, but the cliff was high and the waters were deep.
"The cliff is high and I see no way down to you"
"You just need to jump"
"The water is too far away, I'll die if I jump"
"You won't die"
"How do you know I won't die?"
"You'll just have to trust us"
Wolf was not convinced. So he walked off to get some rest.
Wolf could hear them playing still in the waves. He saw that the weather was getting worse and soon the winds would howl and the Ocean would be full of chaos. He has seen the rage of the Ocean during storms and knew it to be a frightening place. The Ocean would bubble and turn, throwing wave after wave against the cliff face. If the waters could destroy something as hard as a rock, what hope did he have of surviving such a thing. He began to worry for the dolphins, for they surely would be also hurt by the storm. He went to find shelter in a cave and could do nothing but wait and worry for those unfortunate creatures out there in the water. Wolf saw small birds, rodents, and even some rabbits get swept away by the storm and into the sea. He knew they would never be heard from again.
The next day, he went back to the Cliff to see what had become of the creatures.
"Look, he's back!"
"Come, come join us Hungry Wolf!"
"Come play with us!"
He was perplexed at how they looked perfectly fine. As if the storm did not phase them at all.
"How did you survive the storm?"
"We deal with storms all the time"
"The water was rough and I have seen many creatures swept away by it!"
"We know how to handle it"
"Surely it is too dangerous"
"You'll just have to trust us"
Preposterous. Everything that he knew and learned told him this whole thing was preposterous. But he was still Hungry. This was a chance to consume something from the Ocean, that insurmountable obstacle to his hunger for knowledge.
"I will surely drown!"
"No you won't, trust us"
"I will be crushed by the waves"
"No you won't, trust us"
"I am afraid"
"We know, trust us"
"...I trust you" Wolf said, and leapt
It was a long way down, and Wolf could feel the wind rush against his face and fur. He had seen many creatures be crushed by the water and the waves when they hit. He wanted to stop, and his instincts told him he must spread out to slow his fall.
"Don't do that."
"Turn into the dive"
"Meet the water, don't fight it"
"Trust us"
"...I trust you" Wolf said, and turned his fall into a dive
The water hurt, but he did not die from it. The words of the dolphins held true. But now he was surely about to drown. He began to throw his legs around furiously, desperate to get back to the surface and get air. In his desperation, he began kicking and thrashing.
"Don't do that"
"Calm down and relax"
"Grab on to us, we'll help you"
"Trust us"
"...I trust you" Wolf said, and stopped his endless kicking
The dolphins had gathered around him and was helping him back up to the surface. By calming down, they were having an easier time keeping him afloat and his head above water. But now he didn't know what to do. How was he supposed to eat anything clinging on to them. Why did he bother coming in the water in the first place?
"He's here!"
"Welcome to the Ocean!"
"Let's Play"
"Trust us"
Off they went. Wolf had never believed he could move so fast throughout these vast waters. There was so much out here, it wasn't a barren waste of space after all. Underneath the waves, there was so much life. Creatures of all shapes and sizes. Colors he never would have seen before from the height of the cliffs. An entire universe of things that have no cousins on land. So much to take in and learn. So much to consume. All of it would have been lost to him if he didn't decide to take that leap of faith, and if he didn't have his new friends there to support him.
"Who are you?"
"I am Love"
"I am Compassion"
"I am Joy"
The Land taught him to Survive
The Ocean taught him to Feel
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Growing up in our modern age, men are often taught that emotions and feelings are not something to be acknowledged. We are told to avoid it, for it removes some part of us that makes us men. Growing up in a family of all sons, such thoughts were highly prevalent. As such, I spent many years trying to avoid learning about that side of myself. It was not like there wasn't enough to learn about the mind, about control, and about the ways of a pure logical approach...but it's incomplete. I was lucky to find people who understood the vast overwhelming entity of emotional growth and have helped me begin to make my journey into that aspect of my masculinity and my humanity.
Fourth Story Musings ~ Thank you for your Eyes
ShirooKuma
