Join us at the campfire for tales from around the world, told by storytellers of all backgrounds and creeds. From the heros and heroines of old, let us relearn and rediscover the wisdom of our ancestors. Shhh..the story begins..

There were once two tiny pups, howling miserably for their mother who had just been killed by Deer. They whined so much and for so long that they became very tired and lay down for a little while. It was then that they decided to take revenge upon Deer for the death of their mother. Once the pups had decided what to do, they felt much better.

Soon, however, they came to the realization that they were far too small to be able to catch Deer, so they went to Elephant and asked for help. Elephant promised to do so, but when the pups began barking at every single sound they heard during the night, Elephant grew angry and ordered the pups to leave his house. Elephant was afraid that Tiger would hear them and come to know about his secret home.

The pups decided to go to Tiger for help. They thought if Elephant was in fear of Tiger, then surely that majestic animal would be able to aid them in their quest for revenge upon Deer.

Like Elephant, Tiger felt sorry for the two pups and promised to help them. But, as usual, when the pups started barking at every single sound they heard in the night, Tiger became angry and turned them out of his lair. Tiger was afraid that Man would come to know about his secret den.

Finally, the pups went to Man. He gave them food to eat and a place to sleep and at night, when they barked at every sound, Man was pleased. This meant they were keeping guard over his home. From that day forward, Man and Dog became very good friends.

Soon, the pups grew into strong dogs. Eventually, they told Man of their wish to take revenge upon Deer for the death of their mother. Man readily agreed to help and took them on a Deer hunt. They spotted a Deer and chased it down. As the Deer passed by, Man killed it with his sharp spear.

The dogs were overjoyed. They jumped up at Man, wagging their tails and licking his hand. Then, they went to the Deer and bit its right leg. Since that time, the right leg of the hunted animal has always been kept aside for the tracking dog...at least that is what the Angami Nagas say.

A man once kept two animals: a dog and a pig. He kept them in the hope that they would help him in his work, but he was sorely disappointed. All they did was eat and eat and eat. They did nothing else...nothing else at all.

Finally, the man decided to be strict with his animals. He told them to go and work in his fields. His command had some affect on the Pig. The next day, the beast worked very hard, digging up the soil with its snout. The Dog, however, was shameless. He simply chose a nice shady spot for himself and slept all the time.

Tired after his toiling, the Pig staggered home. The Dog stayed behind and then began his own work. He raced round the field and erased all of the Pig's hoofprints. The Dog made sure, however, that he left his own pawprints in their place. Then, the Dog returned home.

Later that evening, the man asked both animals how hard they had worked. The Pig squealed and told his owner that he had ploughed the entire field. "Dog was so lazy," the Pig informed the man. "All he did was sleep in the shade!."

Then, it was the turn of the cunning Dog to have his say. "Pig is lying," the Dog informed his owner. "I did a fine job. It was I who ploughed the field, not Pig!"

The man was confused. Moreover, he did not believe either of them. "I will go and look at the field tomorrow," he told them. "And then we will see who is lying!"

The next day dawned and the man set off for his field. All he saw there were the Dog's pawprints. He returned to his home and let loose his anger on the poor Pig. "You are a liar," he accused. "You did not do any work at all!"

Since that time, the clever Dog has been man's best friend and has been allowed to reside in the house. He is addressed as "Ko-Ko," which means, "Yes, you did work!"

The unfortunate Pig, however, has since been forever condemned to live outside the house, and whenever he is called for food, he is addressed as "Mo-Mo," which means, "No, you did not do any work!"

Poor Pig is still waiting anxiously for the day when the man realizes that it was he and not the sly Dog who labored long and hard in the field.

Novareinna welcomes all tale-travelers to Penumbra, her beautiful site/sight of stories and poetry and design.