The Land, the Tree, the Wolves, and the Babies

Spring was the first to speak to the land, to make it laugh, to make it smile. Spring was the first to make the land love. 

The land grew flowers and buds on trees in the hopes of gaining the affection of Spring, and Spring gave the land just enough attention to produce life. Spring coaxed seedling children from the land with a whisper. The land opened her arms and released her babies through her surface as Spring called to them.

Sometimes Winter and Summer grew jealous of the land's relationship with Spring. Sometimes Winter would blow in late under a sheet of ice, frosting the land and killing the seedling children. Sometimes Summer would arrive early and burn the life out of the seedlings with her hot sun. 

Autumn tucked the land to bed. Autumn brushed the mane of the Wolf King as his pack burrowed dens in the cooling land. Autumn’s touch put the land and the wolves and all the seedlings to sleep. Autumn was content with a simple look of love from the land, for Autumn did not like too much attention. Autumn pruned the branches of the tree of life, which was the delicate artwork that decided which buds eventually bloomed and which didn’t. Only Autumn and the land knew this, for Autumn had many secrets with the land, including hiding seedlings and pups here or there, always protecting against a bitter Winter, which Autumn knew so well.

Autumn swept the land with his eyebrows, colored the land pretty with kisses, and promised her many babies when she woke up. And Autumn always kept that promise, and so the land grew to trust Autumn in a special way, which was another secret between the land and Autumn.

Winter and Summer both knew they couldn’t kill too many babies or God might grow unhappy. Both Summer and Winter liked their positions in the world very much and didn't want to be replaced.  

The truth was, Summer was a nurturing woman who loved the land's babies as she raised them, and the land grew to rely on Summer. But Winter was a natural destroyer, for creation does not exist without destruction and Winter knew it.

Winter did her whipping on the land with a smile on her face. There were secret stashes of sleeping life and Winter loved to search, for Autumn gave up quality information but never the most important details, which kept Winter hungry and searching.

Winter liked to drop a layer of snow on the land so she didn’t have to look at the land, but Winter also did this to insulate the babies and protect the land from Winter’s own wrath. Winter understood the futility of attempting to reduce our own personal power. If it is in our nature to strike, then we will strike. Best not fool ourselves that we can refrain from striking. Best prepare others and ourselves for the strike, which, curiously, often deadens the strike.

Winter was brilliant, and the land was grateful.


This is the fourth part of The Seasons. Here's the next part.