With only two legs and two wings, the Double Pigeon began to wonder where she got her name. She felt like she was a singular creature, well balanced and with a solid sense of her foundation, but she also knew that her name was given to her with a certain pride and distinction -- chosen for her by The Ancestors. Her mother used to coo the story to her in her ear as Double Pigeon buried her face in her feathery chest and it would make the young bird feel strong and unique, for very few Animals in The Jungle had the honor of a naming ritual by The Ancestors.
"Your grandfather, who was called Firelog, was a great leader of the Animals and he decided upon the day of your naming ceremony. Your father and I brought you forward and Firelog summoned a great smoke by flapping his wings and chanting the ancient mantra, 'Asana, asana, call a name for this new flame, this new spritely Animal of The Jungle, this new voice of a generation. Asana, asana, call a name for thee.' The smoke swirled around us, filling our eyes and ears and mouths, causing us to sputter and duck our heads, and when all seemed darkest and most lost, a voice rose above the chaos and said, "She will be called Double Pigeon, granddaughter of Firelog, voice of her generation. Flocks will come to her and they will sit at her feet and bow their heads and, with her chin locked against her chest, she will look into her heart and she will deliver the messages of The Ancestors. She will be the greatness within us all. All blessings to Double Pigeon!" Double Pigeon's mother would pause here, choked with pride and love and then she would finish the tale with these gentle words: "Rest now, daughter. There will be time to fulfill the ancient prophesy when you wake."
Double Pigeon had never known her grandfather Firelog -- he succumbed to old age not long after the naming ceremony. Since then, she lived in his old home along with her mother and father, both standard pigeons with no need for capitalization. Sometimes she'd hear whispers about what would happen when she became Of Age and her inevitable initiation into the Animals Council to continue Firelog's legacy, but all she ever heard were whispers -- besides the story of her naming ritual, the rest of the details about what her heritage would mean for her future were kept quiet. Double Pigeon knew there was something special about her, but when she looked in the mirror, she felt quite pedestrian, the daughter of two pigeons and nothing more.
But as she grew older, she began to seek answers to why she'd been selected for the naming ritual and why The Ancestors had dubbed her such an incongruent name. When attempts to eavesdrop her way to answers failed and when outright asking for an explanation drew blank and sometimes horrified stares from others, she thought carefully about the story her mother had told her so many times about what The Ancestors said during the naming ceremony -- Flocks will come to her and they will sit at her feet and bow their heads and, with her chin locked against her chest, she will look into her heart and she will deliver the messages of The Ancestors. Double Pigeon was struck with an idea.
One afternoon, she took a stroll down a well-traveled road in The Jungle and, finding a comfortable place to rest, settled herself down and tucked her chin against her chest, sitting still without being frozen, comfortable and serene. After only a few minutes, a pair of moles crept by only to circle back and come to rest before her. To Double Pigeon's surprise, they mirrored her head tucked against their chests and were quiet for a moment.
"Double Pigeon," one of the moles began, "where is the road towards the happiness of my family?"
Without thinking, Double Pigeon spoke: "It is where you set your feet so they do not disrespect. Your intentions must be kind and when they are, happiness will always be your reward."
"Thank you, Double Pigeon," the mole said as it drew its chin up, offered a bow, and continued on with his companion.
Moments later, a fox fixed its eyes on her but Double Pigeon remained unafraid of this natural predator. The fox came closer and rested before the great bird.
"Double Pigeon, how can I learn to be both honest and sly?" the fox asked.
Once again, Double Pigeon replied without hesitation. "You must think of yourself as clever and able instead of sly. Slyness implies deception and trickery and for you to find an honest center, you must banish deception and trickery and find a way to raise your ideals to positively influenced intelligence. You must continue to be a survivor, but not if it means you debase yourself."
"Thank you, Double Pigeon," the fox said, drawing away.
Double Pigeon sat unmoving for awhile longer before another creature of The Jungle found her. This time it was King Pigeon, one who was selected much like she was. As he drew near, she felt her insides quake and a slow blush rise on her cheeks for he was quite a looker.
Peeking up at him, she said, "Hello, Ekapada," calling him by a nickname dug out of his family history book by children on a playground who refused to call someone who was seen as an equal King.
King Pigeon ignored her informal greeting and tucked his chin as he settled before her. "Double Pigeon, where will I find the love promised to me by The Ancestors?"
"All you have to do is ask and love will unfold before you," Double Pigeon said automatically, her chin once again tucked. "It will unfold in a singular way from a two-fold source."
"Thank you, Double Pigeon," King Pigeon said softly as they both released their chin locks and gazed shyly at each other.
Double Pigeon watched King Pigeon move slowly away, back towards the place they would both soon call home. Before those wedding bells could chime, though, Double Pigeon finally understood the gravity and grace of her name -- an appropriate and destined descriptor since she had the uncanny ability to look into the mirror of her heart and see the reflected answers of her generation, answers spoken out loud for years to come by a voice that was hers but with words that were not distinctly her own. She was a pigeon with one set of legs and one set of wings, yes, but she was still a double and nothing humbled her more.
