LaSalle´s Legend Part 1

There was once a great family of raccoons in a forest, next to a river. One day, a hyperactive pup has born.

“Come to see him, he is so cute!” said proudly the raccoons mother. All the uncles, grandparents and cousins of the raccoon came inside the burrow to see the newborn member of the family. The parents were proudly leading the group, they entered their home… And found the bed empty.

“Where is it?” asked all the relatives. The parents had no idea, but suddenly they saw their child come out of the closet. Everyone laughed and said the kid was clever, cute, smart and adventurer. They had a snack all together, and someone asked: “Any ideas for a name?”

All of the raccoons in there had some suggestions. “Smarty!” “Furry!” “Killer!” “Sam!” “How about an explorer´s name?” suggested Blackypaws, one of the cousins. “Yes, an explorer´s name would be quite appropriate!” Agreed his mom. So everyone started thinking about names. “Christopher Columbus!” “Francis Drake” “Robinson Crusoe” “Marco Polo” “Alexander!” “How about LaSalle?” suggested the granddad, an old raccoon with almost white fur and blurry eyes. “I studied him at school when I was little, and he definitely seems like a great explorer with exactly the same personality as your child.” “Yes, that name suits perfectly!” Everyone agreed. “Welcome, LaSalle!”

So LaSalle grew like any other little raccoon. He was a mischievous, playful and jovial little raccoon. He was always exploring, but his first proper adventure was still a child. He decided he wanted to cross the river. This might sound like a rather easy and quick thing to do, but the river near the forest in which the raccoons lived was a fierce river with turbulent waters, with deep, shallow areas and a great current capable of carrying a small, innocent raccoon to its demise. But that wouldn´t stop outrageous LaSalle. He really wanted to explore that area, but it was dangerous.  

If you have read the legend about Liza, then you would know that Liza also crossed a harsh river when she was young, but LaSalle was much smaller and younger than the panda alpha, so it was a perilous expedition. But LaSalle soon was determined to cross the river. So one day he told Stripedpelt, his best friend, that he wanted to cross to the other side. “You see, Stripedpelt, I really want to explore that area. I just know it will be awesome.” “Oh, but LaSalle, answered Stripedpelt, worried. “It would be so dangerous. What if you fall down the waterfall?” “Don´t be such a wimp. I am going to cross the river and that´s that, even if it is the last thing I do. I must start training right now. When the time comes, I must be able to swim quickly against the current, and I also need to be able to cling to a branch if I am going to fall. I have to be able to hold my breath as much time as possible underwater, and I have to be well prepared to explore that unknown area.”

So LaSalle practiced his swimming every day in the pond, until he could swim faster and for much more time than any other of his friends. He practiced leaping onto branches, he learnt how to hold his breath for ages underwater, and he leaped, crouched, hopped and ran to be prepared to explore the are on the other side of the river under any circumstances. Soon he was the quietest, strongest and fastest raccoon in the family. And one day, he decided he was ready.

LaSalle woke up Early that day. He did some stretching exercises, and then put one paw in the river, then another one, and then he dived in. It was like being put into a blender.

The rest coming soon.