Xenofiction/Quotes

"Long ago, the great Frith made the world. He made all the stars, and the Earth lived among the stars. He made all the animals and birds, and at first, he made them all the same. Now, among the animals in these days was El-ahrairah, the prince of rabbits. He had many friends, and they all ate grass together. But after a time, the rabbits wandered everywhere, multiplying and eating as they went. Then Frith said to El-ahrairah, 'Prince Rabbit, if you cannot control your people, I shall find ways to control them.' But El-ahrairah would not listen. He said to Frith, 'My people are the strongest in the world.' This angered Frith, and he determined to get the better of El-ahrairah. And so, he gave a present to every animal and bird, making each one different from the rest. When the fox came, and others, like the dog, and cat, hawk, and weasel, to each of them, Frith gave a fierce desire to hunt and kill the children of El-ahrairah. 'All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people shall never be destroyed.'"

- "The Story of the Blessing of El-ahrairah", Watership Down

"The female Utahraptor doesn't have a name for herself. Her brain doesn't operate with words, not even with silent, unspoken syllables. It works with images, colorful bursts of memory that make up a dreamlike history the brain constantly updates. Every day new experiences and new associations from her senses rarrange the symbolic registry. In her own brain the raptor identifies herself with the symbols she learned as a chick: me... raptor... red. We can call her Raptor Red, because that's how she labels herself in her own mental imagery."

- Raptor Red

"Most of the other intelligent Animals wrote them off as a lost cause centuries ago, in a few more centuries they’ll wipe themselves out. Only a few of us still care about them; but the Dogs have become too close, forgetting their sacred protective duties, the Cats have always had agendas of their own, the Rats have lost their way and many of the wild Beasts are scared to walk into the great canyons of steel and glass. As one of the few old races at home in the cities and the wild, we are still able to do what is necessary. We might not be able to restore the balance, but we can stop it getting too far out of control. By imparting wisdom to the living, and bringing back the dead, we can help the humans get things right."

- Murder: A Game About Crows