The Fox and the Owl and the Shadow in the Sky

Rusco’s favorite tale from childhood.

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Long ago, in the first year, when the mountains were young, there was a Sun and there were Stars, but there was no Moon.

The Sun shone brightly, sending energy for things to grow, but nothing ever changed. The mountains did not change, the tides did not ebb or flow, and the clouds stayed over the oceans because.

At the end of the first year, the Sun needed to rest. On this very long night, while the unchanging mountains and unmoving oceans wore a blanket of starlight, two curious animal spirits moved about the world together:

Fox had pointy red ears that heard impossible things. Fox loved to run with feet so quick that Owl lost sight of them sometimes. Fox could be impulsive, but was curious and loved learning about new things.

Owl had powerful eyes that could see impossible things. Owl loved to fly gracefully with white wings so quiet that even Fox could not hear them sometimes. Owl could be passive, but understood that patience and diligence lead to deeper understanding.

One night, Fox was running and Owl was flying.

“Listen!” said Fox, suddenly stopping and pointing their ears to the sky.

Owl stopped and looked to the sky.

They both heard a whisper, almost as quiet as Owl’s wings. It sounded like it was coming from the sky itself but they couldn’t see where it was coming from.

“We need to go higher!” said Fox.

“To the top of the mountain!” said Owl.

Fox ran faster than ever before, and owl flew higher than ever before, and they both went to the very top of the tallest mountain.

The whisper was a little louder here. Fox moved around, pointing their ears out to hear where it was coming from.

“I can hear it louder here…” Fox said, looking straight up to the sky, “…but I can’t see it.”

“Then we must sit and watch.” said Owl.

So they listened and watched and waited.

“Look!” said Owl, pointing to the stars. “Something is there!”

Finally, they both saw it. High in the sky, a dark spot appearing between the stars. A perfect circle. A Shadow in the sky.

Neither warm nor cool, neither cruel nor kind, it sat high in the sky. It did not move and it did not change.

“Why do you whisper?” Fox finally asked.
“Why do you hide?” Owl followed.

But they only heard whispers that they could not understand.

“I’m going to jump up and get closer!” shouted Fox.

“Wait!” replied Owl. “We need to wait!”

But Owl was too late. Fox had already run to the bottom of the mountain, and with a speeding run they jumped up into the sky. They landed on the circle and tried to run around it, but instead it began to spin under their feet. They jumped back down.

The ground beneath their feet seemed to move. The air started to move.

“Something is changing!” said Fox. “I wish we could see what it was!”

“I’ll fly up and try to look.” said Owl. “Maybe I can understand it better.”

So Owl flew higher and higher until it was right next to the circle. As Owl flapped their wings harder and faster than ever before, a couple of white feathers came off and landed on the dark circle.

The white drained from the feathers and a brilliant light began to shine from the circle. Trying to back away from it, Owl flapped their wings with a mighty push. Instead of flying away from the circle, the circle was pushed through the sky.

Owl looked down as they returned and could see the whole of the world. Not as bright as when the Sun shines, but enough to see what was happening.

As the new, bright object started to move through the sky, the oceans began to chase it. The wind started to blow more and more and clouds began to form. The first rains created the first rivers, which flowed down the mountains. Even the mighty rock faces of the mountains began to change as the water flowed from the skies back to the seas.

As the moon moved toward the western horizon, they heard the whisper again from the strange and beautiful new object in the sky - but they also heard a new whisper from the ground beneath their feet.

(below this is still in the works - xtopher 07/09/25)
When the Sun returned for the second year, something had changed. The Sun’s energy shone down on the ground, when suddenly the first plants rose up from the ground, and the first creatures began to inhabit the world.

Fox and Owl watched as the world changed and grew, the oceans pushed and pulled and the mountains rose and fell. Fox and Owl named the new object Moon.

The Sun gives energy, the moon gives change, and the land balances the two.

The Fox sparks change and the Owl gains understanding.