Original work by EssjayNZ via Flickr on a Creative Commons License
Once upon a time, there was a little sheep named Shep. Shep was scared, all the time. At night, he heard wolves howl. Sometimes, they would sneak into the flock to bite and steal. Every time one howled, he would shiver. When the sun rose, he was still scared because of the dogs. They were always near. Sometimes they growled, and once, when he tried to wander off, one even nipped him. Every time he saw one, he would shiver.
Shep was a smart little sheep, so he decided to talk to an elder. “How can I stop my shivers,” he asked. The elder replied, “Don’t be afraid, those are sheepdogs. We call them warriors because they protect us from the wolves.” Shep thanked the elder and walked away, but his shivers didn’t stop. Maybe they were warriors, but they sure looked like wolves. They were big, and their teeth were sharp.
The next day, Shep went to see the elder. The elder said, “Don’t be afraid. Warriors wear a collar with a shiny tag that says, ‘If you must fight, fight me.’ You can see it glint, even by starlight.” Shep thanked the elder and walked away, but late that night he had a horrible dream.
Original work by Carron Brown via Flickr on a Creative Commons License
Shep told the Elder, “In my dream, a warrior’s collar fell off, and a sneaky wolf put it on. I ran from the warrior, straight to the wolf.” The elder said, “Don’t be afraid. Sometimes, a warrior will go without food so you can eat. Sometimes a warrior will go without sleep so you can rest. Most importantly, warriors only nip or bark when they have to, to keep you safe. If it doesn’t act like that, it’s no warrior, just a wolf with a fancy collar.”
