Eagle and Red Tail Hawk Story

This Story is meant for Scouts BSA.
Decide for yourself if it is appropriate for your younger scouts or not.

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Long ago, Eagle and Red Tail Hawk were the same size and very good friends. But Red Tail was a jealous bird and worried that Eagle might be better than him. Red Tail would make up contests so he could show up his friend.

This made Eagle very sad, and every night he would pray to Creator that Red Tail would stop. It was not that Eagle was inferior, he just felt that competing with a friend was wrong. They should enjoy being different and both do their best in all things.

Red Tail came up with the idea that they would fly as high as they could and whoever flew highest would win. Eagle did not want to compete with his friend but Red tail would not be put off. He kept teasing Eagle until he finally agreed to the contest.

They both took off, flying higher and higher. Eagle was above Red Tail and this made him furious. He started playing tricks on Eagle acting like his wing was hurt. When Eagle came back to help Red Tail, he took off as fast as he could.

Eagle decided to just let Red Tail win, hoping that might make the contests stop. So, Eagle soared around waiting for Red Tail to come back down. He soared for 3 days waiting and waiting. He was beginning to really worry about his friend when he saw Red Tail streaking down from above.

Red Tail looked really small to Eagle. As Red Tail got closer, Eagle noticed that he had actually shrunk and was now less than half as big as Eagle. Red Tail told him he had flown so high that he saw Creator. Eagle thought he was playing a joke on him, but Red Tail was serious. He said he was very sorry for all the contests and mean tricks he had played on him.

Eagle wanted to know why was he sorry for them.
"Well," said Red Tail, "when I saw Creator, he told me how you had prayed to him every night that I would stop the contests and the foolish games. It made me feel so small in character that I actually began to shrink in size. Then Creator said as my punishment I would stay this way, and all my descedents shall be this size as well. And I will never be able to fly as high as you again. So, my friend, I truly am sorry for being so cruel to you. You clearly were better than me."

Eagle was so touched by Red Tail's words all he could do was look at him. Then he said to Red Tail, "No, my friend, we are equal yet different. Unique in our own ways. You will always be my friend. But now we can celebrate our differences, and our new understanding of each other."

And that is why Red Tail Hawk is smaller than Eagle.