Everyone that could fly or could swim
was eager to go after the fire.
Raven said, "Let me go. I am large and strong."

At that time Raven was white.
He flew high and far across the water
and reached the top of the sycamore tree.
While he sat there wondering what to do,
the heat scorched all his feathers black.
The frightened Raven flew home without the fire,
and his feathers have been black ever since.

Then the council sent Screech Owl.
He flew to the island.
But while he was looking down
into the hollow tree,
a blast of hot air came up
and nearly burned out his eyes.
He flew home and to this day,
Screech Owl's eyes are red.

Then Hooting Owl and Horned Owl
were sent to the island together.
But the smoke nearly blinded them,
and the ashes carried up by the wind
made white rings about their eyes.
They had to come home,
and were never able to get rid
of the white rings.

Then Little Snake swam across to the island,
crawled through the grass to the tree,
and entered it through a small hole at the bottom.
But the smoke & the heat were too much for him, too.
He escaped alive,
but his body had been scorched black.
And it was so twisted that he doubled on his track
as if always trying to escape from a small space.

Big Snake, the climber, offered to go for fire,
but he fell into the burning stump
and became as black as Little Snake.
He has been the great blacksnake ever since.