The Mountain Lion and the Little Deer

There are many tales read to the children of the Empire, as they sit wrapped in blankets listening to the fire's crackle and the cricket's call. Some stories impart the history of the world, while others teach a code of ethics held dear by the people. Others are simply used to entertain the young ones. One such story tells of a constellation's origin, and while the Mountain Lion and the Little Deer doesn't lead the listener to a clear moral, it does make one think about how decisions made may effect those nearby. The children lie back and look up at the stars. "That small shape there is the Little Deer," says the storyteller, pointing up at the sky. "And there," he says, "you can see the Mountain Lion following closely behind."
In another time, an earlier age, a Mountain Lion roamed the forests. She was the ruler of these lands, and protected the other creatures from outsiders and two-legged hunters. But this protection came at a cost. Each bright moon the creatures would hide as the Mountain Lion loped through the trees, hunting for her next meal. They knew she had to eat meat, just as they at the roots and the leaves of the forest, but still they ran and hid, hoping that they would not become her meal.
On one such moonlit night, the Mountain Lion was moving softly through the forest when she came upon the Little Deer. The small animal had tried to run, but was cornered at the base of a fallen boulder. The Mountain Lion padded closer, and said, "I'm sorry Little Deer, but it seems you are my meal tonight." The Little Deer had to think quickly. "Please wait!" she said, rushing to find a way out. "Just look at my legs! They're so scrawny - just skin and bones. Would that really make a good meal for one such as yourself?" The Mountain Lion paused and eyed the Little Deer suspiciously. "You are the one I have caught. Why should I chase down another?" "I saw the Marmot run past only a few minutes ago," the Little Deer said, "if you go now you could easily catch him. He's slow, and much more plump than I." The Mountain Lion thought for a moment. It was still early, and she knew the Little Deer wouldn't be able to get far. "Very well. I will chase the Marmot tonight, but I make no promises for the future." The Mountain Lion turned and vanished into the dark forest. The Little Deer felt guilty for putting the Marmot in danger, but was relieved to be alive. She kept to herself after that, eating the new leaves off the brush growing in the forest and resting in the shade of the trees. "I had to do it," she said to herself, "or I would've been eaten then and there!" The Rattlesnake was sleeping motionless in a patch of sunlight nearby, and heard the Little Deer talking to herself. "Interesting," the snake thought. "I must remember this."
The next bright moon came, and the Mountain Lion again stalked through the forest. She heard a rustling nearby, and found the Little Deer struggling in a thicket. She had tried to run through, but had been caught in the thorny branches. "I have caught you again," the Mountain Lion said with a growl, "and now you will be eaten." "Wait! Wait!", the Little Deer cried, "I've hardly eaten in days. I'm so thin - surely you can see that. Wouldn't someone with more meat be a better meal for a ruler such as yourself?" the Mountain Lion stared at the Little Deer, weighing her options. "I just saw the Turkey waddle past. He was making such a racket you could possibly miss him, and he's much fatter than I." the Mountain Lion rolled her eyes. This Little Deer was too bold, but she had a good point. "Very well. I will hunt the Turkey tonight, but I make no promises for the future." With that, she turned and disappeared between the trees. The Little Deer was sad that she had again put another creature in danger. She spent the next day by herself, nibbling blades of grass. "Poor Marmot. Poor Turkey. But otherwise I would have been eaten in the blink of an eye." But the Rattlesnake was hiding in the grasses nearby and overheard the Little Deer. "Very interesting," he though to himself, "I will have to remember this."
As the next bright moon neared, Rattlesnake heard the other animals talking. They were planning on where to run and hide when the Mountain Lion came out to hunt. "You must be very careful not to linger," he warned, "for if the Little Deer is caught again she will persuade the Mountain Lion to go after you instead." The other animals were confused, and Rattlesnake described what he had heard. They felt betrayed, and in their anger the animals set a trap for the Little Deer. The Rattlesnake found the Mountain Lion, sleeping on a hillside, and told her that the animals were angry at the Little Deer for what she had done, and that they would set a trap for her that night. When darkness came, the Mountain Lion made her way up the rocks to a cliff of granite, with a view overlooking a wide carpet of trees. At the top she saw the Little Deer trying to stand motionless in the shadows. "I see you there," she growled, "and this time I will eat you." The Little Deer trembled, "But wait! The Hare just jumped into this burrow. If you wait quietly he'll surely come out to look around." "I don't think so," the Mountain Lion said, taking a step forward. "If you jump up those rocks, you will find the Big Horn Sheep. He's got enough weight to keep you full for months!" "Not tonight," the Mountain Lion said, moving another step towards the Little Deer. "I will not be eaten!" the Little Deer shouted, and with a leap she flew off the edge of the high, granite cliff. But she did not fall. Instead each leap took her higher into the sky until she reached the stars, bounding from one point of light to another as she got further and further away. The Mountain Lion growled. She would not let the Little Deer escape that easily. She too leapt from the cliff, and ran into the sky. With each stride she felt she was getting nearer to the fleeing deer, but as she ran the sky began to lighten, and she felt herself blur and fade with the rising sun.
While the animals never agreed on what happened to the Mountain Lion and the Little Deer in the end, they would sometimes look up at the stars and wonder. Over time, they began to say that when the sky was bright and clear you could still see the Mountain Lion chasing the Little Deer across the stars each night.