The Red Autumn Leaves - Part Two

Sure enough when the fog was very thick, Rainbow came to Earth to drive the fog away.

Deer was waiting for Rainbow. 

Rainbow through his arch of many colours created a path from the lake to the blue hills over to the skies far away and the fog disappeared at once. 

Deer did as he was told and soon reached the sky. 

Turtle was very happy to see Deer. 

Deer also liked the sky so much, that just like Turtle he also decided to stay here. 

He roamed over the sky moving like the wind from place to place. 

Back on Earth for the first time the Great Council was held in the absence of Deer. 

The animals waited for Deer because they needed his advice. 

However Deer did not come. 

The animals sent the birds to find him. Hawk, Woodpecker and Bluejay, all searched the forests for Deer but could not find a trace of him. Wolf and fox searched the woods from the ground and they also came back and reported that Deer could not be found. 

Turtle came as he usually did to attend the Great council. It was at this time that Bear turned to Turtle. “Deer is absent from the council meetings. Where is Deer?” 

Turtle was confused. “Deer is in the sky. Have you not heard that? Rainbow made a path for him from various colours and Deer came to the sky that is where he is right now.” Turtle pointed at a cloud in the sky. 

Turtle then turned to the other and nodded. “We should all go to the sky and live until we are sure that the new race of creatures who are coming here would not mean us any harm.” 

After that turtle led the other animals and he showed them the pathway that Rainbow had made stretching from the Earth to the Skies. 

The animals in the Council decided to take Turtle's advice. 

However all the animals were very angry with Deer for leaving to the skies without them. The animals believed that they had to stay together on earth or go to the skies together. Bear was the most annoyed among all the animals. He decided to teach Deer a lesson. “Deer has forsaken us at the time of need. This is contrary to the forest laws and are codes of defence.” Bear looked even more angry. “I will punish him for this.” 

In the later autumn, all the animals decided to leave the Earth. 

Rainbow made a path for all the animals to the sky. 

Bear went up first because he was the leader and he wanted to test the strength of the colours of the rainbow as a bridge to see if it could bear his weight. 

The other animals waited on earth to see whether Bear made it. 

He had reached the Sky when Bear met Deer on the path. 

Bear became angry immediately. “Why did you leave us behind without warning? Why did you desert us?” 

However Deer was also angry on hearing the Bear’s words. 

Here in the skies that Deer was no longer timid. He had become strong here. Anger flashed in Deer’s eyes and he rushed madly at Bear. “Who are you to doubt me? None but the wolf can ask me why I came or question me. I will kill you for your words.” 

Deer and Bear growled and snapped angrily at the skies. 

Bear’s low hoarse growls sounded all over the sky and he prepared to fight. 

They came together for a huge fight and were in for a shock. 

They fought for such a long time, that the bridge of burning colours trembled and the heavens shook. 

Adapted from Canadian Native American folk tales