All across this barren land were animals, plants, and lives all at peace. Everything that was taken from the land was given back one way or another. On this land animals and people lived together in harmony until one day a loud noise was heard as it echoed through the land. It startled everything and everyone, including a young, not yet matured, wolverine. This little wolverine was curious and very adventurous so he followed the sound. Finally, he reached the place from where he had heard the noise, and there he met the fox, the caribou, and the Canadian goose.
“What was that noise?”
asked the wolverine, who was pacing back and forth.
“They got my brother,”
said the caribou. “One minute we were grazing on sweet
grass and then, bang, I ran, but my brother…he didn’t even move, he just fell, and
told me to run, so I did. I shouldn’t have left him. I should have stayed.”
“It’s not your fault,”
said the fox. “I have been watching these strange beings that
make the loud noise, and they are nothing like the beings that live here.”
The goose added: “Yes, I was flying in the big V‘s when it happened, left and right
my comrades went down as loud noises rang out over and over again. I landed
in the bush for protection, I was so scared.”
The wolverine thought, and asked the fox, “Since you have seen these beings
before, and watched them, how would you say that we could live at peace with
them?”
The fox stared into the sun, and said, “There is no peace. They take without
giving back, and hurt animals with large sticks that are loud, and spit fire – and
why?”
The wolverine looked down in disgust. “Who, may I ask,”
he said, “is going to tell
the Inuvialuit about these strange beings, and how are we going to get rid of
them?”
“First things first,”
said the caribou. “Who is going to get the Inuvialuit to see
this, without sacrificing themselves? I am not going to do that.”
Just then, a squirrel appeared in a tree standing beside them.
they asked. Everyone looked at the squirrel, and then decided
together that they would send him to tell the Inuvialuit. The squirrel agreed that
he would go.“What are you
doing here?”