The raccoon community had very few rules, but the rules they had were there for a reason. They usually had to do with the survival of the group. All of the raccoons were told by the elders not  to steal from the Humans. They could fish the creeks and ponds, hunt the marshes,  and climb trees for nuts. They could catch insects and dig for worms, but they could not enter the land belonging to the humans. They were never to steal from them. It was forbidden.

The Fall months were fast approaching and the male raccoons were leaving their mothers to live in groups. They were beginning to notice the female raccoons and wanted to attract some one special and impress their peers with their strength, their ability to provide food, and their intelligence.

Ricky had already decided to form a group with three of his friends. They intended to live together in the woods. They climbed up the surrounding trees and decided on an oak tree that had two hollowed out places, one right above the other. This would be their new home they agreed. They could use one space for shelter and the other to store food for the winter.

Now, Ricky wanted fame and he wanted respect. Most of all,  he wanted to win over the prettiest female in the community. He knew the only way he could do this and achieve his objectives was to do something unheard of. He thought for a while and decided he would cross the boundaries into the land of the humans and steal their corn. He had smelled the corn before and other raccoons said the corn tasted good. His mouth watered just thinking about it. ” That corn belongs to me,” he said. ( Continued in Part Four.)

Yu/stan/kema