The Bull and the Dove

On the dusty road, with my human’s supplies on my back, we finally made it to the small town. Entering through the front gate and stopping near an inn, my human takes a green snake and from its mouth water pours into a round wooden water carrier and brings it to me so I can drink.

It’s comforting to know that after traveling throughout the land in the scorching heat, he brings me water. He then ties the leather straps in my mouth and wraps them on a log. After he makes sure they’re secure he walks into the inn. The night is cool like a cube of frozen water melted and seeped into the air, it’s a pleasant night …wait, I can hear a roaring sound, but I can’t see where it is coming from.

I adjust my head till I see coming through the gate is one of those loud beasts with the pair of suns for eyes. After my eyes recover from its glare I see it’s carrying a large metal box. A couple of humans come out of it and walk into the inn, though I do wonder why they are going to an inn if they don’t look tired at all, if anything the beast should be the one getting rest. My curiosity of the box gets the better of me and, knowing that my human didn’t secure my straps properly, I manage to get them of the log and head towards it. Looking through on of the holes of the box, what I see takes my curiosity and replaces it with amazed fear.

In the box is bull, a black bull who is covered with scars. Long and short, old and fresh, it’s like he had been through many fights. His two long horns that would have been white are coated with a red substance that smelt like horrid meat. Part of me wants to ask the bull how he gained such an appearance, yet another is advising me against it. Before I could decide, the bull turns his head toward me.

“What do you want? Little donkey.” He asks in a low growly voice, like he’s more lion than bull. I hesitate to answer, but I gain my courage, which isn’t much, and ask.

“How did you gain those scars?”

“These. These are what is placed upon me by humans.”

“Humans?” I ask the bull, not quite understanding.

“Yes, humans.” The bull reaffirms “Humans who choose to wear silly costumes, waving red clothes at me and stab me with pointed sticks of metal and flower. They taunt me with the cloth, challenging me to charge at them. I of course do to get them to stop, only to be attacked. And there are humans who watch it like a sick game, shouting Ole! Ole!”

“What?” I say to him “No, no humans would never do that.”

“Then how do you explain my scars? They did this because they want to kill me. However, I got to them first. With every colorful fool who faced me, their blood is a trophy on my horns.”

“But, humans are kind. They take care of animals like us.”

“I used to think that as well, until my human took me to that place. I begged him not to abandon me, yet he left me to those barbarians. And now, seeing that I’m not a bull to trifle with they’re taking me to another place to fight more. I am a fighter because of my human wronging me, and I am sure you’re human will leave you in some horrible place.” I shake my head to try and remove the doubt trying to burrow its way to my mind.

“No, no my human would never do that.”

“Give it time, once you out live your usefulness your human will. Because as I have learned all humans are cruel and selfish creatures.” I let the bulls word sink in as the two humans come out of the inn and take the beast to find a place for it and the bull. That’s when my human came and find that I’m not tied to the log, he drags me to it and reties the straps to it, he then gets his supplies off my back and goes in. As the night went on, with the moon taking it’s stroll in the sky, I keep thinking back to what the bull says and ponder. Would my human really toss me aside? Are all humans the monsters the bull claim them to be? Remembering the scars and where he said they came from, I realize it’s true and it makes me so furious at my human and all humans that my anger is what kept me warm in the cold of this night.

The next morning, I refuse to let my human put his supplies on me. If he’s going to get rid of me later, why carry his stuff now? After his feeble attempts to weight me down, the human puts his stuff down and walks into the inn, perhaps to get himself something to quench his thirst.

“Pardon me my friend, but why are you refusing to carry your human’s things?” The look around wondering where it’s coming from, I then look up and find sitting on a branch is a dove, it’s feathers so white it might had been snow that melted into them and became permanent.

“Why should I carry it? He’s got arm that aren’t broken. He can carry them himself.”

“Isn’t your duty to be your human’s traveling companion?” The dove asks.

“For how long? The bull said he’ll just put me somewhere to get rid of me.”

“Oh, I see.” He nods with understanding “You’re basing your human on the bull’s judgement.”

“If you saw him, you would agree with him. Humans are cruel and evil and will use you till you no longer serve a purpose.” I tell the dove, in a tone that releases my frustration.

“Has your human been cruel and evil?” My eyes widen from the white bird’s question. It’s from his inquiry that I look back to when I was a foal, and how my human took care of me. Feeding me oats and grains, cleaning my coat and keeping me safe from predators. When I didn’t reply to him, the dove continues.

“There are people in this world who treat us like possessions than companions, that is true. Yet, the world is vast enough for people who are kind and generous. Humans are a unique blend of actions, they act like monsters on one end and angels on the other. You are one of the many lucky ones to be with humans who view you as not a beast of burden, but a traveling companion. We should all be lucky to tell the difference between good and bad humans.” The dove flies from his branch and up to the sky. As I follow it up, my human returns not with a drink for himself, but a sack of oats. Placing it over my head and over my mouth, my human looks at me with his always kind smile and nods his head telling me to eat, which I proceed to do.

Allowing his items on my back, we continue our journey. In a way, it’s good to have met the bull and dove, with their insight I gain a better understanding of humans. They are each different in how they treat us animals. And, like the dove says, I’m lucky to be blessed with a kind human and hope that the bull is to be placed with kind humans.