Darkness and silence never go well together. It looked like dark paint spilled all over the usually vibrant forest. Throughout the forest, silence spread everywhere. It was too silent. All that could be heard was crunchy autumn leaves and the howling winds. The wolves dominated the forest. They lived in frigid caves. Each breath they took made a puff in the air as if they were breathing out clouds. The cave was illuminated only by tiny fireflies buzzing around. This light was the only thing saving the animals from a light night.
One dark night, the wolves gathered to discuss the oppressive darkness. The moon was merely a black orb floating in the sky, barely visible in the night. The wolves devised a plan for someone to go to the moon and light it. The next day, the wolves assembled the forest animals. The wolves were afraid of what would happen if they failed to light the moon, but to the wolves’ surprise, the birds volunteered.
High-pitched chirps filled the forest. “We can do it!” sang the birds. “The moon looks so very close! We can fly to it!” said the confident flock. The wolves looked skeptical. The birds were known for being weaker than the other animals. But the wolves dismissed the thought. Later that day, the determined birds made their attempt. As they flew higher and higher, their features disappeared, and they looked like pebbles that had been slingshotted into the air. Suddenly, the “pebbles” started to plummet. You could see their wings flapping furiously as the birds came closer and closer to the ground. Fortunately, they gracefully landed on their feet. Everyone saw the sorry look on the pale birds’ faces. “Couldn’t do it. Too far.” Then, they collapsed. Shrieks and chirping followed.
After the birds calmed down, the snakes volunteered. They tied each other’s tails together and made themselves as long as possible. The snakes stretched but couldn’t reach. The tower of snakes came crashing down. Lucky for the snakes, they ended up making one big pile of snakes on the hard and cold grass.
To everyone’s surprise, the sluggish sloths volunteered. Everyone was sure they could never achieve it at the pace they moved. “We got this,” said their leader of the sloths, who was as slow as molasses. You could see all the animals rolling their eyes, but the sloths didn’t care. As they started to walk to the tree they planned to climb to get a head start, it felt like a million years passed before the first sloth reached the tree. The other animals burst into rage as the impatient wolf queen started to groan about how long they were taking. At this rate, they would get light at night by the time they were all old and frail.
After the pathetic sloths made their attempt, the deer decided that they would give it a go. The crowd of animals, filled with curiosity about how they would do it, intently watched as the deer prepared. The deer moved in unison and they didn’t have to speak a word, it was as if they already had a plan and had years to work on it! All the animals knew they were smart, but they didn’t know what they were capable of. After hours of waiting, they announced that they were going to use their mighty antlers to launch another into the sky. The wolves’ doubt lessened and became more confident that the deer could do it. As the deer got a running start, the worried deer closed their eyes and turned their head away. THUD! Up, up, and away the poor deer went. As it went higher and higher, everyone gained confidence, but their sureness was diminished as soon as it started to make its descent. “NOOOOOO!” cried the deer. They really thought that they had done it. They were the geniuses that solved the problem.
“CALM DOWN!” yelled somebody, the commanding voice silencing everybody. Everyone turned to find the voice. It was the wolf’s queen. “I volunteer to light up the moon. Although the birds, snakes, sloths, and deer couldn’t do it, I know I can because I have much more endurance,” she said emphatically. Most of the animals started to nod in unison, but not all were convinced. The wolves were unsure if sending in their queen was the right idea. Even the horror on their faces said so. They still had their king, but they needed their queen because without her the king was as lazy as the sloths. The Queen easily convinced her doting husband, promising that she would return. She commanded the animals to build a ladder as tall and sturdy as a mountain.
The forest animals worked long days, and finally, the ladder was complete. Constructed from fallen branches and wood. The queen said her goodbyes, see you later and started ascending up the ladder. Her shining silver coat started to disappear in the darkness. The wolves didn’t realize how much they took her presence for granted. While their unmotivated king didn’t help and sat behind them, barking orders, the wolves, filled with annoyance and a creeping sensation of drowsiness, didn’t know how much longer they could hold the ladder. Exhaustion overcame the wolves after nights and days of holding the ladder. They weren’t sure if the queen made it because she gave no signal. They became worried, and the wolves lost control when the wind picked up as a snowstorm approached. The ladder started to shake and wobble.
Up high in the sky, the queen felt the unbalanced ladder. She was only one tiny step away from the moon. She jumped. The ladder careened toward the forest floor as she howled and landed safely on the moon. The moon glowed instantly, a beautiful sight. She sacrificed her howl to make the moon illuminate the dark sky. The wolves’ howl pierces the night. Their howls strengthen her and keep her spirit song alive to charge the moon forever.