Why the Owl Hunts at Night
Owls all used to be daytime creatures. Owl had always been one of the wisest creatures, and many of the People flocked to him to hear his words of wisdom. Many birds of prey took the opportunity caused by this and ate their fill of the rodents that had made their homes near him, never leaving any for Owl to eat after his speeches.
He tried rising earlier to catch the mice when they ran out of their holes to collect the bits of grain that had fallen off the stalks during the night, but some of the other birds soon caught on, and then he wasn’t able to eat at that hour either.
So, unhappily, Owl went back to his regular sleeping habit. A few days later, another idea struck him. He had kept an eye out as to the habits of other creatures, hoping to find a clue to answer his own problem through his observations. The Coyote in particular caught his interest.
“That Coyote sleeps late into the day and hunts at night. He seems to profit well from this method. Perhaps I should do the same.” He thought to himself.
And so he set his plan into action, rising later and later each day. Soon he slept through the entire day; rising only after the sun had gone down. His dark coloration and silent wings helped him not to be noticed by many, but some creatures did. That is why there are nocturnal creatures, like the owl, but not as many as diurnal creatures. This spread helped the day become balanced and let no creature be hunted to extinction by another animal.
Coyote’s job done, he stood up and brushed himself off, walking back to the Creator. Peace was once again restored to the world.
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