We recently have 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner a f ghanistanattackmsfidUSKCN 0 S 10 SX 20151007 1999 Nobel Peace Prize winner . Her behavior isn ' t that surprising as far as Nobel Peace Prize winners go . <| sep |> sun for my opinion <| sep |> I ' ll trade 1000 South Americans for you . Deal ? <| sep |> I don ' t understand . How will me becoming a chicken help the tribe ? They ' re everywhere , and we eat them . What is their use , besides that ? Eron muttered . The elder patted his hand gently . Ah , Eron , one day you will gain wisdom , Elder Maruk said , looking wistfully into the distance and pausing for effect . By becoming a chicken , you will gain much of the mindset of a chicken . And by doing so , you will truly help us . For then we gain insight into the minds of our prey , and so gain more respect for life . Do you understand now ? Eron nodded , even though he didn ' t . He wished he could be an eagle , like Timos , or a bear , like Neta . This was simply embarrassing . And don ' t worry , we ' ll mark you , like we do everyone , Maruk comforted him . Noone will mistake you for an ordinary chicken . This made Eron feel a tiny bit better . He wanted to have that done as soon as possible . What if he shifted accidentally , like all young adults sometimes did , and he wasn ' t marked yet ? Mark me now , he said , and shifted before Maruk ' s eyes . The elder watched as the chicken dithered for a few seconds , and then ran out the door , squawking . Maruk heaved himself out of his chair and ambled out of his house , keeping an eye on Eron . The boy was running in circles as he made his way through the village , bumping into other chickens along the way . Maruk eventually came to Eron ' s parent ' s house . His mother , Lea , was clutching the chicken to her chest . Look at this , it ran straight into the house ! she told him , beaming . Looks like I won ' t have to go hunting for supper tonight . Maruk peered into Eron ' s beady little eyes as he clucked softly and struggled to be free of Lea ' s arms . Showing no sign of understanding what she had said , or trying to shift back . One of life ' s little mysteries why some people retained their own minds when shifting , but other forms of animal just erased your humanity and memories . Like chickens . What was my son ' s shape ? she asked him , as she carried Eron to the chopping block . Only an Elder could witness the first shifting . Oh , a swallow , I ' m afraid , Maruk said sagely . Yes indeed , a swallow . She turned on him with stricken look . None of the children who turned into swallows ever returned they were notorious for flying to other lands and staying there . Oh , my son , she said softly . My dear son . Well , he will carry the glory of the tribe forth to other lands . Isn ' t that so ? She wrung the chicken ' s head as she spoke . Yes , take comfort in that , Maruk said . There was silence as Lea began preparing the meal . Do you want to stay for dinner , Elder Maruk ? she asked . My husband should be home soon . You can tell us all about our son ' s shifting . Certainly , Maruk agreed , and made himself at home . He wondered idly if anyone would ever realise that none of their children had ever shifted into swallows . He hoped not . The children were fulfilling a purpose for the tribe the most important purpose of all . There was nothing quite as delicious as a chicken , he thought . Hope you enjoyed my story ! You can find more of my work on rInkfinger .