Retold as passed down to me by Doris Riverbird Woman Of The Eastern Lenape

A long time ago, when the earth was still new, and the people had not yet been put on the earth, Grandfather Creator set about forming the animals. Grandfather Creator had been working hard trying to get all of the animals made and he set about asking each creature what the things were that they needed to survive, and the little ball of fluff that was closest answered, "I need long strong legs so that I can run fast from danger, I will need big ears so that I can hear danger coming, and I need a sense of what is dangerous and what is not so that I will be able to know when danger is near." " And what do you want little creature?" asked Grandfather Creator. " If you please," said the little creature, "I would like a long, flowing, beautiful tail. If it's not too much trouble that is." "Very well," said Grandfather Creator, "You shall have the things that you need, and since you asked so nicely, I will also grant your request."


Just as Grandfather Creator was about to begin forming the small creature, another little ball of fluff came up to him and began making demands. "Grandfather you have spent enough time on that little creature, now it is my turn, I want a long strong neck like the swan, I want beautiful red feathers like the cardinal, I want a strong beak so that I can eat only the choicest morsels of food, I want a beautiful voice like the nightingale, and I want them NOW!" Grandfather looked at the second little creature and said, "YOU need to turn around and stop watching me! I am not done with this one yet, YOU need to wait your turn and as soon as I am done, I will work on you." And with that, he turned and went back to work on the first creature.


Grandfather Creator almost forgot what he was going to do, and then he remembered, and began pulling down the legs of this creature until they were long and strong, and again the second creature interrupted him. "When are you going to get to me? I have been waiting long enough! It is my turn now!" Grandfather turned around calmly, and said to the second creature, "You need to turn back around and stop watching me, I will get to you when I am done with this one, now turn around!" and turned back to the first creature.

"What was I doing?" Grandfather thought to himself, "Ah, yes, the ears and the tail." And he then began to stretch out two long strong ears, and just as he was about to form the little creature's tail, the second creature again interrupted him. Grandfather Creator whipped around and yelled in a loud booming voice, "I will begin to put you together and instead of the things that you demanded, I will give you what you need." He began by pulling long strong wings from the sides of the little creature, and he gave him a sharp beak, " I have given you your long strong wings and a nice strong beak, but instead of the bright red feathers you will wear the colors of the earth." And with that he smeared the creature's body with mud and dirt. He pulled a neck and head out of the top of the body of the creature and then thumped his head and neck down into his body, he turned the head around three hundred and sixty degrees so that it would turn all the way around. "Instead of your beautiful voice I will give you a song but it will only be of one word," "WHO" "So that you will always remember WHO you have angered this day!" and he turned back around to work on the first creature.


Grandfather found that there was no creature there; the first creature had gotten so scared that she had run away, when she tried to run her back knees buckled and she could only hop, she never got her long beautiful tail, all the she had was a little fluffy tail, and she never got the sense to discern danger, so she was forever afraid of everything.


Now the second creature had learned a valuable lesson, not to interrupt or demand things because that would surely lead to trouble. And so it is to this day, the rabbit still runs from everything, and the owl still only speaks one word, to remind him of the dishonor that he laid upon himself at his creation.