Demon, as for my story, these are the details. These two dogs are my brothers. We were raised by the great Huntmaster in Abha. As hunting dogs, we were trained to kill the biggest game in the vastness of the mountain range. Despite being the youngest of all three, I was the strongest, the fastest, and the most cunning companion that the Huntmaster ever had. Every hunting trip, I would aid my master in capturing his most prized possessions – Antelopes with marvelous horns, striped hyenas, and even the mysterious red foxes. My master rewarded me generously for my efforts. I was well-fed, well-groomed, and I even earned the spot next to his bed to sleep – an accolade only for the best hunting dog in a household.
My brothers, jealous of my talents and the way I was treated, soon planned a scheme against me. We were on our way from an unfruitful trip, when my brothers pulled me aside to notify me that they saw a cape hare on the very top of this hill. They said that they were to slow to catch it and figured only I, the strongest, fastest, and the most cunning dog, will be able to. Blinded by my brothers’ praises, I immediately sprinted towards the mountaintop, determined to capture the rarest game that lives in the wilderness. When I reached the tip of the cliff, hastily looking around for the hare, I did not even notice my brothers sneaking up on me and, working in unison, kicking me off of the cliff with their muscular legs.
It was then that I realized that it was a scheme. There was no cape hare, and they just needed a way to get me to the mountaintop to push me off. As I was falling, I thought for sure that it was the end of my life.
But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, “Sister, what a lovely story!” Shahrazad replied, “Tomorrow night I shall tell you something even lovelier, stranger, and more wonderful if I live, the Almighty God willing.”
THE SEVENTH NIGHT
The following night Dinarzad said to her sister Sharazad, “For God’s sake, sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us a little tale.” The king added, “Let it be the completion of the story of the black dog and his brothers.” Shahrazad replied, “With the greatest pleasure”:
I heard, O happy King, that the second old man said to the demon:
When I woke up, I was in disbelief. I was in a bed for the first time in my life, cushioned by silky sheets that wrapped around my body. I attempted to stretch, and to my horror, my body no longer looked like the way I remembered it to – long, lanky arms replaced my forelegs, and my hind legs, too, resembled more like a man and less like a beast. A young maiden walked in and informed me of the events that took place after I fell from the cliff. A soothsayer, she resides right under the cliff, living in solidarity as she practices magic. She rescued me, lying unconsciously with all my limbs broken. She decided that the best way to heal me was to turn me into a man, for man have better means of regeneration than a beast. Her magical potions also gave me the ability to communicate.
I lived with this sorceress for a while, putting my innate ability of hunting to use. I eventually moved out into the city, living well off of the game that I capture in the mountains. A week ago, I was in the middle of another hunting trip, when I saw two black dogs running to catch a deer. I immediately recognized them. They were so focused on the deer that they were totally oblivious of my presence, and of course, they did not recognize that I am the little brother that they tried to kill. I briskly captured them and held onto them in my residence, unsure of what to do with my own kin that plotted murder against me. I decided to consult the sorceress that saved my life, but found out that she has been travelling in this country when I met this man, together with this old man with the deer.
When I asked him about himself, he told me about his encounter with you, and I resolved not to leave until I found out what would happen between you and him. This is my story. Isn’t it amazing?
The demon replied, “By God, it is strange and amazing. I grant you one-third of my claim on him for his crime.”
Fantastic work–reversing the usual pattern of transformation (human-to-animal) in the Nights.
The second old man continued, “Soon I must decide what to do with these two dogs. I think maybe I should kill them, but then what kind of punishment would that be? Just gone, and without having to face the consequences of their wrongdoing. What is a worse punishment than death?”
The first old man shook his head and said, “Turn them into cows and sacrifice them.”
The third old man shrugged his shoulders and said, “Turn them into mules and make them do your work.”
The second old man was deep in thought. Finally, he said, “Maybe I will figure out how to turn them into humans like me. Then they will see that even in human form, I am still the best brother.”
He sat in silence for another few moments, thinking. Finally, he said, “And then I will kill them.”
My brothers, jealous of my talents and the way I was treated, soon planned a scheme against me. We were on our way from an unfruitful trip, when my brothers pulled me aside to notify me that they saw a cape hare on the very top of this hill. They said that they were to slow to catch it and figured only I, the strongest, fastest, and the most cunning dog, will be able to. Blinded by my brothers’ praises, I immediately sprinted towards the mountaintop, determined to capture the rarest game that lives in the wilderness. I was also eager to accomplish this for it would allow me to be honored in the same way the iconic mountain dog Joseph had been after his journey to the Cayman Lands.
Joseph was a mountain dog, trained since birth by the most skilled on the hunting field. He also had a most impressive lineage, given both his father and grandfather had been honorable mountain dogs. His entire life consisted of successfully hunting and pleasing his master, the powerful and noble King Minster. One day he journeyed to the Cayman lands, in search of a famous parrot, an unlikely pray, who had managed to defeat anyone that tried to trap him. The parrot was so successful because he was a soothsayer and able to cast the most daring spells. The brave Joseph searched for the mythical creature for an entire year but continually failed. He went through many villages, explored many tribes, and inquired any animals he encountered. On a hot sunny day, as Joseph was about to give up his search, he found the village where the parrot had been living the entire time. The parrot stood on top of a building which was considered the city hall, and talked nonsense to anyone that walked in his path. Joseph quickly planned his attacking strategy and was about to execute it when the parrot spotted him, immediately recognizing the ruthless mountain dog. At once he cast a spell on Joseph, turning him into a small bunny and ridding him of all his might. The parrot fled the village and Joseph remained as a fragile rabbit for an entire year. Since the occurrence, Joseph devoted all his time into finding a witch to cure him and return him to his original form. He passed through many villages and one day the owner of a bakery took pity on him and decided to bring him home. The man’s wife had a knowledge of soothsaying and at once sprinkled water on Joseph and returned him back to his original form. The wife had also a gift for understanding animals and asked Joseph about his plight. Joseph told the wife about his troubles and origin and she became amazed with his determination. She told Joseph his story reminded her of the tale of the King and the witch….