Cherry Isn't Done Yet

 
            When Cherry and Blue came back to the fire circle Ralph was sitting on a log watching Ramona work with the venison haunch. She had it butterflied, so it would cook more evenly and quickly, had salted it and rubbed garlic mash on it. Ramona really liked garlic and was glad that Ooog grew a lot of it so she could have some too.
            Cherry climbed up on Ralph’s lap, and Blue lay down at his feet. Blue sighed and laid her chin on his big right foot and shut her eyes and went to sleep.
            Cherry nearly went to sleep too.
            But then she opened her eyes and said, “Da, are you sorry for the deer and rabbits and turkeys that you catch?” She was still thinking this thing over.
            “In a way, I am. But just because they are scared for a little while. Then, I am grateful that I can bring food back here for all of us to eat,” he said. Cherry listened to him and was silent, watching her mother turn that haunch into dinner.
            “Do they know they are going to die?” asked Cherry. “I mean while they are running away. Why are they running? Do they know?”
            Ralph thought about this one for a moment. Then he said, “No. I don’t think they know. Because they don’t know that they are alive. I don’t think they know anything in the same way you do. They run because I surprise them, so they run. Animals run when someone like a hunter or a bear or a puma surprises them. That’s how most of them stay alive.”
            “Blue is a hunter too. But she mostly doesn’t need to hunt. She mostly eats with us,” said Ralph. “So, I hunt for her too!” he laughed.
            “Why do we eat meat?” Cherry said, pursuing the discussion. “Could we eat grass and leaves like the bunnies?”
            “That never seems to work very well, Cherry. Some have tried it, and it didn’t act like food in their bodies. Well, we can eat the stuff from Ooog’s garden when he shares with us, but we live in the deep forest. Ooog’s vegetables are just a nice treat to us. It’s not what we depend on, is it?”
            “No, Da,” said Cherry.
            “In the world your mother was talking about, no one eats anything! There is no hunting, killing or cooking of food,” Ralph told his daughter. “There is no gardening either because we won’t need any of that.”
            Ramona laughed a little, and said, “that does sound like Heaven! But right now, I’m happy that I  have something to cook and that I can feed my family and animals too, if they haven’t gone out and hunted for themselves.”
            Her roast was starting to smell very good. Blue raised her head to smell it. In fact, everyone was smelling it and looking forward to dinner.
            “Oh, Cherry. What a serious little thing you are,” said her father. “Why are you asking so many questions today? Are you worried about something?”
            “I wondered if killing and eating all of these animals means we are bad?” said Cherry, still sitting on her father’s knee so she really had his attention. It was not totally unlike when Maeve sits on his shoulder to have his ear, so to speak.
            “I’m glad that you are starting to think about right and wrong, Dear Child. I’m proud of that! But, no, eating what our bodies are made to eat in this time, this world, is not bad. It is just the way it works here and now,” said Ralph. He was pretty stunned by the grilling that he was receiving, but rather pleased too.
            “Da, I don’t want anyone to eat Blue, or Bob or Berry! No one would do that would they?” she said urgently. “Or Maeve! What if someone hunted Maeve!”
            Maeve must have heard her name, or just happened to be in the neighborhood because there she was all of a sudden bombing down out of the firs. Her black wings folded up, and she landed on Ralph’s broad left shoulder.
            “Nobody hunts Maeve,” she said quite firmly. “It’s not done! The very idea, Child! No fear!” She strutted back and forth importantly to seal the deal.
            “That’s right, Birdy. Nobody is gonna hunt Maeve!” said Ralph.
            “Cherry, I’ll tell you one thing for sure!” said Ralph. “Nobody will be hunting for or eating Blue, or Bob or Berry because I won’t allow it! That’s it! So, don’t worry!”
            “That’s right, Maeve. No fear,” said Ralph.
            “I believe you, Da,” said Cherry. “I won’t be afraid.”
            Twigg came home from his work with the B’s about then, so it was just about time to eat. He brought some honey comb for dessert too.
            “Maeve, would you like to join us,” Ramona said.
            “Naturally. Thank you. Always!” said Maeve. Under her breath she whispered, “Evermore!”, because she just had to!

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