“Greetings, your highness” the chimp greeted while in the palace to lay his complaints. He was nervous to begin but was determined he would. After the greetings the gorilla listened to hear him.
“I want to quit being the youth leader” the gorilla turned fiercely at him without a word. He knows he has said what the king did not anticipate. His voice became shaky.
“I am not quitting because I want to. Fox has taking my place. Nobody listens to my me or take orders from me. I have become a stranger in their midst. The say I am the youth leader and not the warrior leader. It’s obvious my service is no longer needed so I think I better resign now than later to be forced to”
“My friend,..” the king called with a smile that can not be understood. “Do I look stupid?” He asked.
“Your highness I didn’t mean it that way” Shaking his head vigorously with his small deep eyes now looking bigger with shock and fear.
“l only want to stay away from humiliation. I am still answerable to you, it doesn’t matter or make a difference”
“Who put you in that position, chimp?”
“You did, your highness”
“Good. Did I not know you were capable before I made you the youth leader? Have i ever complained about your services? Do you think I am stupid that I should make a stranger head over you? Or you thought I suddenly forgot all your efforts to build this community? Or was it your life you risked just few days back for the sake of my son I should forget so quick? Why should you think of that? You make me look like an ingrate”
The gorilla’s questions were too emotional to be answered with words. The chimp shake his head to each question. And there’s was nothing more he could say. The king have said beyond what he thought he knew.
“Hey friend, you are still my youth leader. I appointed you not because I want to favor you. It was your effort that put you there. I am only using him in our favor, especially you. Remember he is a stranger and will continue to be. He can’t stay with us forever. He will go someday and that time whatever your warriors does that’s impressive the honor will go to you as their leader. It will make your armies skillful and cooperative.
Let him teach all he has to teach. Don’t worry yourself. I have a reason for all these. That’s why I have kept quiet and not that I don’t see”
“I’m sorry I said this the way I did. I was ignorant”
“It is okay”
“What about the warriors? They are not aware of these. Can you talk to them?”
“Alright, I will visit their quarters this evening when they will all return”
“One more request”
“Which is?”
“I want him to teach us all the traps he knows. But I want you to be the one to tell him so he can take it serious”
“I will see to that too”
The king called fox to tell him about the trap issue but Fox said it will come after, that they still have some things going on which shouldn’t be abandoned half way. The king insisted that whatever it is he is teaching them, he should skip it and teach them how to create traps. Fox gave in seeing that king could not give up. And it was wrong arguing or insisting on his own wish.
But the chimp noticed he wasn’t willing to teach that. He always have something to complain about. The chimp reported to the king and he called him for the second time and vehemently bemoaned on it. Now giving him a very limited time. From that, he knows if the time expires and he wasn’t able to accomplish the task he will face whatever consequences awaiting him.
He felt reluctant but at last he was able to teach two which he professed was all he knew.
“I am a son to Dew-rocks warrior Commander. I am not a warrior yet. I am still training under my father’s tutorship. I only know what he teaches me and things I see them do when I go to the field to watch them train. There are things I would know only when I am fully a member” Fox defended.
The chimp decided he will not know things he’s capable of doing. There are two other traps only him knows about in addition to the other four that’s common in Greenwoods. He knows eight different traps now. Recently when they are in the field Fox excuses himself to go get something from home. And he wouldn’t allow someone go for him. But when they get home those at home will deny seeing him.
Anyway, that wasn’t something to pay attention to. Not to anyone. It wasn’t anybody’s concern on where he usually goes. The chimpanzee too once came up with a plan to always skip training leaving Fox to have control over everything. He gives no excuse and no one cares to ask or even talk about it. Maybe he’s not been feel so strong recently. In fact they assumed he was doing the best thing supposed by giving them Fox the chance. But any day Bara did not go for training no one ever report seeing him in Greenwoods.
There came a day while they were together and he wanted to do what has made his daily routine, Bara insisted to find the truth.
“Yes, it’s true I don’t go home” Fox admitted. “I go into the bush in search of leaves, roots or backs that are good for herbs or can be used as poison”
“Is that what you can not tell us instead of lying that you want to go home and get something you forgot?”
“If I tell you that’s what I am going to do, you will like to join me abandoning what you are learning here. So, I believe you have some poisons, the powerful ones?”
“Yes we do”
“I will like to see it?”
“Why?”
“Why? When have you started hiding something from me?”
“I am not hiding anything from you. I just asked you why you want to see it”
“I want to examine them of course and if I have some contribution to make then I will know”
“It’s ok. I will show you. But I am not the one with it”
“The greatest herbalist we have. The squirrel”
“Later today then”
“That is okay”
In the evening, the chimpanzee and Fox went to see the squirrel. Fox asked for some so he could take home saying to use it on weapons. If he rubs it on the edges of swords and arrows they’ll kill very fast, as far as it touches the blood. They arrived with it and made the warriors gather weapons from the makers and prepared them as supposed. It was not really a tedious task and as they were many doing it without anyone pressuring them the work was fun. However some tried exercising their abilities and skills, their mistakes were laughable . They rounded up before darkness covered the atmosphere. They didn’t finish on time so they decided not to have their dinner because it was late moving food up and down. And already they were filled from things they ate in the field.
That evening Bara went to the quarters to see them for some purposes. He stayed there till it was too dark for him to go. He spent the night there. But fox slept in the palace as usual.