In every land and culture, they have stories that every kid learns by heart. The four kingdoms of the Realm of Light were no different. Each story taught and shared a lesson or virtue deeply held by their people. The Kingdom of Glimmergard had crafted one such story into a yearly tradition.
So you are invited into that tradition! You may join the Glimmergard children and adults in the annual telling of the Ray Fox and the Crow.
The starts with the people gathering around a ceremonial gate. Gems and gold adorn its black rock face, but no one had ever attempted to harvest them. As the people take their seats, children in the front and adults in the back, the Glimmergard King emerges. Sauntering through the gateway, he is met with applause.
He immediately motions to be quiet. And the crowd’s chatter drops down to a soft whisper. Removing his ceremonial robe, he casts it aside. Its bejeweled patterning cast shimmering beams of reflected light into the crowd. The robe softly crumples on the sandy ground. The king would never wear this, but it is all part of the tradition. Now the barefoot and unadorned king walks up to the children sitting on the ground. Looking like your average Glimmergard citizen, he sits on the dusty earth.
“Who is ready for a story?” The king asks. The children’s hands shot up into the air. “In that case let me begin."
—
One day a young king crow relaxed in a scaly snake tree. The tree's winding branches reached up to the sky like a serpant attempting to swallow the clouds. Its squirming branches and scaly bark provided the perfect level of shade and protection for the crow. To make the day even better, he had found a patch of juicy hydropears.
Happily, the crow was savoring the last pear, when a lone ray fox came wandering by the tree. The ray fox sniffed the air and then saw the hydropear. His mouth began to drool. Outside of his furs unique throbbing glow, he also glowed with envy. He really wanted that pear. But he wouldn’t be able to climb the tree because of its spiky scales, so he came up with a sly plan.
“Oh, Mr. Crow! How are you today my friend? How is the weather up there?” The ray fox said with a yip.
The crow waved his wing as a hello and bowed his head in respect. But he refused to say anything for fear that he might drop the pear.
“You are quite the sight to my sore eyes, Mr. Crow.” The fox continued. “I have been wandering this desert all day. It is oh so dreary and ugly. But then I saw you! Has anyone told you that your feathers shine with all the radiance of the Glimmergard gems? Or that your claws are mightier than the iron pulled from the kingdom’s mines?”
If crows could blush, the king crow would have been bright red. Yet still, it did not say a word.
“Oh! Don’t get me started on your regal beak.” The fox pressed on grinning because his plan was working. “Yes, it must be the envy of all of the birds of the Realm! But I wonder—“ The fox trailed off as though thinking.
“—Does your song match your beak? How about a song? I bet you could put all the songbirds to shame!”
GraaWABBiilLLaswwWWAaah
The king crow let out a belching, cawing sound. One could barely even call it a song.
With the first note, the hydropear fell from his mouth down to the ray fox. In one slurping gulp, the fox ate the fruit whole. He then thanked the king crow. “And how incredibly generous you are Mr. Crow! Both a meal AND a performance! With that, I bid you ado."
And so the ray fox and king crow parted. One left full. And one was left a fool.
—
“And so we remember the fox and the crow. Pride in performance and appearance will ultimately be your undoing. It is far better to be humble and simple, and at times clever.” The Glimmergard king grins with that last line.
“In Glimmergard we have been blessed with endless worldly riches — gold, gems, and more rare ores than I can name. But we have been blessed with a greater privilege, the knowledge of a better life. Living in this fiery desert which could turn the ocean dry, we have learned what is important. Water, shade, and—“ he motions to the crowds, “—our families.”
“So do not live life as the crow. Choose the humble life.”
