"The river is a trickle over mud, Ears. What on earth are we going to do?" Ears always listened closely. I guess that’s how he got his name.
"We’ll have to raise a traveling party and move. My mother used to tell me stories when I was young about a lush green land that lies over the Blue Mountains. I realize that it's hard to get to, but the water that flows in the streams that run down from the peaks is crystal-clear and plentiful."
I raised my head to take a look at the mountains in the distance. Fat clouds banked against the leeward side. Fluffy, white, and cottony, "clouds of potential," I muttered without thinking.
"Exactly…exactly! We’d be wise to leave this place without delay. That’s what I think, anyway."
"You’re right. Of course you are. It’s not only our river; I've been over to Small Foot’s valley, and things look just as dry there." Ears looked at me with his ancient, soulful eyes. Tears pooled.
"The gods have forsaken us. Soon there’ll be no food. Look at the baobabs; they’re wilting as we speak." His tears ran into the creases on his face and then dried instantly when they hit the earth at his feet.
At dawn, we gathered. We gathered while the air was still crisp and fresh. We gathered before the sun showed its face. Ears bellowed into the wind, and the march moved forward at an easy pace onto the road.
Red dust swirled and eddied about as our massive group trudged across the parched veld. Scrubs of vegetation, here and there, browning uninvitingly in the sun’s scorching rays, offered little or no sustenance. Ears turned and surveyed the land.
"There are dust clouds in every direction. Take a look around."
I swung my head this way and that, and sure enough, great crowds were traversing, russet-hued and shadowed in veils of dust. It seemed as if the entire population was on the move.
Hot days turned into cold nights. The mountains seemed to move further and further away with each passing day. Weariness overtook the spirits of the travelers. Lethargy set in, and the elderly struggled to keep pace, straggling behind. The children grew restless and bickered amongst themselves.
"Will we make it?" My question stopped Ears short.
"You’ve got to focus. You’ve got to be strong. The herd looks to you for guidance. If you falter, everyone will lose hope; they’ll lose sight of the goal."
Suitably chastised, I forced my tail higher, I tried on a grin, and I held its contours for the sake of hope.
The lay of the land changed eventually, and clusters of rock spoke of the hills and mountains to come. The air grew cooler and rejuvenated morose moods.
"We are gaining ground." Ears swept his head from side to side, blowing a giant dust cloud over the group. He stomped his heavy feet and bellowed a melodious trumpet of joy across the crowd.
Then stubbles of grass were underfoot, and the bushes held patches of green that were succulent on the tongue. Everyone’s gait picked up pace. The children began to run ahead, scattering stones in their wake. Trumpets heralded when the land began an upward tilt.
"Things are definitely looking up, Ears. We’re almost there. We are!"
While I was encouraging Ears, one of the calves raced back into view.
"The stream that runs from the mountains here is almost as dry as our river. There are huge, strange boulders in the water. I think that they are blocking the flow."
I turned to gauge Ears’ reaction: "What?" My response was automatic.
"It looks like the mystery might be solved then. Let’s hurry ahead and see what the pup has found."
When we arrived, the sight was fantastic; unimaginable, impossible.
"What kind of animal has built this lair? Is it a giant beaver?" Ears’ words set the crowd chattering. Murmurs of disbelief hung on the breeze like a resounding, portentous threat.
"In all my life, I’ve never seen such a smooth rock face. It’s unnatural." I stood staring at the massive walls, disbelief, I’m sure, written on every line in my face. Ears obviously felt the same way, but he was so much cleverer than me. He had a solution, and it seemed like an easy one at that.
"No matter," he said, "this, although unexpected, is the best thing we could come across. We’re not going to have to go over the mountain to find fair grazing. All we have to do is use the might of our superior weight, the power of our feet and the strength of trunks to dislodge this interference. However, the most important thing is that we must find the beaver responsible and do whatever it takes to prevent the scoundrel from building such a nonsensical thing ever again."
