The Wolf and the Raven

This very old story gives a mythological explination to the intriging relations between wolves and ravens in the wild, who are known to have a symbiotic relationship, even going as far as helping and playing which each other. It is a very popular folktale in Arros, especialy with young children.

Summary

A young wolf is separated from his family in a sudden snow storm and is lost. As he falls asleep, a raven flying above spots him, and feeling bad, decides to help him get to a nearby cave to ride out the storm. When morning comes, the raven helps him get back home, and they become friends on the way.
However, when the wolf pup finaly arrives in his family's den comes back, his family is at first overjoyed that their child found its way back, they remained distrustful and looked down on the raven. And so, despite the wolf's protest, his parents made the bird fly away.
Feeling bad, the wolf decides to waits until the following night, where he then sneaks out to find the raven again and apoligize to him. After a while, walking in the snowy forest, he finds his bird friend again, who's busy trying to fend off a fox currently destroying the raven's nest, which fell to the ground in the blizzard. The wolf chases the fox away and helps the raven build it back again.
Grateful for the wolf's help, the raven offers to bring him to the great raven tree, a large dead tree where all the forest's black birds gather, so that he can meet all of his friends and tell them the good deed he did. However, when they get there, the other birds are scared of the wolf and chastize the raven for bringing a predator like him to their home. The wolf is chased away and finds himself alone once again in the snowy forest.
Since he can't stay with the raven anymore, he decides to go back home. On the way, as he mourns the lost of his short friendship with the raven, another blizzard suddently forms around him. Looking up at the sky, he catches a glimpse of a great beast flying overhead. An ice dragon. The wolf realises that the dragon is the one causing the storms that have been plaguing the forest.
The wolf follows the dragon to its cave, so that he can ask him to stop, what he's doing and ask him to stop, but as he finaly arrives at the cave, he gets cold paws, unsure as to how he may confront such a mighty beast. Then he hears the now familiar sound of wings flapping before the raven lands on his head again.
The wolf is very happy to see the raven again, and proceeds to explain the situation to him. The wolf then confesses that he's unsure how to confront the dragon, since its so much bigger and stroger than he is. The raven encourages him, saying that as a wolf, he's also bigger and stronger than himself, but it didn't prevent them from becoming friends. The wolf agrees, and with new courage, enters the cave.
Inside, the dragon asks him what he wants, and the wolf explains that him flying above the forest is causing blizards that are putting the animals in danger. The dragon takes the Wolf's words into consideration and decides to move further north, where no other animals can survive, so that he won't be a bother.
The wolf thanks him, but asks why he listened to him, even if he's just a small wolf. The dragon tells him that he payed no mind that he was only a mere wolf, as every animal deserves respect, no matter how small they are, and he also adds that he appreciated the courage the wolf displayed just now.
The wolf leaves the cave and rejoins the raven waiting outside for him. There, he thanks him and says that he was right about the dragon. The raven says that he's proud of him for saving the forest, just as the wolf's pack and the raven's friends find them.
They scold their respective bretheren for associating with the other's species. However, that's when the dragon steps outside. Everyone is afraid and steps back, except the wolf and raven, who thank the dragon for its consideration. The dragon bows to them and with a single flap of wings, begins flying away, beyond the northern limits of the great forest.
Both the wolf pack and the raven's friend are flabbergasted, but they quickly realise that both the wolf and the Raven worked together to save the forest. They apoligize to the duo for their hasty judgement, which they accept, before proposing an alliance between their species. A pack of eternal friendship and cooperation, which both the wolves and the ravens accept graciously.
It is said that at the Great Raven Tree, located somewhere in the great taigas of rumalia, one would still be able to see the faded print of a wolf's and Raven's paw on its trunk, symbolising the pack between these two very different species, which holds to this day, thousands of years later, and which will hold for many more thousands of years still.

Spread

The myth is very popular throughout all of the regions where these two animals are commonly found. It seems to have spread from Rumalia at first, but by the second age, it was recounted everywhere on the continent, and by the time of the Essanian Empire, it had spread to the Continent of Enaskia as well.

Date of First Recording

Sometime in the First Age

Date of Setting

Unknown