The Animals In The Forest

Imagine a new Hulking Giant in your forest. This new Giant is just that: massive, powerful, muscles rippling, larger than anything you've ever seen. You watch the giant flex its claws, open its mouth and casually yawn exposing teeth the size of your entire body. Your burrow happens to be a short distance from where this new Hulking Giant has chanced to make his home.

The new Giant is ferocious and ominous. Fellow animals have disappeared. You've seen their dessicated bodies in the forest but you've not yet seen the attack. And you've noticed that, wherever the Hulking Giant goes, many fellow smaller animals are nearby, praising the Giant or merely attempting to lend support by their presence.

You realize they are attempting to curry favor with the Giant so they are not eaten; fearing they may be killed but hoping it will not happen.

There is another giant in the forest. This is the Old Hulking Giant. This giant lives a distance away. This Old One has seen the New Hulking Giant on the periphery of his domain, not yet crossing into the clearing, but staring hard, daily, at the Old One. The Old One has seen animals in the mouth of the new Hulking Giant but he has not seen the new Hulking Giant kill or eat an animal. And he has seen the other animals at the feet of the new Hulking Giant.

There are two other Lesser Giants in the forest. The Old One has seen these Lesser Giants roaring and stomping, gnashing their teeth, coming up to the periphery of the Old One and bellowing, slashing with their claws, foaming with anger and violence.

These Lesser Giants are smaller and certainly less powerful than the new Hulking Giant, who is immense indeed.

The Old One knows this: if he gets into a fight with any of these Giants, it will not be a test of wills. It will be To The Death.

The Old One knows that some day very soon, one of these three will make a move and cross his clearing. Worse yet, he believes he has seen one, or perhaps both, of the Lesser Giants speaking to the new Hulking Giant.

What does the Old One do? Will he try to locate their lairs and kill them in their sleep, one by one? Or will he wait for them to attack and confront them?

The Old One knows he has strength and energy to take on perhaps one or even both of the Lesser Giants. But what would happen if, in their defense, the new Hulking Giant appeared for a fight?

The Old One also realizes this: the other animals in the forest know he is old and they doubt his power and maybe even his will to use it. The Old One wonders: with whom will they side when I am in my fight?

BZ