Discussions

“Ralph, what are we doing here?”

“Waiting, but you already know that, Wally. It’s what we vultures do. We wait, we watch, and we wait some more. Patience is our strongest attribute. It’s what our species is known for.”

“Easy for you to say. You gorged yourself on that dead squirrel yesterday and didn’t offer me a single bite. Now you sit there, belly full, and preach to me about patience. I want to go kill something. Our cousins, the hawks and eagles, do it all the time.”

“They do it because they know how to. Did your parents show you how to swoop in from the sky and snatch a rabbit or mouse off the ground and rip it apart in midair with your talons while it was fighting back? No, because they didn’t know how to do it either. They survived by exercising patience and skill.”

“Skill, do you call hanging out on the side of the road waiting for a car to come along and hit a dumb deer or a half-blind opossum skill? I don’t. What I call skill is the way the Osprey swoops out of the clouds, talons outstretched, and splash, he snatches a fish right out of the water. Now that’s what I call skill.”

“I must admit, I do get a little envious when I watch an Osprey do that.”

“Okay, who said that? Did you see where that voice came from, Ralph?”

“Yup, I did. You don’t pay enough attention to your surroundings, Wally. Look down and say hi to Slinky the gator. How’s it going, my friend?

“Not bad. Water’s warm and not too murky, fish are plentiful, and occasionally I even manage to snag a yip-yip dog. Yup, overall life is good.”

“I’m happy for you, Slinky. You don’t happen to have any dead fish you can toss up here on the boardwalk for my friend Wally, do you?”

“I might, but he’s welcome to come down here and look for himself.”

“I’m hungry, but I’m not stupid.”, Wally squawked, while flapping his wings indignantly.

“Can’t blame a gator for trying, can you. All this talk of food is making me hungry. Happy hunting, guys.”

Ralph and Wally watched the gator glide away before Wally declared, “With friends like him, who needs enemies?”

“Once again, you’re looking at things backwards, Wally. Having a friend like Slinky means we have a steady source of food. The guy is always looking for something to eat. Sometimes he kills things just because they crossed his path. He doesn’t even eat it. That’s food for us.”

“I get what you’re saying, but friends like him are dangerous to be around. What I want is a nice fresh rabbit just like the one squatting by the bush over there. Now he would make a tasty lunch.”

“Wally, if you want the bunny for lunch, fly over there and get it. Of course, he’ll probably be gone by the time you get there.”

“Thanks, Ralph, you're just full of encouragement.”