Oban's Myths & Legends
How the Chicken got his wings - Part 2
As chicken looked for seed, he knocked into yellow jacket. Chicken was confused. Yellow jacket was not scurrying around like all the other animals. No, in fact he was just taking a walk. "Why are you not scurrying around to find food before the first frost?" Chicken asked.
"Because," said yellow jacket "every one knows that birds fly to the warm south when the first frost comes. And then when spring returns we will all come back," yellow jacket said with a bright smile on his face. "Well I’d better get packing," yellow jacket squawked as he continued down the path.
Now chicken knew he had to get wings, and there was only one person who could help him. That was wise old owl. So as soon as night fell, chicken headed to wise old owl (because you know owls are nocturnal).
Anyway, chicken headed to her hut, came in her open door and sat by her blazing fire. Owl looked up from the fire. "What can I do for you, young one?" owl echoed through the blazing fire.
"I want wings" said chicken bravely and strongly. "I can give you wings," said the wise old owl. "But only for something in return," she cooed.
"I can give you my arms," said chicken. "Anything for a set of beautiful soaring wings," the chicken said with happiness, as he day-dreamed about having wings.
“Are you sure?" said the wise old owl. "Yes please, I'm sure," said chicken.
So owl threw a cloud of smoke in the air, and chicken now had wings. "Thank you," said chicken as the smoke cleared. "Now I must be on my way, if I want to fly with the birds," said chicken as he ran out of the hut excitedly.
Chicken quickly found a grassy area and was ready to take off. "There are the birds going into the sky," chicken yelled to himself. So he firmly planted his feet, then ran and tried to flap his wings to take off.
But when he found he was not flying in the sky, he realized that he did not know how to use his new wings. He could only fly a few feet off the ground and only a yard or two could he fly in distance.
So over the years even though chicken was now called a bird, he could not fly south for the winter.
That is why to this day chickens have wings but cannot fly south for the winter, because they never learned how to use their wings.
The End
