A King's Prey

As a child and now as an adult, I thoroughly enjoy National Geographic. My grandmother would bring me the magazines and I would study the habits of creatures not very different from us. Lions and hyenas have been a particular fascination for me. Specifically the juxtaposition of their hunting styles, the respect or lack thereof they display for their prey. These two animals' hunting rituals mimic the preying rituals of their kingdom cousins--the human male and their female preying rituals.

Let's begin with the hyena. The hyena is a scavenger, an ugly creature which typically feasts upon the remains of other predators. There is no real selection, no ultimate design or honor in its method. It preys upon the stench of death in the same fashion that lesser men prey upon weak and vulnerable women so they can further mutilate the spirit of an already spiritually decapitated woman. This is its nature, its role in the circle of life. This behavior is expected of the hyena. For the men who exhibit these behaviors, there must be no greater expectation. They are who they are and I do not fault them. I fault the women who lay in waiting for them. The ones who release the scent of frailty--the scent that beckons to be devoured by the lowly hyena.

The lion, though it will scavenge, is a majestic beast of legend. It lay in wait as part of its pride's strategy to capture and voraciously consume the fruits of its labor. Though it too will search a pack of animals for its weakest member, it still engages in the hunt. In its chase it demonstrates its prowess, the reason for its reputation. The deftness in its tact and the potency of its jaws strike fear in many prey and submission in its mates. This is what you expect of the lion. You expect the chase. You expect to be caught, labored after. You aren't rotting leftovers, you are a feast.

At the end of the day, men will prey. Whether they are scavengers or predators depends upon the prey. Any self respecting woman would rather be hunted and feasted upon by the lion--the king, the one who makes it his endeavor in life to bring the game of predator and prey. What woman wants to be the meal of some slovenly hyena that primarily seeks death?

I provide this analogy for someone who is very dear to me. She waits, spiritually defeated --attracting the bottom rungs of the animal kingdom providing no challenge to the lowly predators. Why not be subdued by higher forms? If you are going to be the prey, be the prey of the lion, a respected beast. Be chased, be a challenge, a feast. Make him work for you. I don't say this to belittle anyone. Men will hunt; it is their nature. Some are hyenas, some are lions and surely a few in between. Be the spoils of victory--well designed strategy, not the spoiling carcass of defeat. Until you resurrect your spirit, you will only attract those seeking death.

Be a king's prey.