A Skunk's Tail

You know that animal you see scavenging for food in a nearby trashcan, trying to find last week’s Chinese takeout. A disgusting and smelly ball of fuzz that makes a mother want to grab hold of her children and run back into the house. Well, that so called “Monster” is me. I have not always been like this; so hungry that foam spews from my jaw. People think I have The "Disease" and to be honest I wouldn’t blame them. My name is Kyle, and I am a skunk. People judge me. I smell. What else is there to say. I had not always been like this, though. Instead of having lacerations all over my body and dirty brown and gray fur, I used to important! I fought for those I cared about during The Winter Skunk War.

I was a proud and determined young kit who was willing to put his life on the line to fight for the greater good. I had smooth and silky black fur with a well-groomed tail that was fluffy enough to be used as a pillow. All was good for skunk-kind until the hawks took all the fresh grapes we had gathered for the coming winter. Every skunk was fearful and did not know what to do. Some consulted the wisest skunks, know by many as The Elders, who then came up with a plan to end our suffering. With their newly formulated plan, The Elders then spoke to our ruler, The Great Skunk. At the time it was mandatory for every skunk to take a tomato soup baths every day as a gesture of respect towards the other skunks around them. Starting the day before a skunk turned 12 they had to start taking these mandatory baths. No skunk knew exactly why this was, but over time it became second nature. The Elders told The Great Skunk about a time when skunks did not take their daily tomato soup baths. The Elders explained that once in a blue moon when a skunk turned the age of 12 they smelled of a stench that was so intolerable, the other skunks would exile them until they found a way to cure themselves. No skunk ever came back.

The strange part of this tale was that the exiled skunks could not smell their own odor. After those incidents, a cure was created. It was called tomato soup. It became mandatory for skunks 12 or older to take tomato soup baths every day so that no skunk would ever have to be exiled again. With this explanation, The Great Skunk called for a brave skunk to venture out to the hawks’ domain. I was getting close to 12 years old and my parents had noticed I was starting to smell, it was one of the first signs that a skunk had the "Disease." I was sent to The Elders who told me I could be a hero. They went on to explain what they told The Great Skunk and also told me that all I needed to do was travel to the treacherous territory in which the hawks had been hoarding all our grapes. The thought of traveling to a land filled with dangerous, feathered beasts sent a chill down my spine. I did not know what to expect and my fears manifested into terror when I heard my possible fate. The Elders explained that if I did not make it back by sunrise to take a tomato soup bath, the tomato soup baths would not be able to mask my stench and I would forever by exiled. After much deep thought and I accepted this opportunity as I was told the fate of skunk-kind rested in my tiny little paws. This was originally a lot to take in and I almost become overwhelmed, but I soon realized that my baby sister being able to taste the sweet flavor of a Fall grape. To me, the journey suddenly became worth the risk. I accepted my call to adventure and on the day before my birthday I ventured out to find the hawks.

As the clock struck twelve, I stood in front of the hawks’ domain. I soon realized that I was never going to get to see my loved ones again. I had taken a day's journey to get to the hawk’s domain and there was no time to make it back to by family before sunrise. Fear that there was nothing left for me now, masked my fear of the hawks. As the hawks spotted me and began swarming around me, I let my glorious stench scare them off. As the hawks flew away I shouted at them saying that my stench was in store for them if they ever stole from even a single skunk again. I knew I had done my job and sent a telegram to The Great Skunk by pigeon, telling him that the skunks were free to gather their grapes before winter.

With no place to go, I traveled to a place far beyond, where skunks who smelled went. This land was known as America. And here I am. I had to fend for myself and survive without anyone. Life has been tough and I have learned to deal with the truth that the humans do not understand me and to them, I will always just be a big fuzz ball that smells.