The Story of the Bee-Turtle
[[This is a story told to me by the spirit of Falar Beastweave. May he smile and laugh from the Weave as I tell it]]
Back when the Weave was still but a few threads, the animals of the world were still finding their place. One was a creature we called ‘turtle’. Turtle was a creature much like a shellark that also could walk on land, only not as predatory and much much slower. Turtle had been happy as a turtle, revered as a symbol of patience and loved by all. And he was happy! Until he learned about who we would call “Bee”.
Bee was a creature much like a buzzbing, only about the size of an aurin’s thumb, and with a needle that would kill her once she used it. People caught Bee on a string and showed off how they were careful enough both not to get hurt and not to have Bee sacrifice her sting. Bee was a symbol of skill, and her visage was painted on the hands of artisans and carpenters, and decorated the instruments of musicians and the throats of singers. Bee was everywhere…
… and it made Turtle upset. No one tried to capture Turtle and show off their skill when he was led about on a string. No one painted Turtle on their hands or throats. Whenever Turtle was talked about, it was an indicator, a tiny warning that someone would need patience ahead. Turtle tended to turn people away, and now that Bee was in the picture, he was feeling very unappreciated… and he wanted to change that.
“Patience is just as important as skill,” he huffed. “Patience is what grows skill to begin with! I will become a bee, and remind them how they go that skill in the first place; no matter how long it takes!” The other animals laughed at Turtle. “You cannot become a bee!” they jeered. “You are a turtle!” With a snort, he consulted the Wise One, and She whispered to him as his feet touched Her roots. “Turtle, even if you could, it would take you ages. Most would give up long before they see results. Are you sure you want to do this?”
But she and all the village knew that Turtle was patient! He took his plan in stride, persevering in every Magik ritual and Weave trick he could find and muster. Days of trying turned to weeks, weeks to moons, moons to years, and years to generations. And then one day, when the fifth matria in the line had since taken the crown, Turtle returned to the Wise One. He had grown an extra set of arms, and he had grown Bee’s gossamer wings… but yet, he was not a bee! His body remained round like a stone, and his wings were tucked away under his hard shell.
“I tried,” he whispered to Her, “but in the end, I am not a bee. I am no longer even a turtle.”
“Ah,” She whispered back, “but your perseverance has paid off. You may bit have succeeded in your original goal, but instead, you have become something completely new! This is not a failure, and I think you can serve as an example to the creators of the world. Now go into the village and show the people what you have become!.”
And thus, he became the world’s first Bee-Turtle, a popular symbol among the greatest minds to walk the Desodar. Bee-Turtle still serves as such a symbol to those that remain, though we know him now by a slightly different name…we call him Beetle.”
