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Men are Animals
Men Are Animals
On a chilly spring night, both of them were out of their house. They decided they wanted to spend the night outside, away from all the technology, all the noise, and all the city-people. They went into the woods looking for peace and quiet, they needed the time alone so they could have a proper conversation, a conversation they should’ve had a very long time ago.
So while sitting around the fire Mr. Fontana and his son Jonny were talking, enjoying the chicken they cooked together, talking about life and catching up, a rare sight these last months since Jonny’s wedding.
After dinner Mr. Fontana pulled out a very nice bottle of scotch, Jonny loved scotch, just like his father; so they say the apple does not fall far from the tree. After the first half of the bottle, things were looking good, they were having a good time; both of them were married men now, which meant that they could complain about their wives all night long.
When they were down to the last bit of the bottle, the last drink, the mood changed. It was time to have the conversation that they needed to have. See Mr. Fontana was a very powerful man, he owned several companies and was a very prominent personality in the country where he lived.
Mr. Fontana had already asked Jonny to join him, however, Jonny was trying to make his own path, build his own achievements.
After a moment of silence, Jonny poured his father the last bit of the bottle, and before Mr. Fontana could say a thing, Jonny said the magic word; Yes.
Jonny knew all along that this trip was the moment where his father would ask him for a final answer, and he had been thinking about it for a while now. After developing several ventures, Jonny had gained a lot of experience, knowledge and most importantly he made a name for himself, he was no longer daddy’s little boy.
Because of this, he felt like he was ready to take on any challenge put before him, so therefore he agreed.
When Mr. Fontana heard this, he shed a single tear; for a man with a strong and aggressive character like his, this was a rare sight. Jonny hugged him. After this, they said nothing, both of them had to think, and fully grasp the magnitude of the event that had just transcurred. They went to sleep.
The next day, both of them a little hangover and very hungry, sat down to eat some sandwiches Jonny’s mother had made for them. And so they were off to hunt, they say that when men hunt, they do it to learn about their true nature, and to understand how the first men to walk on earth conquered it.
Hunting is a very quiet sport; one needs to be patient, disciplined and intelligent to outsmart animals in their environment.
It was the tradition that Mr. Fontana always took the first shot, as he was the head of the family. But this time was different, Mr. Fontana gave Jonny the bow, and so Jonny got in position. They were hunting a panther, they had both spotted a carcass near the lake, a couple of hours old, the wounds on the deer looked fresh, all they had to do was wait.
And so as the wise Mr. Fontana predicted, the Black Panther began lurking the carcass, making sure that there was no other predator in sight.
Jonny was already in position bow in hand, aiming. The shot was not from a long distance, 25 meters more or less.
Jonny’s heart was beating very fast, he was nervous he couldn’t keep his breathing steady.
Suddenly, the panther; with its fiery jewel-like eyes and very long claws noticed something, it was Jonny.
Mr. Fontana asked Jonny to slowly drop the bow, he thought his father was insane. He dropped it slowly. He trusts his father, and the gun next to him.
The Panther kept looking at him, the eyes felt like knives through Jonny’s legs, he was frozen. But at that moment Mr. Fontana said to Jonny; remember you are a man now.
Jonny composed himself and looked right back at the Panther. Their eyes met; after a very long moment of tension, the panther roared at Jonny, but it wasn’t a challenging roar, it was an acceptance growl, and at that moment; both Jonny and his father understood that Jonny was ready.
