The Hungry Eaglet

     Once upon a time, there was an eagle couple. They lived on an aerie set atop a rocky mountain where the three-horned goats were said to dwell and made clockwork birds from slate but that is another tale for another time. They had an eaglet that demanded much of their attention, which was why they had only one eaglet having no time for sweet loving and the eaglet was constantly hungry.

     The mother eagle went forth hunting for game. A monkey perhaps or a small snake. A rabbit. A parrot. A field mouse. Or even a small child. Anything that would satiate her wailing, starving young. It was spawning season and the rivers were teeming with salmon. Thus the mother eaglet decided to try her luck at fishing. It wasn’t long before she had a large fish wriggling in her claws. It was a magnificent specimen, the length of a man’s arm with ebon scales glistening in the sun. She was quite proud of her catch and couldn’t wait to show it to her eaglet.

     The father eagle, too, went forth hunting. He was large and strong with great powerful wings and sought big game that would satiate his young for days to come. He saw his mate and the salmon she was bringing and he laughed inwardly. The food he would bring back will put her fish to shame, he told himself. And it wasn’t long before he spotted a large buffalo basking in the sun. He swooped in, caught the buffalo in his diamond-hard talons, and flew away with it with great ease as though he were carrying no more than a loaf of pumpernickel.

     The two eagles returned to the aerie at the same time and soon came to arguing as to who would feed the poor hungry eaglet.

     “It is the job of the mother to care for her child,” said the mother eagle. “It is only fitting then that I feed our young eagle here the fish that I had caught.”

     “But it is the job of the father to provide for his family,” replied the father eagle. “Look at what I have brought. A whole buffalo!”

     The eaglet cried for attention and from hunger. It beak was watering at the sight of such delicious morsels but it was far too young to feed itself. But the two eagles paid him no mind for they were busy arguing.

     “Fish is good for a growing eaglet,” said the mother eagle. “It is good for his bones.”

     “But a growing eaglet needs meat,” replied the father eagle. “Lots of it. The protein this buffalo will provide will make him big and strong just like his father.” The father eagle beamed with pride.

     The eaglet continued to cry even louder.

     “I should feed him!” cried the mother eagle. “See how he cries for me.”

     “I should feed him!” screeched the father eagle. “He is crying for me.”

     “No! He is crying for me. I am his mother!”

     “And I am his father. He cries for me!”

     “No, me!”

     “No, me!”

     And the two continued to argue thus, heedless of the desperate cries of hapless hungry eaglet. Soon the eaglet cried no more. It had died of starvation.

Lesson of the Tale: Many a people had suffered and died whilst their leaders sit in righteous argument.