The Whale and the Crab's Pact

The great Whale was the king of the sea, but he was often lonely in the deep water. A small Crab who lived in the rock pools on the shore was his only friend. The Whale would come to the shore to talk with the Crab, telling him stories of the deep ocean. One day, a group of powerful shark-spirits grew jealous of the Whale's power and attacked him. The Whale was mighty, but he was outnumbered. The small Crab saw this and rallied all the other crabs on the shore. An army of thousands of tiny crabs swarmed into the water, pinching and grabbing at the sharks' sensitive gills and eyes. The sharks, tormented by this army of tiny attackers, were forced to retreat. The Whale was saved. In gratitude, the Whale made a promise to the Crab. "For your loyalty," he said, "my children will never harm your children. You will be the master of the shoreline, and the whales will forever respect your domain." The story explains the natural separation of the habitats of whales (deep sea) and crabs (the shore) as a result of an ancient and sacred pact of friendship.