47-46-45-44 Vegetarian wolf
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Chapter Six: The Darkness Before Dawn
Khakestari, along with Noghreh Naal and Kakooti, made their way to the meeting place of the herbivore herd leaders in the forest. Noghreh Naal left Khakestari and Kakooti at the same lush valley where he had met his own herd leader, so he could go and bring the leaders of the forest to them. After an hour, Noghreh Naal returned with the leaders of the three herds.
The Bloodshot Eye said, “Alright, so you’re the fox who is going to deliver our message to the lion?”
Khakestari replied, “Yes. But I told Noghreh Naal that there is a condition.”
The Bloodshot Eye said, “I know. Noghreh Naal mentioned that you want to ensure your safety if something happens against the hunters. Rest assured, fox. You will be considered our friend for what you are doing for us. Moreover, we intend to put a stop to Sheba’s foolishness. We want to prevent a war. If a war does break out, we promise that not only will we not harm you, but we will also look out for you.”
Paghandeh and the wrinkled ear echoed the Bloodshot Eye’s words, assuring him that he would be regarded as one of their friends, as long as he carried their messages to the lion or anyone else they were unable to meet.
Khakestari promised that he would cooperate. According to Noghreh Naal’s plan, Khakestari had to pretend that he didn’t know what Noghreh Naal and the herd leaders’ scheme for the hunters was. Therefore, he asked, “May I ask what topic you are going to discuss with the lion? Because the lion will surely ask me what important matter you have.”
The buffalo said: "If he asks you what we want to say, tell him that we have a proposal to prevent unnecessary war and bloodshed. Tell him that we are not in favor of what Shiba wants to do either. If it weren't for the fact that many animals in the forest support Shiba, we would have already put him in his place. Do you remember this, Fox?"
The gray one replied: "Of course."
The buffalo continued: "Also, tell them that we have a better proposal that we need to present in person. A proposal that they will definitely like and can establish peace in this forest forever."
The gray one said: "I will definitely say it."
The wrinkled ear added: "So don't waste time, Fox. Go quickly and deliver our message to the lion."
The gray one exchanged a meaningful glance with Silver Hoof and left the place.
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When the wolf heard the message from the leaders of the herds, he asked Khakestari, “Do you know what proposal they have?”
Khakestari replied, “I wasn’t supposed to know. But fortunately, the loose-tongued zebra let it slip and told me.”
The wolf said, “Well? What is it that they want to propose to prevent war and bloodshed?”
Khakestari said, “They plan to propose that from now on, the hunters eat the animals that die of natural causes! They want to promise that any animal that dies will not be left to be eaten by the vultures, but will be shared with the hunting animals.”
The wolf fell into thought upon hearing this plan from the herbivores. He had an expression that seemed to indicate he was both pleased with the idea and opposed to it.
The hyena said, “That’s great! This will solve all our problems, won’t it?”
The lion replied, “This way, we can always have meat without the trouble of hunting. And the herbivorous animals will live comfortably!”
Then he turned to Khakestari and asked, “Do you know whose idea this was?”
Khakestari said, “Well, obviously. This idea came from the zebra.”
The lion said, “Interesting! So this zebra is a genius, and no one knew about it!”
Then he turned to the wolf and asked, “Well, this doesn’t require much thought, Tondar! We’ll hold a meeting with them and accept their proposal.”
The wolf said, “Don’t judge too quickly, friends! This plan isn’t as great as you think.”
The hyena asked, “How so? Where’s the problem?”
The wolf replied, “For example, how do we know that animals will die regularly and consistently? What if there are no deaths for a week? What if it takes a month?”
The lion said, “Don’t make excuses, Tondar! We don’t hunt even one gazelle a month as it is. This way, we know that food will be available to us consistently.”
The wolf said, “Okay, fine. But we shouldn’t let them think that they have us in their grasp.”
The lion asked, “What do you mean?”
The wolf explained, “We accept their condition. But we will put them in our debt. First, we won’t agree. Then we’ll set a few more conditions, and eventually, we’ll accept this proposal in a way that makes them understand that we’re doing them a great favor.”
Khakestari said, “If you could move among the animals of the jungle like I do, you would see how Sheba is becoming more powerful by the day. You wouldn’t be sitting idle. It’s only a matter of time before Sheba forms an army and attacks all of us.”
Upon hearing Khakestari’s words, the wolf fell deep in thought. He stood up and began to pace around an imaginary circle.
The lion said, “Khakestari is right, Tondar. We must not miss this opportunity.”
While Tondar continued to walk and circle around, a thought suddenly struck him. He sat back on his hind legs.
He asked, “What kind of animal is this zebra who made this proposal?”
Khakestari replied, “Just as you said. An ambitious one who is willing to do anything to achieve greatness and fame. He promised me that if I help him reach the position he believes he deserves, he will help me catch seven rabbits!”
Khakestari paused and looked at the wolf, who was listening carefully to his words, and said, “This zebra is the envy we’ve been looking for. He is extremely jealous of Sheba for the popularity he has gained in the jungle.”
Then Khakestari exchanged a meaningful glance with the wolf, the hyena, and the lion.
The wolf said, “In that case, this zebra is someone we need.”
The hyena asked, “For what?”
The wolf stood up and moved around, stopping at another point and staring into an unknown place. Then he turned his gaze back to the hyena and the lion and said, “We need to ensure that this zebra achieves his dreams. He must gain fame and popularity in this jungle in Sheba’s place. Because if the zebra is a hero in the jungle, it will be beneficial for us. But if Sheba is the hero of the animals, we will always face the threat of an animal uprising.”
The hyena nodded in understanding.
The wolf turned to Khakestari and said, “You need to deepen your friendship with the zebra. Stimulate him more. Make him thirst for power even more. But you must convey to him that the only way for him to achieve power is to act through us and in collaboration with us. Do you understand, Khakestari?”
Khakestari immediately replied, “Of course! I’ll make him think that the proposal he made is what will save the lives of the jungle animals, and that the hunters are very pleased with this matter.”
The wolf said, “Well done, Khakestari! I like that you know what you’re doing. Now go among the animals and make the zebra understand that to achieve greatness and magnificence in the jungle, he must take risks and come to meet me personally. After you win his heart, present my proposal to him. Tell the leaders of the jungle that we found your scavenging proposal interesting and are willing to negotiate directly about it.”
Khakestari said, “But the leaders of the jungle think that we don’t know what proposal they are going to give us.”
The wolf realized his mistake. He said, “Yes, yes. You’re right. So go tell the leaders of the jungle that we are ready to meet with them to see what proposal they have for us. Tell them that we welcome any constructive proposal that includes the satisfaction of both parties.”
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Khakestari set off to deliver the wolf’s message to the leaders of the jungle. After a few hours of walking through the forest, he reached the zebra. Noghreh Naal was on his way to meet the buffalo leader with Kakooti. It seemed that the buffalo leader had called him to ask about the return of the fox. As soon as Noghreh Naal spotted Khakestari, he felt happy and immediately approached him.
He said, “Let’s go somewhere quiet and cozy to talk.”
The three of them wandered through the forest until they found a secluded spot. Kakooti took on the role of guarding and watching the surroundings.
Noghreh Naal asked Khakestari, “What’s the news? Did you deliver our message to the lion, wolf, and hyena?”
Khakestari nodded in confirmation.
Noghreh Naal asked again, “So, what happened?”
Khakestari said, “They agreed to hold a meeting with the leaders of the jungle and hear their proposal.”
The zebra’s eyes sparkled. However, he knew that he had already leaked the proposal to the fox, and the fox had shared it with the lion, hyena, and wolf. There was no reason for the fox not to tell his companions everything.
He asked Khakestari, “Well, what do they think of my proposal?”
Khakestari replied, “They were all satisfied. Very happy, in fact. The wolf personally wanted to meet with you and talk to you. He said to tell you that you can speak with him whenever you want. He thinks you deserve to be a hero because your mind works well, and Sheba is just a stubborn warmonger.”
Noghreh Naal, feeling quite pleased with Khakestari’s compliments, puffed out his chest and said, “Exactly! Sheba might have strength, but she lacks brains. She doesn’t understand the path to greatness and fame. Sooner or later, she will be brought down.”
Khakestari said, “By the way, rest assured. I told the hunters to pretend they don’t know what the leaders of the jungle are going to propose. They will act in the meeting as if they are just eager to find out what the leaders want to say.”
The zebra replied, “Good. This way, we can proceed better.”
Khakestari continued, “I asked the wolf to keep an eye on you during the meeting.”
The zebra fell deep in thought, listening carefully to Khakestari.
He asked, “Did you say the wolf is interested in negotiating with me directly?”
Khakestari replied, “Of course. Why not? You are the mastermind of these animals. Just for your information, the wolf is also the brains behind the hunters. The lion has grown old, one foot in the grave, and he doesn’t show much interest in these matters. The hyena doesn’t have any creative ideas either. It’s just me and the wolf who discuss everything and find solutions. Let me tell you, if you reach an agreement with the wolf, it’s as if you’ve reached an agreement with all the hunters.”
Noghreh Naal said, “Alright, you’ve made it clear. So the main party in these negotiations is the wolf.”
Khakestari confirmed, “Exactly.”
Noghreh Naal pondered for a moment, looked around, and asked, “So, what should I do if I want to talk to the wolf?”
Khakestari glanced around and then said, “Well, we need to secretly set a place to meet and discuss.”
Noghreh Naal replied, “Okay. Now let’s go deliver the hunters’ message to the leaders of the jungle. After that, we’ll talk about meeting with the wolf.”
They parted ways. It was decided that they would meet again in the same valley-like area in an hour. Noghreh Naal and Kakooti approached the herd leaders and informed them that the fox had returned with good news from the hunters and was waiting for them at the meeting place.
When all the leaders of the jungle gathered in the valley-like area, Khakestari said, “I delivered your message to my hunter friends. They are eager to meet with you and hear the good proposal you mentioned.”
The herd leaders were pleased and looked at Noghreh Naal, waiting for him to clarify the details of the meeting. Noghreh Naal immediately said, “Very well! Our meeting will be at sunset. We will meet in an area that is between our home and the hunters.”
Khakestari said, “I’ll take your message to the lion and the others right now.”
Khakestari set off. The herd leaders whispered among themselves about what would happen next. The leader of the buffaloes asked the others, “Do you think they will agree to our proposal?”
Silver Hoof responded immediately to maintain control over the psychological atmosphere and steer it in his favor: "I'm very optimistic. Because this proposal we're giving them is flawless! If they don't like this proposal, then what are they going to like? This proposal can prevent unnecessary wars and fights. That's exactly what they want!"
The leaders of the herds nodded in agreement. They suggested that they go rest, gather their best individuals, and set out at dusk to meet the hunters.
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Gray stood in a corner of the forest, waiting to see Silver Hoof. As soon as the leaders of the forest went to their herds, Silver Hoof immediately set off towards Gray. Upon seeing Silver Hoof, Gray said, "You need to talk to the wolf before meeting the leaders of the forest with the hunters. You must coordinate in advance on how to conclude the meeting in your favor."
Silver Hoof nodded in agreement and said, "There’s not much time. I need to talk to the wolf immediately."
They set off together. After an hour, Silver Hoof hid in a part of the forest that seemed dangerous. Gray went to inform the wolf that the zebra was waiting to meet him. After half an hour, Gray returned with the wolf, and they found Silver Hoof.
