Many years passed.
The archway was removed and the new leader proclaimed the inhabitants of the Battle Lands enemies no longer.
A new stairway was built, broader and unguarded.
And the clans from the Battle Lands poured into the City in the Clouds.
And all staked a claim as the greatest clan in the city...all that is, except the remaining Eagle Clan.
Fights broke out.
Those who still pledged their allegiance to the Law of Eagles were hunted down by the Wolf Clan and cast out of the city, down the new stairway...back to the Battle Lands.
The Bear Clan built prisons for those refused to work for them.
The Snake Clan spied for the Wolf Clan and routed out the people who hid their loyalty to the Eagle Clan.
One day, as the City went about their business, they felt a great tremor.
Buildings began to topple.
Buildings began to topple.
People screamed and scattered in fear.
The new leader rushed to the balcony of his newly-built palace. He watched in horror as a great rift appeared in the clouds that supported the city.
More and more clouds thinned and parted, opening in wider gaps.
And the city with all its inhabitants fell through the gaps to the Battle Lands below.
And the city with all its inhabitants fell through the gaps to the Battle Lands below.
When the dust settled, the people looked up to the sky and gasped.
The dome of clouds which had held the city together for centuries…had disappeared.
The sky darkened. The people wailed in despair.
They ran for the hills, and scattered throughout the valleys.
The City in the Clouds was no more.
The sky darkened. The people wailed in despair.
They ran for the hills, and scattered throughout the valleys.
The City in the Clouds was no more.
The former leader, now bent with age, his eyes watery with grief, watched the buildings crumble and crunch against each other as they rolled down the valleys and into the great lakes.
His eyes followed the people as fled for their lives into the darkened land.
He turned his back and made his way slowly up the mountaintop where his ancestors had once asked the wisdom of the eagle.
He saw an eagle flying high above and cried out for help in a feeble voice.
The eagle floated down to the old man and spoke.
“Why do you cry out for my help?” the eagle calmly asked.
“My need is great, Mighty One,” the former leader said.
“Tell me of your need, then,” the eagle said.
“We had a great City in the Clouds,” the old man said. “But now it is crumbled to dust. How do we rebuild it?”
“You cannot,” the eagle replied. “For you have forgotten the Law of Eagles…and without the Law, you cannot live free in the clouds.”
“I did not forget the Law,” protested the leader. “And there are others who did not forget.”
“Why did you not soar in vigilance then?” asked the eagle. “You chose your leadership carelessly; you allowed the flocks below to grow greater than you and they cast you out. You did not own the sky as the eagles do. You became ashamed. That is why you can no longer live free in the clouds.”
“What if we started anew?” asked the former leader in desperation. “What if we gathered the Eagle clan together and built a new stairway and promised to keep the Law? Could we build a new City in the Clouds?”
The eagle inclined his beak toward the sky.
The eagle floated down to the old man and spoke.
“Why do you cry out for my help?” the eagle calmly asked.
“My need is great, Mighty One,” the former leader said.
“Tell me of your need, then,” the eagle said.
“We had a great City in the Clouds,” the old man said. “But now it is crumbled to dust. How do we rebuild it?”
“You cannot,” the eagle replied. “For you have forgotten the Law of Eagles…and without the Law, you cannot live free in the clouds.”
“I did not forget the Law,” protested the leader. “And there are others who did not forget.”
“Why did you not soar in vigilance then?” asked the eagle. “You chose your leadership carelessly; you allowed the flocks below to grow greater than you and they cast you out. You did not own the sky as the eagles do. You became ashamed. That is why you can no longer live free in the clouds.”
“What if we started anew?” asked the former leader in desperation. “What if we gathered the Eagle clan together and built a new stairway and promised to keep the Law? Could we build a new City in the Clouds?”
The eagle inclined his beak toward the sky.
The old man followed with his eyes.
The dark expanse of evening showed the new starlight clearly.
The dark expanse of evening showed the new starlight clearly.
Not a wisp of cloud floated in the midnight sky. It was crisp as a newly washed sheet. All traces of the City in the Cloud and its majestic beginnings...wiped clean.
“The dome of clouds is gone,” the eagle said. “It will not return for many generations.”
“But it will return one day?” the former leaders voice quavered with faint hope.
“Perhaps,” said the eagle. “In the meantime, what will you do?”
The former leader looked over the cliffs to the valleys below. Devastation met his eye at every turn. No one could be seen among the ruins of the once-beautiful City in the Clouds.
“But it will return one day?” the former leaders voice quavered with faint hope.
“Perhaps,” said the eagle. “In the meantime, what will you do?”
The former leader looked over the cliffs to the valleys below. Devastation met his eye at every turn. No one could be seen among the ruins of the once-beautiful City in the Clouds.
“I will teach the Law of Eagles to those who will listen,” he said. “Then maybe one day, they will be ready to rebuild when the clouds return.”
And he thanked the eagle, walking slowly back down the mountain to the Battle Lands below.
THE END
redink
Your story makes my heart hurt, and we both know it's not because of the story. Please, Lord, let it not be too late for us.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteThere's always a choice, Turtle...always.
So glad you stopped by to comment. I will return the favor, 'cause I do so love to read your blog. It's my coffee-reading time. :)
God Bless.
(...and please forgive me for the delay in responding. I was away from my blog for awhile setting up school)
Why, redink, I had no idea you read my blog. You just made my heart happy! Thank you.
ReplyDelete