55-54-53-52 Vegetarian wolf
52
Chapter Seven: The Height of Darkness
Sheba felt suffocated. She felt like someone who had been thrown from a beautiful garden into a swamp full of filth and muck. She wondered how such a thing could be possible. Tired and sorrowful, she sat by the pond, staring into the distance. The stallion slowly approached her.
Sheba said: “How can this be possible, Stallion?”
The stallion replied: “The Bloodshot Eye and Silver Hoof tricked you out of their way. The Bloodshot Eye was afraid that you would grow strong enough for all the animals in the forest to support you.”
Sheba said sadly: “So if I hadn’t been here, there would never have been peace with the wolf and hyena!”
The stallion said: “No! If you hadn’t been here, the Bloodshot Eye would have taken over all the herds. You appeared at the right time.”
Sheba asked: “Then what was my mistake?”
The stallion fell into thought. He stared at the pond and said: “You knew your enemy. You knew him well. But there was one thing you didn’t know, Sheba!”
Sheba asked: “What didn’t I know, Stallion?”
The stallion turned his gaze from the pond back to Sheba and said: “The foolish friend!”
The stallion could read from Sheba’s expression that she understood his meaning. Therefore, he continued: “A foolish friend is always more dangerous than a knowledgeable stranger!”
Now Sheba had learned a great lesson. She was touching something she had never thought about before. The blow she had received from her own kind could never have come from her enemies.
Tosan, trying to comfort Sheba, said: “In fact, there is no such thing as a foolish friend! A foolish friend is the same as an enemy.”
Sheba replied wisely: “Actually, the correct way to put it is that a hidden enemy is more dangerous than an open enemy!”
Tosan said: “Yes, Sheba! You understood correctly.”
Sheba continued: “The incorrect use of the term foolish friend makes us oblivious to the danger of a hidden enemy.”
Tosan responded: “And it causes us to experience feelings of hopelessness. Feelings where we constantly ask ourselves why? Why should such a thing happen? Because we can hardly believe what has happened.”
53
Days passed one after another, and every day, the animals assigned by the Bloodshot Eye to inform the wolf, hyena, lion, and fox about the carcasses roamed the forest. Whenever they spotted the body of a dead animal, they immediately reported it to the Bloodshot Eye or the hunters. The hunters, drunk and merry, would rush to the carcasses, thoroughly relieved from the shame of their always-empty stomachs!
However, it wasn’t long before this happiness and joy for both the hunters and the herbivores came to an end. The Bloodshot Eye, along with the wolf and Silver Hoof, summoned Wrinkled Ear, the hyena, and the fox to the swamp for an important discussion. When everyone gathered, the Bloodshot Eye said: “Alright! Everything has gone according to plan, but my goal for this peace treaty was not for these silly games!”
Freckled asked in surprise: “What more do you want, Bloodshot Eye?”
Saying this, he began to laugh at his own joke, chuckling loudly.
The Bloodshot Eye replied: “We didn’t gather here to tell jokes, Freckled!”
But Freckled couldn’t stop laughing.
The Bloodshot Eye ignored Freckled and said: “I must become the king of the jungle immediately!”
At that moment, Freckled’s laughter grew even more obnoxious. Thunder was also laughing at the Bloodshot Eye. Despite this, he did not oppose him.
Thunder said: “In any case, I agree that Broken Claw shouldn’t be the king of the jungle because he’s not fit for this role.”
Wrinkled Ear said: “Even though Broken Claw is old, he’s still very strong! How do you plan to defeat him?”
Bloodshot Eye said to Thunder: “You need to find a way to drive Broken Claw out of this jungle!”
Thunder said in surprise: “Drive him out?”
Bloodshot Eye asked: “So what should we do?”
Thunder replied: “When you can defeat him in a fight, why should we think about finding a way to drive him out, Bloodshot Eye?”
At the mention of “Bloodshot Eye,” the hyena’s laughter echoed into the sky.
Bloodshot Eye, feeling uncomfortable with Khal Khali’s laughter, nonetheless ignored him and said to Thunder: “Fight? With the lion? You must be joking!”
The hyena laughed again.
Thunder said: “Joking? Not at all, Bloodshot Eye!”
The hyena was about to burst into laughter again when Thunder struck him on the head with his paw and said: “Don’t laugh!”
Khal Khali pulled his head back and fell silent.
Bloodshot Eye, feeling relieved by the hyena’s silence, asked: “What do you mean, Thunder? Do you think I can defeat the lion?”
Thunder replied: “With the plan I’ve devised, there’s no doubt you can defeat him!”
Wrinkled Ear immediately asked: “What’s the plan, Thunder?”
Thunder said: “We shouldn’t give Broken Claw his share of food!”
Upon hearing this statement from the wolf, everyone looked at each other in surprise.
Gray asked: “So you’re saying you won’t give Broken Claw any carcasses anymore?”
He didn’t wait for Thunder’s answer and continued: “He might die of hunger! Because hunting is also forbidden due to the peace treaty!”
Silver Hoof said: “What if he goes hunting, Thunder?”
Wrinkled Ear replied: “If any of you goes hunting, then the peace treaty will be broken.”
Bloodshot Eye said: “Then Sheba and her gang will make our lives miserable.”
Suddenly, Thunder said in protest: “Alright, enough! Stop whining and let me explain the plan!”
Everyone fell silent.
Bloodshot Eye said: “Well, hurry up and tell us, Thunder!”
Thunder said: “The lion isn’t supposed to die of hunger. He just needs to become thin and weak. Before he dies, you will declare war on him.”
Bloodshot Eye asked in fear and astonishment: “Declare war?”
Thunder replied: “Yes, you heard right. You need to fight the lion over who should be the king of the jungle, just like you fight the other cows for the leadership of your herd!”
From that day on, no one informed the lion about the carcasses. Broken Claw, who rarely left his den due to his old age, initially didn’t realize that a plan was being devised against him. He thought that perhaps no animal had died and the number of carcasses had decreased, or maybe the vultures were eating the carcasses faster. The poor lion didn’t even consider that some predators and scavengers had teamed up to destroy the rest of the predators and scavengers!
54
After the last conversation that took place by the swamp, Khakestari realized what a sinister plan Tondar had in mind. He quickly understood that Tondar intended to do something that would lead to the death of the Bloodshot Eye lion, and then Tondar would remove the Bloodshot Eye from the way and become the king of the jungle. The fox knew that a grim fate awaited this jungle. This was beyond the threshold of the fox’s tolerance.
For this reason, he went to the lion. The Broken Claw had become hungry and weak. As soon as he saw the fox, he immediately said, “Where have you been, Khakestari? Why hasn’t anyone come to tell me where the carcasses are?”
Khakestari was hesitant. On one hand, he was afraid to tell the Broken Claw the truth and that Tondar might pose a danger to him. On the other hand, he knew that if Tondar and the Bloodshot Eye succeeded, he would still be in danger. But it would be a much greater and worse danger.
For this reason, he deemed it wise to inform the lion. However, the lion needed to understand that after hearing about the plot and betrayal of the wolf, he should not react harshly or act impulsively. Therefore, he first made him promise to maintain his calm. When the lion promised that he would not act rashly, Khakestari told him about the plan that Tondar had devised against him. The Broken Claw became angry upon hearing this news. Khakestari reminded him that Tondar must not know that he was aware of his plan.
For this reason, he told the Broken Claw, “You must pretend that you didn’t hear anything!”
Broken Claw said, "So how, Gray? Do you expect me to die of hunger in this corner of the cave?"
Gray replied, "I won’t let you die of hunger. I’ll bring you food myself."
Broken Claw asked, "But what about after that? I have to go kill Thunder right now!"
Gray said, "Didn’t you promise to keep your composure? Besides, do you really have the strength to confront Thunder? He’s not alone. Khal Khali is with him. And there’s also Eye of Blood with Thunder!"
Upon hearing this, Broken Claw felt hopeless and depressed.
He asked, "So what do you suggest I do, Gray?"
Gray replied, "We only have one way!"
Broken Claw asked, "What way?"
Gray answered, "Let’s help Sheba win!"
55
Chapter Eight: The Promised Dawn
When Tondar and Khal Khali arrived at the Bloodshot Eye’s place, they saw him standing in front of his special tree, repeatedly banging his head against it. They asked the wrinkled ear what he was doing. The wrinkled ear replied that he was thinking! Upon hearing this, the wolf said, “Is that so?”
They waited a bit, staring at the way the Bloodshot Eye was thinking, until he finally finished his contemplation and turned towards them.
Tondar mockingly said, “So! Did you come to any conclusions?”
The Bloodshot Eye, somewhat embarrassed, replied, “No, unfortunately. My mind isn’t working at all.”
Khal Khali, unable to suppress his smirk, said, “Maybe you need to think harder!”
The Bloodshot Eye raised his voice and said, “Instead of mocking me, it would be better if you said you found a good solution!”
Tondar said, “Don’t get worked up, buffalo!”
The Bloodshot Eye responded, “You promised that you would help me become the king of the jungle. Have you forgotten?”
Tondar frowned and said, “Yeah, I remember, buffalo! I came to tell you the plan I devised.”
The Bloodshot Eye said, “Well then! Hurry up and tell me what plan you’ve come up with!”
Tondar circled around the Bloodshot Eye and his special tree, taking a look at the tree. The trunk was filled with holes and indentations from years of being battered by the buffalo. Then he turned to the Bloodshot Eye and said, “You need to declare war on the lion!”
The Bloodshot Eye raised his head in surprise and looked at him with a dazed expression. The wrinkled ear was also bewildered, shifting his gaze from the buffalo to the wolf and then to the hyena.
The Bloodshot Eye spoke up, “What did you say, Tondar? You said I should declare war on the lion?”
Tondar replied, “Of course! Don’t you want to become the king of the jungle?”
After a moment of silence, the Bloodshot Eye said, “Then I need to get to work immediately.”
Lost in deep thought, as if his body was there but his spirit was in another world, the Bloodshot Eye suddenly returned to his tree and began banging his head against it again. He kept hitting his head against the tree. After a few moments, he stopped and turned to the wolf, saying, “What if I get killed, Tondar?”
Tondar said, “Well, the one who is stronger will survive and become the king of the jungle!”
The Bloodshot Eye turned back to the tree and hit it a few more times before stopping and saying, “But I want to become the king of this jungle without any hassle, Tondar! Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Tondar replied, “I’ve thought about that too, Bloodshot Eye. Don’t worry. With the plan I devised, you can easily defeat the lion and become the king of these animals in the jungle.”
The wrinkled ear took a couple of steps closer and asked, “What plan did you come up with, Tondar? Why didn’t you say it sooner and relieve our worries?”
Khal Khali said, “It’s a very interesting plan!”
Then he grinned widely, laughing at the wrinkled ear! The wrinkled ear didn’t like Khal Khali’s behavior because he felt that the fox’s eyes were on him, and he had a desire to kill and eat him! For this reason, he took two steps back again, returned to his previous spot, and remained silent.
