This is a story about Friendship. And as we all know Friendship is, at its best, always a tricky proposition.
The joy of companionship, the sharing of secrets and laughter, and lightening of burdens nurture and support us.
But there is also the compromise.
And the sacrifice.
And perhaps most of all the trust involved that make the experience so rich in our lives.
One wonders how something this complex even comes to be.
Especially if the friends are a reptile and a raptor.
This is the third story Harlan Mathieu has written about Turtle, and his friend Hawk. And here he goes back to the beginnings of Turtle's life and explores how the unlikely alliance developed.
What would lead two creatures so different to form a bond that could grow and develop over their lifetimes?
The story begins with a journey, Turtle's long trek from the river where he was born. It is an immigrant's tale, a leap of faith that life might be better elsewhere.
And as the world around him changes, Turtle changes as well, growing more observant, more patient, and possible more curious. It is that curiosity, a trait he shares with the Hawk who comes to find him, that first draws our characters together.
When at least he reaches the Pond, we are so familiar with from the other stories, both creatures realize that this new "relationship" is going to require more than they had bargained for...
It is a lovely tale, the narrative driven by Turtle's continued discoveries as he moves through the landscape, and by Turtle and Hawk's inner reflections as they slowly come together in what can only be called friendship.