How Grandfather Porcupine Got His Spines
A long, long while ago, before even Time was born there was a litter of creatures born to a strange mother, who this tail is not about.
Two of those creatures looked so alike that you could not tell them apart by appearance, but by nature they were so different.
Yes of course one of those was
Grandfather Porcupine, but can you guess the other? No? Well, it was
Grandfather Marmot.
We all know how social and how industrious
Grandfather Marmot and his children are, digging and living in their communal burrows, stocking up the stores in those burrows with food for harder times, looking out for each other so that if one sees you stalking it'll shout a warning to the others.
Well
Grandfather Porcupine and his children are little like this, usually solitary wanderers and larger groups little more than a mother and a couple portcupettes or a pair meeting briefly to mate. Yes they share the habit of using burrows, but they are as likely to steal the burrow of another as dig their own.
And of course where they are contrary. Because of their spines you might say, but no,
Grandfather Porcupine got his quills because of his contrary nature and here is how.
When they were born
Grandfather Marmot looked at
Grandfather Porcupine and said genuinely
"My but you are a fine looking beast, what lovely thick, quality fur coat" not knowing that they were the spit of each other.
"We should have a home, a nice burrow will do. Let's dig together and share a home."
Grandfather Porcupine looked at
Grandfather Marmot as he spoke but was listening to the complement rather than seeing the creature, so instead returning that complement he tried to look at himself
"Am I? Oh good, I thought I should be. A home? Maybe later, I want to go look at myself" and he walked off heading for the nearest watering hole.
On the way to the watering hole
Grandfather Porcupine saw
Nopal and saw the delicious looking fruit and he decided to take some. If he had asked nicely then perhaps he would have gotten a better reception, but instead
Nopal made sure that
Grandfather Porcupine's path to the fruit was filled with spines.
Grandfather Porcupine found that he could not even turn so he had to walk backwards. Being contrary he decided that when faced with an enemy or with danger then backing up was a good policy. He liked that.
As he approached the watering hole he was mobbed by many biting insects that had hatched from the waters in the warmth of the sun. Despite his fine fur coat they bit him and feasted on his blood and he almost backed away from there. The watering hole was so close that he carried on, but he did decide that it was best to travel by night when the insects are not so warmed and active and to this day his children prefer night.
The watering hole had been visited by many beasts, the Earth was rutted and muddy and with the Water level low the sides were steep. With the biting insects buzzing around his face and the bright sun above
Grandfather Porcupine glaring from the water surface could not see well. He slipped, he fell and he rolled down the bank of the watering hole landing with a splash in the Water.
By the time he struggled out of the water and up the muddy banks
Grandfather Porcupine was covered in a thick layer of sticky mud. And by this time he didn't care what his fur coat looked like, but he was pleased with one thing when he realised that the swarms of biting insects could not get to his flesh through the mud. He smiled and he had the thought that perhaps
Nopal's spikes would likewise be stopped and so off he went back to the spiky fellow.
On his way he met his brother again who took pity on him and said
"Come, let me help you groom that mud from your lovely fur coat before the heat of the sun dries it!" to which
Grandfather Porcupine replied
"No, I'm off to try steal Nopal's fruits!"
Reaching the Prickly Pear he was met again with a barrier of spines and was delighted as the mud did indeed stop them. He pressed on and
Nopal put his biggest spines in the way, but these could not penetrate the mud either.
Grandfather Porcupine gorged himself on the stolen fruit and then fell asleep in the warmth of the day ignoring the spikes that
Nopal rained down on him in his anger and frustration. When he woke he found himself in a bed of spines and when he shook they rattled but did not fall off.
He backed out and shook harder, as hard as he could, but to no avail. All of this noise attracted
Grandfather Jackal who snuck up behind
Grandfather Porcupine thinking he had the chance of an easy meal whilst the fellow was distracted.
Too late
Grandfather Porcupine noticed him and with a jump he instinctively scurried backwards as he had learned, straight into
Grandfather Jackal's open mouth.
Poor
Grandfather Jackal got more than he bargained for as he bit down and got a mouth full of quills. Off he ran yelping, some of quills till stuck in his his muzzle.
So that is how he got his quills and having done so found them so pleasing that he decided to keep them. That too explains why sneaking upon a porcupine is not always the wisest plan, behind is no safer than in front.
Earth too is the way to remove the quills if you want to taste porcupine meat. Just as they are stuck in with sun baked clay they can be unstuck by covering with clay and baking again.