The Real Animals of the World | decodingvibes.com

Once upon a time, there lived a hedgehog in a magical forest. Near him lived a great wolf who had once burned the edges of his burrow. While the wolf went to burn other things, the hedgehog rebuilt his burrow in fear. To make matters worse, his cousin lived right next door in harmony with the wolf. The cousin’s burrow was brighter and more prosperous.

The hedgehog built plenty of fortifications, but he also built cages inside. He knew his power depended on his people not seeing what a functional home can be. His burrow was not to be a home! But to be a garrison under military rule so it could meet the wolf head-on when it inevitably returned.

Any other hedgehog who questioned this endless stockpiling was told to leave, and anyone who wasn’t liked by the major hedgehog was sent to the underground tunnels.

The tunnels were not just for the offending hedgehog, but for their children, and their children, and so on. They were forced to dig in the forever dark. The major hedgehog kept his people starving and convinced them by hook or crook that it was the only way to counter the threat of the great wolf, always looming in the near future.

Across the river lived a dragon. The dragon was ancient, massive, and had accumulated great riches. For years, the dragon would feed the hedgehog scraps of food, not because of love but because having a dangerous, spiky creature to counter the wolf was in the interest of the dragon. The hedgehog knew it was being used as a living deterrent, but it did not care, for it wanted nothing but to face the wolf again, or so it told its people.

This would go on for a while when a crazy bear came crashing through the forest. The bear had started a savage, unprovoked war, bringing death and destruction with it. It thought it would emerge victorious but ended up stepping into a bear trap, perhaps the greatest bear trap the forest has seen. But the bear does not quit. The bear’s appetite for war was matched only by its need for weapons, and it asked the hedgehog for help.

By this time, the dragon was still ancient but hiding its age; deep down, it knew it did not have all the time in the world.

The hedgehog agreed to sell weapons to the bear, not just the spikes but also soldiers. The hedgehog didn’t care if its soldiers did not return; it was preparing them to die in an unwinnable war anyway. The soldiers’ families were held as collateral as they marched off to fight for the bear.

So the young hedgehogs marched into the bear’s meat grinder, dying by the thousands in the mud, fighting an enemy they did not know and for a land they did not care about.

In return, the bear paid the hedgehog well. It gave him food, oil, and gold. The major hedgehog, however, did not use this wealth to free his dominion; why would it? He only needed to keep the guards of the tunnels happy, meanwhile paving his own chambers in blood gold. As long as the major hedgehog was prosperous and strong, the burrow could be shaped to look prosperous and strong too; how could its people say the cousin’s burrow was better?

For the first time, the major hedgehog felt some sort of independence from the dragon. It no longer needed scraps; it no longer needed to be just the dragon’s puppet. The dragon watched this with open eyes. He was happy with the bear’s rampage as it kept the wolf distracted, but he did not feel very happy seeing the hedgehog growing rich and arrogant, especially at this time.

Now, what happens if the bear loses its war? It will crawl back to its cave and be unable to afford to pay the hedgehog anymore and will have no need for its soldiers.

Suddenly, the tables turn for the hedgehog.

When the good times stop rolling for the guards, they will look at their empty bowls in a new light. The major hedgehog’s biggest threat was not the starving prisoners, but the well-armed guards who suddenly felt let down.

Terrified of this, the major hedgehog will lock down tighter than ever. He will run to the edge of the burrow again, yell fanactically at the sleeping wolf, scream a new war is imminent. He must go back to the religion of fear. And it must go back to the dragon, who now gets to alter their deal of scraps from a position of absolute power.

What if the bear wins though?

In case that happens, the forest will burn for days. The bear, victorious but deeply scarred, will remember the hedgehog. Instead of just giving food and gold, it will give the hedgehog bigger and better gifts. The hedgehog, once just a localized nuisance against the wolf, will now become a legit threat to the forest.

Yet inside the burrow, the cages will remain shut. It is likely the hedgehog will spend its wealth on replacing its old rusty iron bars with unbreakable steel. He will feed his guards so well they will worship him out of genuine admiration and loyalty, not just fear. The regime that once defined itself by fear of the wolf will now define itself by the fear of...