Many years ago, there was a group of baboon families that lived at the edge of the rainforest, near a great river. Predators were rare in the area, and food was relatively plentiful.
One of the younger baboons, he had very strong arms and legs - and all of his friends knew that he was poised to become one of the dominant males when he reached adulthood. The thought of being the troop alpha excited the youngster greatly. He loved to show off. Every day, he would dash to the largest rock, climb to the top and shout at the top of his lungs. He would only stop when one of the dominant adults approached and bared their teeth. The youngster would retreat, but secure in his budding position.
There was a small cluster of fruit trees - some call them omwandi - and the fruit was known to be juicy and nourishing. The trees grew tall, however most of the baboons could only climb to the first few sets of branches to claim the reward.
The youngster baboon, he would boast to his friends that he would climb to the top, grab the best fruit, and prove himself the greatest among all in the troop. Some of his friends laughed, as if the alpha males couldn't get to the top, how could he? Others wailed in sorrow. They suggested that the risk of falling and dying wasn't worth it, especially if perfectly fine fruit was available at the first set of branches.
The youngster bared his canines menacingly, then pounded the ground in unbridled rage. He'll show them. He was the best among them.
He scaled the tree effortlessly, reaching the second set of branches without stumbling once. The young baboons stopped chattering and gawked at their seemingly fearless comrade.
The youngster in the tree was overjoyed. He looked upwards, and with determination, scaled his way to the next tier. He was exhilarated on reaching the thick branches. He looked down and across the plains. He squealed with delight.
The surprise among the young baboons slowly changed to worry. They started to scream, beating their chest. They wanted him to come down, do not climb any higher.
However, the baboon in the tree heard the calls as an exhortation. He pounded his chest and yelled fiercer than he ever had before.
He stretched forward, then leaped up. His arms found purchase and in a matter of seconds, the baboon swung his way to a branch never reached before by any baboon in the troop.
Wild with joy, the young baboon screamed and danced along the branch. He was too excited to even grab the luscious fruits all around him. He had done it. The world was all his -
A loud noise, then the baboon slowly teetered, before it fell from the tree and crashed to the ground. The hunter's bullet had struck the baboon with precision. The other baboons scattered quickly, knowing that death followed the sound of gunfire.
-
"The higher monkey climbs, the more he exposes himself," said the local man, head bowed slightly.
"Well, that story took a sad turn," grumbled Agent Michelle.
Tri-blade put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's more about the moral, than an actual event." He turned to the local man. "Probably not an Anansi story, but it's not an unfamiliar tale. Thanks for sharing."
The man smiled, nodded, then walked away.
"Come on, Meesh. After this task, we have to go to Bongor, then circle north. There are a few other villages along the way. As I said earlier, Chad is one big ol' place. And people are counting on us."
"Aye-aye, captain," Agent Michelle said as she gave a mock salute.
[Tri-blade] [ID: 10879]
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