Mother Earth decided one day that the barren world needed life, so she put forth beautiful plants to flower, and bring joy to the earth. She realized she needed someone to tend to her plants, and enjoy the fruit of her work, so she created animals to live amongst the plants and tend to them. While the animals tended to the plants, she traveled across the earth to make sure beauty could be found everywhere.
Once, long ago, Rabbit and Fox were great friends. During the day Rabbit and Fox would go off to collect berries and nuts for supper, and at night Mother Fox or Mother Rabbit would cook the food for the two families to eat.
Snake was always jealous of Rabbit and Fox, for he had no arms or legs to collect his berries, and no Mother to cook his supper for him. One night, out of envy and selfishness, Snake decided he would break up the friendship of Rabbit and Fox.
During the night, while Rabbit and Fox were sleeping, Snake crept into the home of Rabbit, and took some of Rabbit’s fur. Snake snuck into the warren of Mother Fox, and killed her in her sleep, when he was done Snake took Rabbit’s fur and put it on Mother Fox to make it look like Rabbit had been the one to kill her.
When morning came Fox found Mother Fox dead and saw Rabbit’s hair on her, he became enraged. Full of anger, Fox ran to Mother Rabbit, and killed her, to avenge the death of his mother. After killing Mother Rabbit a terrible thing awoke inside of Fox, a love of death. Fox, his anger not yet quenched, took up pursuit of Rabbit, and Rabbit began running.
Mother Earth looked down on her children, and shook with sadness at the transpired events. She stopped everything, and went down to her children to punish their wrong doing. To Fox, she stained his fur permanently red, to warn the whole world of his new-born murderous instinct. However Mother Earth did feel sad for Fox, and told him never to trust simply his eyes again, but to first consult with his friends. To Rabbit, she gave strong back legs to aid in his running from Fox, even though he had done no wrong. She also put white on Rabbit’s tail to show other animals of his innocence. And with snake Mother Earth dealt most severely. She made Snake despicable to all things on Earth, and put a rattle on his tail to warn everyone of his mischief, and to warn all possible wrong-doers of the consequences of doing the unthinkable, murder.