Maeve and Myrtle Duke it Out

 

“Say, Maeve,” said Myrtle one day, “do you know what it means to make a leg?”
Maeve glanced dismissively at the lady Crow sitting on an alder branch nearby. She didn’t answer either.
            “It means,” said Myrtle, “to place your leg out prettily, to attract attention. I bet you didn’t know that!”
            “You are a ditz and a feather head, and the temptation to call you Moytle is almost overwhelming,” huffed Maeve. She felt as if her dignity as a Raven was being a little tarnished, conversing with a mere Crow being beneath a Raven. She hoped that no one had seen them talking together.
            “Well, Maeve, you are a proud old bird and not as smart as you may think you are,” returned Myrtle defensively.
            “That remains to be seen,” said Maeve softly out of the side of her beak, because she could not resist saying something to answer that. She considered intelligence to be her main attribute. She did not appreciate being quizzed by a Crow on obscure English language usages.
            “We could ask someone who is very smart whether it is a sign of intelligence to refuse to answer a civil question,” said Myrtle. “It makes it seem as if you don’t even know the answer.”
            “Alright, Myrtle, my girl,” knocked Maeve, very ominously, “let’s us find Ramona and ask her. She is a good friend to Ravens, and no doubt, to Crows also.”
            With that, both ladies flew to Ramona’s fire circle where she was building a fire for the evening cooking and telling Twigg stories about his father’s adventures in the forests and streams of the Baker National Forest. These stories comprised his elementary education. Uncle Bob, even reformed, and Maurice were not included in the curriculum.
            Be that as it may, when the two bird ladies got to the clearing, Maeve said, grandly, “we, this Myrtle Crow and I have had a disagreement between us on the matter of which is the smarter of the two. We have come to you, oh wise Ramona, to find out the answer.” Maeve walked back and forth importantly, with her tail feathers switching from side to side.
            Myrtle, at the same time, was picking up little bits of interesting detritus, pebbles, leaves, funny shaped sticks or whatever, and showing them to Twigg. She wasn’t paying much attention to Raven and Ramona.
            “I don’t know how to answer that, Maeve,” said Ramona, looking from bird to bird, in amazement. “You’re both clever birds.  Everyone knows that!
            “Perhaps we could have some sort of contest…”
            “Exactly,” cried Maeve, triumphantly. She was very sure of her superiority in all matters bird.
            “I know what,” Maeve continued, “let’s see which of us can fool Ralph. He believes everything I tell him. Of course, I’ve never lied to him before, so he should believe me. I wonder if I could get him to pose for a photograph after all, or at least agree to.  I wonder if I am smart enough to trick him? I could make up a real juicy whopper, in which he would come out looking like a hero if he cooperated!
            “As for Myrtle, she could try to convince him that I am lying! Oh, what fun! I love it,” croaked the naughty old thing.
            Ramona seemed to be having a hard time believing her ears.

      Twigg was gathering up a little pile of pebbles given to him by Myrtle.
            Myrtle had actually been listening for a while. She spoke up then, “to make a fool of the boy’s father in front of the boy seems to me to very unkind and unwise, Maeve. I yield the point to you, after all. You are the smartest of us two.  It would never occur to me to test Ralph in that way.”
            Maeve stopped her strutting.
            Ramona stood with her head tilted to the side a bit and her hands held together before her. She smiled at the bird girls.
            “Maeve, what do you think now,” asked Ramona, in a coaxing manner.
            “I think that Myrtle has shown wisdom, which is a finer thing than all of my self-important cleverness.  I am ashamed,” admitted Maeve. She emitted a couple of muted knocks.
            She walked over to Myrtle and made a proper Raven curtsy.  Myrtle did one back and they became better friends right then and there.
            Ramona shook her head and went back to fire making and telling Twigg stories and talking about counting and such things. Soon Ralph would appear wondering about dinner….