51-50-49-48 Vegetarian wolf
48
Noghreh Naal, who was terrified at the sight of the wolf, constantly felt fear and dread in his heart that the wolf might attack him and finish him off. Although this seemed unlikely, as evidence suggested that the wolf was after greater goals, such as eliminating the threat posed by Sheba.
Tondar circled around Noghreh Naal and stood in front of him, saying, “Are you the zebra who proposed the idea of scavenging for us?”
The wolf’s tone did not sound very friendly.
Noghreh Naal swallowed hard and said, “Yes, that was me.”
Tondar replied, “If it weren’t for the fact that we need to get rid of Sheba at all costs, I would have tracked you down wherever you were in the world and made a quick meal out of you upon hearing that idea.”
Color drained from Noghreh Naal’s face. However, Tondar did not intend to scare him. He needed Noghreh Naal. He just wanted to instill a sense of awe in Noghreh Naal’s heart because he planned to make him a significant rival to Sheba in the jungle. But it was also essential for Noghreh Naal to respect Tondar and always heed his commands.
Tondar paused for a long moment and then said, “In any case, in this situation where Sheba has rebelled against nature, you are the savior of all herbivores. The idea you had about turning us hunters into scavengers might deserve the worst punishments in any other circumstances, but right now, it’s a brilliant idea that we must cling to. Do you know why?”
Noghreh Naal, with a trembling voice, replied, “Because it’s the best idea for getting Sheba out of the way.”
Tondar said, “Well done, zebra! It’s clear that you know what you’re doing. Now…”
He fell silent, turned around, and said: "Now listen carefully to what I’m saying. I will make you the absolute ruler of this forest. Like a lion who reigns over everyone. But the condition is that you must follow everything I say to the letter."
Silver Nail, trying to maintain his confidence, said: "Of course! Don’t doubt that I will do whatever it takes to achieve greatness and power."
Thunder said: "Good. Now you’ll quickly return to the animals of the forest. Because the leaders of the forest must join you and come this way so we can start the meeting. After the meeting, I will inform you of the place and time for our next meeting through the fox. In the meeting, I will ensure that the leaders of the forest see you as a genius from now on."
Silver Nail felt encouraged. He was no longer afraid of the wolf because he was sure that the wolf was after bigger things. He was also pursuing great things. Therefore, if they united and collaborated, both could achieve their goals.
49
Noghreh Naal immediately returned among the herbivores. He had managed to arrive just in time. Kakooti asked him how his meeting with the wolf went. Noghreh Naal put on a proud expression and said, “The wolf thanked me for the solution I proposed!”
According to the plan, the three leaders of the herd, along with a few strong guards and Noghreh Naal, set off together and arrived at the meeting place with the hunters. Khakestari had come ahead to prepare the arrangements. Then Khakestari returned with the lion, the hyena, and the wolf to the meeting location, and they began the session.
The lion said, “I heard that you have a solution to prevent a war between the hunters and Sheba!”
The leader of the buffaloes, who was trying to present himself as the most important and influential animal in the herbivore community, jumped in and said, “Yes, that’s right! We have a constructive proposal that we would like you to hear.”
The lion replied, “Very well! I’m all ears to hear your proposal.”
The buffalo said, “We want to propose that you hunters stop hunting herbivorous animals, and in return, we will keep the animals that die of natural causes and become food for the scavengers for you.”
The buffalo immediately interrupted the buffalo’s speech to show his presence. He said, “This way, you’ll have plenty of food, and the lives of the herbivorous animals will be secured.”
Paghandeh did not let the buffalo finish and added, “This way, what Sheba and the others are gathering their forces for will be fulfilled. They want nothing but security.”
Bloodshot Eye immediately said: "And if security is established in the forest, they have no reason to form an army to then declare war on you."
Wrinkled Ear said: "Shiba has caused a rift among the herbivores. The leader of the gazelle herd and the leader of the deer herd have taken Shiba's side and are not attending this meeting."
Bloodshot Eye continued Buffalo's point and said: "If you kindly agree to this proposal, we all win."
Silver Nail said: "It's a win-win game."
Everyone spoke their minds and fell silent. The lion was deep in thought, pretending to consider their words. While playing with his mane, he suddenly spoke up and said: "It's an interesting proposal!"
That was all the lion said. According to the wolf's plan, the hyena was supposed to play the role of a serious opponent. Then the lion, the wolf, the fox, and the leaders of the herds would try to convince him that their proposal was excellent and that it would be better to accept it. And that’s exactly what happened.
50
Suddenly, the hyena raised his voice unusually high and said, “This is outrageous! You grazing animals have come here and stood up to us, saying that we should scavenge? Do you think we’re beggars? You want us to stop hunting and beg from you, and even then, you throw your dead in front of us? What do you really think? Do you think we’re fools? Do you think we have the stomach to eat your dead? Really, there’s a limit to shamelessness.”
Then he turned to the lion and said, “Aren’t you offended by this? Do you want to allow them to talk to us like this?”
Immediately, the meeting was filled with murmurs, and everyone was saying something.
The Bloodshot Eye said, “Wait a minute, Mr. Hyena! You’re judging too quickly. The way you’re looking at the situation isn’t going to work!”
The wrinkled ear said, “That wasn’t our intention, Mr. Hyena! We wanted to respectfully offer you the animals that die.”
Paghandeh said, “What we mean is that you would be doing us a favor by agreeing to feed on our dead. What we mean is…”
Suddenly, the lion silenced everyone.
He said, “You can’t have a discussion with shouting and noise.”
Then he paused for a moment to transition into the second phase of the plan.
He said, “Everyone should give their opinion one by one.”
He turned to the wolf and asked, “What do you think, Tondar? Do you also think their proposal is audacious?”
The wolf, who had a strange calmness that didn’t suit him at all, said: "Of course, everyone has their opinion, but if you want to hear mine; I think this is a great idea that can establish peace and friendship among us animals!"
The herd leaders calmed down upon hearing the wolf's words, but the hyena wanted to protest.
The hyena said loudly: "But...!"
The lion said: "Please be quiet, you silly one! Let others speak too."
The wolf continued: "Look, friends! We hunters don’t need anyone to be kind to us and provide us with food. We are capable enough to hunt for ourselves and get the food we need. But we must also consider the reality that Shiba has instigated a movement in the forest, thinking they can achieve security and freedom. They are blindly following a series of delusions that only result in war between the hunters and the herbivores, and division and discord among the herbivores themselves."
The herd leaders murmured in agreement with the wolf's words. "That's right! Exactly!"
51
The wolf continued, “I believe that we hunters and herbivorous animals currently share a common ground. The source of our shared pain is the emergence of a villain named Sheba. Sheba is the common enemy of all animals, whether herbivores or carnivores!”
Voices rose in agreement with the wolf’s words. The leaders of the herds each expressed their thoughts, showing how much they were influenced by the wolf’s statements. Comments like:
“Well said! As long as Sheba is around, none of us will see any comfort.”
“Sheba is the cause of all this enmity and division!”
“We must eliminate the threat of Sheba from the animals of this jungle.”
And similar remarks were made here and there.
Finally, the wolf said, “I think if I do not agree with this proposal from the esteemed leaders of the herbivores, I would essentially be committing suicide and murder. Not only do I accept this proposal, but I am also very eager to know which of the animals came up with this idea first! In my opinion, this proposal is not only constructive and peace-bringing but also the source of a significant transformation in the lifestyle of all of us jungle dwellers!”
According to the plan, when the wolf said this, the lion was supposed to support him.
The lion said, “Yes, Tondar! Whoever came up with this idea deserves great admiration.”
Then he turned to the leaders of the herds and asked, “Can you tell us whose brilliant and life-saving idea this is?”
Everyone was silent. It seemed that the Bloodshot Eye wanted to say that it was his idea! But the wrinkled ear wouldn’t let him.
He said, “This idea was Noghreh Naal’s. The very zebra who is present at the meeting.”
And he pointed at Noghreh Naal.
Everyone turned their attention to Noghreh Naal.
The wolf feigned astonishment and said, “You came up with this brilliant idea?”
Noghreh Naal, with a false sense of humility, replied, “Yes, sir!”
The wolf said, “What a genius!”
He turned to the leaders of the herds and said, “You must appreciate such a brilliant zebra. I’m sure you do.”
The herd leaders, with satisfied smiles, nodded in agreement.
The wolf, being politically savvy, knew that the herd leaders would try to seize the credit for this peace treaty out of a desire for power, and that Noghreh Naal, who was supposed to be their pawn, would be sidelined. For this reason, he said something that made the herd leaders completely dismiss the idea of appropriating the credit for this achievement.
He said, “Now that we have reached an agreement on this proposal, it is necessary for you to first give a speech to the animals of the jungle and officially inform everyone about this peace treaty. Also, prepare the groundwork for His Majesty the Lion, as the king of the jungle, and myself to address the herbivores and formally inform everyone about this great peace. I intend to give a magnificent speech myself, expressing my satisfaction and joy over this blessed event, and praising the intelligence and wisdom of Noghreh Naal, the zebra who initiated this great transformation. Of course, I know that you esteemed leaders of the herbivores will also duly acknowledge the cleverness and shrewdness of Noghreh Naal.”
In this way, the leaders of the jungle were put in a position of having to accept the situation.
The leaders began to praise and commend Noghreh Naal, stating that they certainly appreciated him and would reward him suitably for his ingenuity!
The meeting concluded, and the hunters expressed their complete satisfaction with the herbivores’ proposal to scavenge. The herd leaders and Noghreh Naal, happy and elated, returned to their herds with their hands full. It was decided that the next morning, all the animals in the jungle would be informed of the significant achievement they had made.
And once again, news spread quickly throughout the jungle!
Gladia and Tosun, upon hearing the news of the peace treaty and reconciliation with the predators, were left in astonishment and wonder. Along with Arghavani, Hanayi, and Tizpa, they couldn’t even comprehend what this event meant. Until they finally found Sheba to help them make sense of this occurrence.
Sheba, filled with rage and hatred, managed to maintain her composure at all costs and did not allow anyone to know about the fury that was boiling within her. She knew that she would soon regain control.
However, when Gladia asked her what she thought this peace treaty meant, she immediately and astutely replied, “It’s paying tribute to darkness!”
