Raven Tricks Deer

Now Raven is a wily one. If there’s a way to get a meal without work, he’ll find it. And sometimes, it’s best not to be in his path when he does.

Once, Raven was hungry. He was always hungry, but today he was starving.  He hopped over to Deer’s lodge. “Ga! Brother Deer!” he called, “Would you like to share a good meal with me?”

“I would, brother Raven.” Deer said quietly.

“Then come with me to gather herbs for stew, and we’ll share it between us.”

Up into the hills they climbed, up and up.

“Up here!”  Raven called, “Up here, Deer, are the best herbs I have seen.”

Up to the hill tops Raven and Deer climbed. With a birch bark basket in hand, the two began to gather herbs and dig up roots. Further and further away Raven dug, until he came to a cleft in the hill, filled at the bottom with stones. Quickly, he lay a few branches over the cleft, and covered it over with moss. A little Raven magic, and the stony cleft seemed not to be there at all.

“Over here, Deer!” he cawed, “Over here! Look what I found!”

“Look, look!” he said when Deer had come over, “The best crop of herbs I’ve ever seen! Will you go and pick it? My basket is full.”

“Gladly.” Said deer, and began to trot across. That was when the illusion gave itself away, and  Deer fell to his death.

Raven flew down to the blood-stained stones, chuckling. “Now I really will have a good stew. Ga!!”