The Counting Hare

[Toshiful]

There were days that seemed long ago now when the Fairy tribe's lands were well tended, a beautiful and wild garden. The tribe was as plentiful as the land, King and Fair ruled in their turns, and between them had two Princes.

Stalker had no children of his own, and took his duties as tutor seriously, instructing All is Mended and We Shadows in every manner of relevant topic, with the expectation that one day they would take over King and Fair's roles as arbitrators of the seasons.

"I'll tell you both a story," Stalker said.

"There once was a warren of hares. All the hares ate at dawn and dusk so that they would grow strong. Their days were spent chasing one another on the hills, and fighting and wrestling, to show who was the largest and strongest and to impress the others. One hare would sit on the hill by himself, and instead of fighting, he would count. He counted the fighting hares, he counted the petals on flowers, he counted the entrances to their warren. The other hares went to ask, 'Why don't you run about with us?' The hare answered, 'It is all very well, to wrestle each other, and you've all grown strong. But when I am counting, I am wrestling a problem. To solve a problem is its own satisfaction. By solving more difficult problems, I'm wrestling more difficult opponents.'"

All is Mended looked thoughtful. "There are different kinds of battles," he decided.

We shadows put on a dramatic pout. "Not everyone can count."