In fact, Prairie and Jace were surrounded by wise and loving family members. Besides their grandpa, dad, and mom, they had an Uncle and Aunt. Uncle Pinon and Aunt Marge didn’t have any kits yet, but helped with the care of Prairie and Jace.
The kits, Prairie and Jace, learned to hunt from
Grandpa Dasan. Grandpa Dasan explained, “Be very quiet as you sneak up on your
prey. No twig should snap, or leaf rustle, as you crouch and creep slowly
closer. Come with the wind blowing in your face so it won’t give your scent
away. In this way, you will smell your prey but they won’t smell you. Always
pick up what you caught and take it away before blood is spilt. Don’t leave any
trace you were there, so you can hunt frequently in the same location.”
Prairie and Jace soaked up every word their
grandfather told them. Each evening before the kits went to sleep, Grandpa
related stories of his hunts. The kits listened as long as they could, then fell
asleep with those images dancing around their dreams.
Early one morning, Dasan called to the kits, “Prairie.
Jace. Come let me show you a proper pounce.”
“Yay!” came out of their mouths simultaneously. They
were so excited they shook.
For hours, Grandpa showed them his pouncing moves and his
technique for flushing out prey. Prairie’s stomach growled. Dasan laughed and
said, “Well now, let’s see how you well you were listening and watching. Over
yonder is a mouse burrow. See if you two can smoke them out for your lunch.”
They scrambled close. Remembering what they just
learned, they crouched. Jace whispered, “Do you feel the wind in your face?”
Prairie stuck out his tongue testing the breeze. “Yes.
Stick out your tongue.”
Jace looked at his brother and did the same. Jace
nodded—he could feel the slight breeeze. They didn’t have long to wait before
they saw the mice. As soon as they spotted them they tightened their muscles,
ready to pounce. The mice advanced, unaware of the danger.
Boing!
Prairie
pounced on one as Jace pounced on the other. Each grabbed them in their strong
jaws and brought back to their grandpa.
Grandpa was pleased. “You two are going to be fine
hunters! Look at the size of those! Shake them to break their necks, then enjoy!
I’ll see you later back at our den.
The kits enjoyed a marvelous meal and scooted to their
den to brag about what they accomplished to their mom. Their dad returned soon
after, so they told their exciting news again.
“We are proud of you two. Soon, you can take over my
job and you can bring supper home for the whole family!” They giggled and started
a game of rolling around on the ground with their dad—laughing and biting.
Mom looked at the sky then wondered aloud, “Where is
Grandpa?”
Prairie mumbled through the fur of his dad’s shoulder,
“He said he would see us back here later. I guess he went for a walk.”
“I saw him go toward the high cliffs.” added Jace.
When it was dusk, Dad hollered to Uncle Pinion, “Pinion,
let’s go look for Grandpa.”
The two went off toward the cliffs. All night, while Prairie
and Jace slept, Mom and Aunt Marge waited and worried. Right before the sun
slipped over the horizon, Uncle Pinion and Dad came back alone.
“You didn’t find him?” asked Mom.
Uncle Pinion looked down and shook his head. “I’m
sorry.”
“It looks like he slipped and brought down a wall of
rock on him.” answered Dad.
“Is he?” Aunt Marge asked.
Uncle Pinion put his front leg across Aunt Marge’s
shoulder. “I’m afraid so. We made sure he was buried properly.”
“Prairie and Jace will be devastated.” said Mom as she
started to cry.
The boys woke to a very quiet den. They looked from
one adult to another. “What’s wrong? asked Jace.
“Come here boys. We have something to tell you.” Dad
sighed and looked at Mom, and then back at his kits, “Grandpa was in an
accident. I’m afraid he won’t be coming back.”
The adults explained as best they could. The boys fell
against their parents and cried. The six of them cried and hugged each other
all day. It was never the same again without Grandpa. He was more than a
grandpa to the boys. He was their friend. They respected him. They loved him
and didn’t know how they would go on.
After a few days Mom said, “We can’t mope around.
Grandpa wouldn’t want that. He would want us to remember the good times.”
“I just want to cry.” said Prairie.
“Me too.” agreed Jace, nodding.
Each night the adults took turns talking about things
they had learned from Grandpa or fun things they had done together. Soon the reminiscing
turned to laughter as they recalled the funny things Grandpa did. They loved
him and loved remembering the good times. The ache in their hearts for one so
precious to them hurt less. They still missed him, thought about him every day,
but the terrible pain had lessen.
■■■
Have you lost a loved one? Do you have a friend who
has lost a loved one? It’s very hard to lose someone we love. I lost my husband
and one of my granddaughters. It has been six years and it still hurts. I know
I will see them again in heaven and that makes me joyful. When someone trusts
the Lord as their savior, they will go to heaven when they die. To learn more
about that click here.
To encourage someone who has gone through a loss, just
do what they do. If they are sad, be sad with them. When they want to be quiet,
you should be quiet with them. If they are in a happy mood, don’t spoil it by
bring up sad memories. When people grieve for someone, they do it their way,
and it takes longer for some than others. To learn more about that click here.
The Bible says in Romans 12:15-16: Rejoice with those
who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one
another. Matthew 5:4: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Please take time to memorize one or all of those verses.
Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated
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