During a question period, Mole asked, “How important is intelligence to the practice?”
Raven asked, “How do you use it?”
Mole said, “As best I can with what it is.”
Raven asked, “How do you depend on it?”
“You know,” said Mole, “I really don’t depend on it very much at all.”
Raven bobbed his head silently.
[…Porcupine was to become a teacher…]
Black Bear said, “I’m afraid I’ll get poked with her quills.”
Raven said, “That’s the risk.”
Mole said, “I’d like to hear from Porcupine.”
Porcupine said, “Actually, I don’t poke, you poke yourself.”
Black Bear said, “How can I avoid poking myself?”
Porcupine said, “Don’t mess with me.”
The Goal
Gray Wolf made one of her rare visits to the circle, and after a talk by Raven she remarked, “The goal of practice seems to be just more practice.”
Raven bobbed his head. “Well?”
Gray Wolf hesitated, and then asked, “So there’s no end to it?”
Raven hopped down from his perch to a little hummock beside
Gray Wolf, put his beak to her ear, and murmured, “Thank goodness.”