As the Cubmaster of a Cub Scout Pack it is my job to award each boy their ranks at our monthly pack meeting. This month is the first time we have two new Cub Scouts receiving their Bobcat Badge and officially marking their entry into the pack. In the old days, we would turn the new Cub Scouts upside down and pin their badge on them but times have changed and that no longer is done for safety reasons.
I still wanted to make this an interesting and memorable experience for the new Cub Scouts and looked online for some of the Bobcat advancement ceremonies. None of them looked that exciting to me. As I was digging around in my collection of outdoor stuff I came across an old, furry Bobcat tail and an old arrow from my archery gear that no longer hand much feathers left on it. I thought to myself how I might use these two items to come up with a ceremony for the Cub Scouts. That is when this story began to come into my mind. I modeled it along the lines of the stories written by Rudyard Kipling that explained in fanciful stories how the various animals received certain physical attributes. I'm still fiddling with it a little but this is about the third draft of it and I wanted to share it with you all. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
How the Bobcat Lost His Tail
By Jason Orton
Many years ago, the Chief Scout wanted to start scouting for younger boys and created the cub scouts. He asked his good friend, Rudyard Kipling, if he could use the story of the Jungle Book as the guide for the new Cub Scout program. The author quickly agreed and the cub scouts began with the story of the Jungle Book.
This made the wolves and the bears very happy for they would be honored with two Cub Scout ranks being named after them. The story of the wolf and bear was well told in the Jungle book. Akaela, the leader of the wolf pack knew that the boys would see the wolf badge and remember the importance of working together in the pack and being loyal.
Baloo, the old bear, was also very excited because he knew the bear badge would remind boys of the lessons and skills he taught them about the world they lived in just like he had taught Mowgli when he was a man cub in the pack.
But one animal was worried. For some unknown reason the bobcat had been chosen for the very first rank in cub scouting to mark each boy’s official entry into the pack. Bobcats read lots of books and knew that bobcats were not in the original Jungle Book story and they worried what lessons they could teach the young cub scouts.
The leader of all the Bobcats, coincidentally named Bob, decided to visit the Chief Scout to ask him in person what he could give to help teach the boys a valuable lesson about the pack.
Bob knew this was going to be an important meeting so he decided to make sure he was ready to meet with the Chief Scout. He spent several hours cleaning his fur and pulling out the stickers and burrs from his long tail because, at this time, Bob and the other bobcats still had long tails and not the short bobbed tail you see them wearing today.
Bob the Bobcat got up early the next morning for the long journey to visit the Chief Scout. About mid day as he was walking past a stream surrounded by thick brush he heard a cry for help. It was a very soft cry from deep inside the thick brush. Bob the bobcat carefully walked to the edge of the brush and asked, “Who are you and why do you need help.”
A relieved voice came from the brush, “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you for hearing my cry for help and stopping. I am an old Arrow lost by an Indian hunter long ago and have been forgotten many years in this brush. Please help me get out so that I may be useful again.
“I cannot,” replied Bob the Bobcat. “I have no time to help you for I am on my way to visit the Chief Scout to discuss something of great importance to all of my bobcat family. If I am late I may miss him for he is very busy leading all the scouts.”
The old arrow began to sob for he had been alone so long in the brush and Bob the Bobcat was the first creature who had stopped to talk to him in a very long time. Hearing the arrow cry, Bob the Bobcat just couldn’t leave the poor old Arrow behind and proceeded to crawl into the thick brush.
The brush was much thicker inside than on the outside. Bobcat worried about his newly cleaned fur and about all the stickers and burrs that were being stuck to his beautiful long tail. He had to pull and push his way through the thick brush that pulled horribly at his hair and tail. Sometimes he would have to stop and go backwards so that he could untangle himself from the brush. He soon found the old arrow, picked him up carefully in his mouth, and made his way back out.
When they were free of the brush, the old arrow let out a cry of anguish for he now was able to see that although he was still strait and true, his beautiful feather fletching that helped him fly in the air was nearly all gone. Bob the bobcat told him not to worry that perhaps the chief scout could fix him.
Then Bob began to clean the burrs and stickers out of his fur and cried out in anguish also for most of his beautiful tail was missing. In his struggle through the brush to save the old arrow he had lost his tail. He looked back to the brush and could see it sadly hanging from where it had gotten caught.
Bob began to cry with huge tears coming down his furry face. How could he visit the Chief Scout without his tail? Would cub scouts still want his picture on their badge without his beautiful tail? What could they learn from him now that his tail was no longer attached? But the old arrow told Bob that if the Chief Scout could fix an old arrow he could certainly put the tail back on Bob.
Bob stopped crying. At least he could get his tail back on even if the cub scouts didn’t want or need him anymore. So he carefully got his old tail and picked it up along with the old arrow and continued the journey to see the Chief Scout.
It took many weeks to make the journey in which time Bob and the old arrow had many adventures which are written down elsewhere. Bob and that old arrow talked for many hours along the journey and became fast friends during their time together.
Just before sunset, many months after starting the journey, the two arrived at the lodge of the Chief Scout who was just ending his long day’s work. Quietly, Bob approached the Chief Scout and set the arrow and the large piece of his tail at the Chief Scout’s feet. The Chief Scout was surprised to see the two there and asked them to explain. Bob told the Chief Scout why he had come and about their long journey together. He told the Chief Scout that he would understand if the cub scouts no longer wanted him because he had lost his tail but that he hoped that the Chief Scout could fix both of them so that they could be useful once again.
A tear formed in the corner of the Chief Scout’s eye. He lovingly picked up Bob and scratched behind his ears.
“Bob, you have done so well on your journey. The cub scouts do need you on their first badge, even more now than ever. You sacrificed a part of yourself to help another in need. This will teach the cubs a great lesson about helping others, for even when it is not easy we should be willing to help those in need. Your new, short tail will help them remember this lesson."
Bob was now smiling from ear to ear but then he looked down at his friend the old arrow and asked the Chief Scout if he could do anything to make him useful again. The chief scout picked up the arrow and noticed that while old and worn he was still just as strait and true as the first day he had been fired from the bow.
He held up the old arrow as the sun began to set and noticed how the sun and its rays seemed to connect with that old arrow making something special, and new.
He then looked at the old arrow with a new tear in his eye and said, “Old Arrow, you have served many years faithfully and although you are old and worn with the sun’s rays you can serve as a symbol for our cub scouts to learn from as well. As the last award a cub scout can earn, the Arrow of Light will remind the cub scouts of important lessons of being strait and true. Being honest and true to your word is one of the most important lessons a cub scout can learn.
When combined with the Rays of the setting sun you will be an Arrow of Light to symbolize the ending of a boy’s journey in cub scouting. But just as the sun sets it also is destined to rise again so you will also symbolize the journey of the Cub Scout into Boy Scout. The very first badge a Cub Scout will wear as a Boy Scout will also be the Arrow of Light to remind him to be strait and true.”
Both Bob and the old arrow thanked the Chief Scout for making them whole and useful once again and each shed a silent tear as the Chief Scout walked back into his lodge. The two fast friends then began the long journey home having more adventures along the way.
When they arrived home, the other bobcats listened to the story and were so happy about the lesson that they could teach the cubs that they all removed their long tails to match Bob’s. All of their descendants to this very day have short tails that they wear proudly knowing cub scouts are reminded to help others even when it’s not easy because of Bob’s example and sacrifice.
The old arrow was happy now but wanted the sun on him every day to warm his old frame and remind him of his importance to cub scouts so he asked Bob hang him from a tree branch. Now the old arrow could see the sun rise and set each day and be reminded how cub scouts are strait and true because of his example. Next to the old arrow on the same tree branch hung the missing piece of bobcat’s tail. This way the two old friends could be together forever reminding cub scouts of their great adventure and the lessons they each can learn in scouting.
