How dog and hare became enemies

By  CALVIN ODHIAMBO

Hare and Dog were once great friends. They visited each other every day and herded their cattle together. There came a time, however, when cattle started dying inexplicably, one after the other.

To find out why the cows were dying, Owl, the village seer, suggested that the pair kill their mothers, then cook and taste their livers. The mother whose liver was bitter was responsible for the deaths.

Without giving this odd advice a second thought, Dog foolishly went and killed his mother. Then he took out her liver and cooked it. Hare, on the other hand, went and hid his mother in a groundnut farm. In her, place he hunted a gazelle, took out its liver and cooked it. As agreed, the two met for the tasting session.

As expected, Dog’s mother’s liver was extremely bitter, while the gazelle’s was sweet. Dog’s mother was, hence, blamed for the bad omen. Overcome with grief, gullible Dog went home feeling sad.

A while later, there was great famine across the land. The two friends decided that they would look for food alternately, to conserve energy, and then share the food they got.

Dog was first, and he returned with a few scraps, which, amazingly, Hare refused to eat. The reason was that Hare had a secret stash of groundnuts that he had shared with his mother.

When Hare went to look for food, he came back empty-handed but with a glowing face.

This went on for many days, and Dog grew thinner, while Hare became healthier.

“How can this be?” Dog thought to himself. Overcome with curiosity, he decided to investigate. One day, he stealthily followed Hare, who snuck off to the den where his mother was hiding.

“Mother, open up,” Hare called before the den opened, revealing his mother. Hare’s mother offered him groundnuts that he quickly gobbled up. From his hiding spot, Dog was stunned at this betrayal. Having seen enough, he crept away to wait for the lying Hare who, as usual, showed up with empty hands.

The following day, Dog went to the den and repeated Hare’s call. Hare’s unsuspecting mother appeared with palms full of nuts as usual, but was shocked to see Dog instead of her son. Her screams went unheeded as Dog made a meal of her.

When Hare visited the following day, a gory sight greeted him. Remembering the traces of fresh blood on Hyena’s hands and lips the previous day, Hare was convinced that his friend’s hand was involved in the cruel act.

Fearing for his own life, Hare decide to make a burrow in the ground. This was a smart move as Dog was waiting for his return, baying for blood. Even to this day, Dog seeks vengeance.