This little tale is inspired by situations encountered that we have learned about. Keep in mind that mules don't like change.
Once upon a time, there was a little mule born like that, not wanted. Her mother was a nice, very pretty and gentle mare. We don't know his dad. He passed through there, fell in love with the pretty mother, and their meeting was fleeting and passionate. But she never saw him again, this handsome long-eared firedamp.
The original family
Little Mule came into the world one afternoon in June. It was sunny and already hot. His mother was there, with all her maternal love. Funny animals approached. They stood on two legs, had no ears, and no snout, but moved a lot while making a lot of noises with their mouths. Little Mule was not very reassured, but his sweet mother seemed at ease with these animals. So, Little Mule accepted them.
Months passed, turning into years. Little Mule had a delicious face, a magnificently well-proportioned body, a dream dress, with the character of a mule!
The first flat faces he had seen often came to see him, scratch him, give him carrots. Little Mule liked them, but didn't really like it when they put the “halter” on him. When he didn't feel like it, higher pitched sounds came out of their mouths, and sometimes they wanted to race him. Little Mule was very proud to run faster than them.
Then came a time when flat faces no longer came. It was at this time that his mother explained to him that these funny animals were called humans.
He and his mother were waiting for them. They saw them pass in the distance, without a glance, their heads bowed.
1st change, bad luck
One day, a human came with a female human. Little Mule immediately felt that this one was a human owl. Her hands knew how to caress him, her voice spoke to him, and her calm was the same as that of his mother. The human put on the halter, put him in a box which moved. It was funny.
Then the box stopped. He went down to an unknown place, a little scared, and his mother was no longer there. But the human was there. He held on to it very tightly. She taught him lots of things. She didn't speak mule very well, her accent was very strong, but the words from her heart were perfectly understandable.
One fine day, the Human no longer came. It lasted so long... Then she reappeared, with a third leg, and a new human. Little Mule got back into the moving box, it was funny.
2nd change, the strong one
And there, another new place with lots of friends like him, but taller, with shorter ears, and moms, lots of moms! No, they weren't moms, they made it clear to him. Little Mule turned towards the new human who had left. For the first time, he felt sad and lost, alone in the world.
The Human came back, so Little Mule played with him who can run the fastest, and high-pitched sounds came out of the human's mouth, it was so good! Then the human left, his body tense, an ugly gray cloud around him. Brrr, it wasn't comfortable for Little Mule.
The Human came back after dark. Little Mule was happy, he likes humans, and he played with the Human. Then, suddenly, he fell; something was blocking his legs. Wow ! And he had hurt his neck. Little Mule, lying like this in the meadow, already felt stupid, but also vulnerable. The Human came over, pulled him to his feet and did a lot of nasty things, making way too much noise with his mouth. Then she tied him to a tree. Little Mule was at the end of his life. It lasted a day and a night. The Human came back, and Little Mule was very angry. He told her with his hind feet! And he ran away, far, far away, and never again was Human able to catch up with him.
When he saw him come back, a long, long time later, he was on three legs too. These humans are weird though. He arrived with another human, in bad shape, who didn't smell very good, a mixture of fear and human smell. In any case, Little Mule didn't like it right away! The two humans pulled him back down and into the box. It's funny, the box.
3rd change the horse dealer
From there he arrived in another box, without sky, with a lot of hay. How sad it was and this smell of fear... Little Mule had never been so sad and alone. So we can't trust humans?
4° change the refuge
One day, a Human came. Little Mule had his doubts, but she looked like his first human. Then we had to move away from this place. Re-halter, re-box and oh! At the exit, a meadow with friends! So there were small ears, but also new creatures with long ears, and others with horns. In short, it was very interesting to study. But there, no more question of humans. He knew they were smart, but not trustworthy. The new Human seemed very busy but came by to give him a scratch and a piece of carrot. Little Mule calmed down, but he was terribly bored.
5th change the nice human but who doesn't speak mule
Again, a Human came. Reluctant at first, Little Mulet did everything right: the halter, the rolling box, always so funny. And there, he arrived in a large meadow without anyone, except the new human, who spent a lot of time with him. That was cool. So, Little Mule started playing running again with the Human, but she didn't run, too bad, he was content with the sweet sounds that came out of her mouth, and despite the boredom it was overall pleasant...
One day, she arrived with something that she put on his back. What a fright! Little Mule took off like crazy, defending himself vigorously with his hindquarters. The thing on the back ended up falling, and from a distance, he saw the Human who had fallen too, making a lot, really a lot of noise with her mouth. Then she didn't come back. Little Mule was really too bored, so he jumped over the wires and took off with his nose in the wind. He was having the time of his life when a big blue car with humans stopped in front of him. Ouch, it smells like a rope... but hey, after all, they're humans.
He surendered. They brought him back to the meadow, and there, Little Mule saw the Human on three legs. Definitely...
6° change back to shelter
He went back into the box and found small ears, long ears and horns. The human was no longer part of his world, even if the human who took care of him seemed nice. What's the point ?
7° change the human who found it beautiful and rewarding
A human came, true to his natural curiosity, the little mule followed this human into this moving box, a place he always found so amusing. But once he arrived at his destination, things took a different turn: the little mule, overwhelmed by stress and novelty, ran away.
Indeed, for him, it was too much! The game was no longer fun and the situation was becoming too oppressive. Every time the human tried to approach, the little mule reacted with great anger, much more intense than usual. After what seemed to him to be a fairly short period of time, he climbed back into the moving box and came down again, this time with his fellows: the little ones, the long ears and the horned ones.
8° change back to the shelter
Finally, he felt safe again. Certainly, he was sometimes bored in this new environment, but there was comfort in this routine: no ropes to restrict him, no canes to punish him, and above all, no loud and frightening noises coming from the room. mouths of flat-faced humans. Here he could find a semblance of peace, far from the threats and agitations of men.
9th change “He’s so cute”
“He’s so cute,” the little mule often heard from a young human girl. Attracted by this voice, he followed her into the moving box. But upon arrival, stressed and becoming wilder, he fled again. His aggression frightened the young human, which only made the situation worse. Finally, the little mule was sent back to the little, long-eared and horned ones, where he felt safe, far from the noise and constraints of humans.
10th change return to shelter
Back at the shelter, Petit Mulet does not have a good reputation. He runs away all the time, stays in his corner, and accepts carrots with his lips. The human says he was mistreated, but he doesn't understand what that means. What he knows, deep down, is that humans have disappointed him.
11th change The good ones!
Little Mule is now 11 years old. Sad and disillusioned, he is bored and does stupid things like a mule. He masters fences, gates, and often fights. You have to take care.
One day, a human and a human arrive. They catch his attention and, perplexed, he climbs into the box. When he arrives, of course, he flees, but they let him. Sometimes they approach him, talking to him mule. Oh, mule-speaking humans! Too eager for interaction and too curious, Little Mule slowly lets go of his defenses.
The couple said: "He's been with us for two years now. He's made great progress." And it’s true, Petit Mulet appreciated the care they gave him. How much better we look with short feet!
The couple says: “Little Mulet has been with us for 10 years. We did our first competitions, he came first everywhere.” Little Mule thinks: “I like to rest my head on your shoulders, I like your caresses, I love you.”
The couple says: "He's been with us for 30 years. We've come a long way. We're going to miss him terribly," they say soberly, their eyes red, their faces marked by the pain of mourning, hunched over by suffering.
Little Mule watches over them from up there, determined to send them a new companion. Humans call it the Mule Virus, but mules know it as Mule Power!
Mules and mules are neither donkeys, nor horses, nor toys. They are intelligent animals that need interaction, learning and exercise. If you are considering adopting one, get help from professionals in the mule world. Do not take the risk of making your protégé experience an unfortunate story, like that of the Little Mule, or of putting yourself in danger.
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