There are moments in life when we, humans, are reminded of just how connected we are to the natural world. Such moments often come to us as heart-warming epiphanies, momentos of our bond with the flora and fauna. Let's be honest, who hasn't shed a tear or sighed admiringly in the midst of a well-presented program on the Discovery Channel? We ultimately belong to a greater network of love and loss in which instinct and curiosity replace the need for language.
A curious doe plays peek-a-boo with our equally curious group of people
It is amidst these "warm fuzzies" that I came to an astonishing, and all too comedic, realization: with the exception of language and the use of opposable thumbs, there is little to distinguish man from stag when the female entity is present. I recently had the pleasure of accompanying Patricia, Roland, and their friend Philipe on a hike high in the Alpes Maritimes to experience something of which I was oblivious until now. There is a time of year in the fall when stags challenge each other for the title of "King of the Mountain." For any homo sapien familiar with this game of physical force, the object is the same for these pheromone-charged deer. This display of machismo subsequently draws the attention of the neighboring females (or "hind"), because, let's face it, what woman wouldn't want to watch while men fought over her? Really she just hopes the winner is handsome, charming, responsible, takes out the trash... wait, I suppose deer have more basic needs. In that case, it is safe to say in this case that the largest stag wins. Size does matter.
As I stood frozen in awe (and a bit chilled as well), I could not helped but be impressed by the magnitude of manpower being declared across the mountains. The music of bravado reverberating off of stony cliffs and filtering through wooded passes was breath-taking. It was the type of stereo surround sound that even the most high-def speakers couldn't capture. Even though I wasn't the one being called after, I felt strangely drawn to the sound of bellowing and such displays of self-glorification. While such calls lacked literal linguistic translation, it did not take much imagination to decipher the interaction. Within an instant, I was transported back to the grade-school playground (or the high school football game; or the college bar scene; or the professional work environment...the story is timeless) to a scene of two young boys dealing each other blows to the self-esteem while intrigued adolescent girls look on gossiping about a predicted outcome.
"I could totally take you!" "Oh yea? Well, come and get it!" Who has the bigger muscles? The quicker tongue? Throws first punch? The last one? Ultimately, who gets the girl?
Sound familiar? It gets better. Once he has proven himself in battle the stags then commits himself to a devoted mating ritual with his newly "won" ladies. The comment was made that the ladies are less likely to be faithful and usually move on to have several different mates. Evidently, even in the natural domain, the gals suffer the same phenomenon as we daughters of Eve; the man talks a big game, is lucky enough to win a fight, but then doesn't come through in the real time of need. A lady needs satisfaction, and if she finds that her man's "brame" is bigger than his bite, a doe's got to do what a doe's got to do.
As I stood frozen in awe (and a bit chilled as well), I could not helped but be impressed by the magnitude of manpower being declared across the mountains. The music of bravado reverberating off of stony cliffs and filtering through wooded passes was breath-taking. It was the type of stereo surround sound that even the most high-def speakers couldn't capture. Even though I wasn't the one being called after, I felt strangely drawn to the sound of bellowing and such displays of self-glorification. While such calls lacked literal linguistic translation, it did not take much imagination to decipher the interaction. Within an instant, I was transported back to the grade-school playground (or the high school football game; or the college bar scene; or the professional work environment...the story is timeless) to a scene of two young boys dealing each other blows to the self-esteem while intrigued adolescent girls look on gossiping about a predicted outcome.
"I could totally take you!" "Oh yea? Well, come and get it!" Who has the bigger muscles? The quicker tongue? Throws first punch? The last one? Ultimately, who gets the girl?
Sound familiar? It gets better. Once he has proven himself in battle the stags then commits himself to a devoted mating ritual with his newly "won" ladies. The comment was made that the ladies are less likely to be faithful and usually move on to have several different mates. Evidently, even in the natural domain, the gals suffer the same phenomenon as we daughters of Eve; the man talks a big game, is lucky enough to win a fight, but then doesn't come through in the real time of need. A lady needs satisfaction, and if she finds that her man's "brame" is bigger than his bite, a doe's got to do what a doe's got to do.
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