Tale of Kame, the Clever hare (Episode 2)

The meeting with the Chief in the mighty Eldara.

Tale of Kame, the Clever hare 

Episode 2 –  Meeting with the Chief 

At the grand meeting cave, the Baboon clan liked to refer to the meeting cave as the Eldara. "Eldara" as a name symbolized elderly wisdom. They considered it a place of deep wisdom and cherished it as a sacred place. 

It was there where all important decisions regarding the Baboon clan were made. For thousands of generations, this place had stood and remained the same. It was said to be the very home of the founding father of the Baboon clan hundreds of years ago.  

In that cave, the founding father had not only dwelt but gathered all the Baboons together as one. Since then, it had remained the place where the chief would stay and hold gatherings to discuss important matters of the clan. 

On the fateful day, Kuya, carrying the newly found baby creature in its mysterious basket, arrived at the Baboon clan village. Mono, like many other male Baboons, carried a basket of fruits on his head. Rugo, Ram and Amal walked beside their parents, bursting with excitement. The whole crowd from the gathering festival was behind them—mostly in groups of families.  

Children who were able to walk stayed mostly around their parents, full of joy. Adult Baboons were mostly quiet, still showing perplexity, unable to believe what they were bringing with them back to their village. 

The village was vast. It spread across a very flat land surrounded by big trees, as if forming a sort of fence or boundary around the village. In the distance, beautiful blue mountains loomed. There were several neatly arranged structures, like huts, where the baboons lived with their families. 

Everything in the village was green, save for the well-taken-care-of paths that connected the major route towards the Eldara, leading to huts. The Baboons who had been unable to attend the gathering stood outside their huts in awe. News had already reached them—a strange creature had been found and was being brought to their village. At the center of the village was the mighty Eldara—a smooth, black cave. 

Within moments, the baboons gathered in the grand meeting cave. Being the season of gathering and festivities, the space had never looked so bright and festive. Garlands of fresh flowers hung from the high ceiling and vines wrapped around the cave walls, their leaves swaying gently in the breeze. Sunlight filtered through gaps, casting golden rays across the baboon clan members seated on logs arranged like pews. 

The air buzzed. It was filled with excitement and murmurs. The seated baboons kept whispering to each other and then nodding. Others were quiet, curious, awed and burning with impatience.  

The children sat on a large mat towards the front. They were now quiet but their eyes glowed at the sight of the chief, waiting to hear his thoughts on the creature. Kuya, carrying the basket with the creature and with Mono beside her, sat in the front row. 

In front, facing the baboon clan, was the chief. The chief had a broad face with a well-groomed beard and wore a hat. Compared to other baboons, he was large with a big stomach and big cheeks. He sat on a white rock, carved like a chair. His gaze was calm and steady. He held an apple in one hand, taking slow, thoughtful bites as he watched his clan. 

Flanking the chief on both sides were his advisors. Each advisor had a special token: one had a vine draped like a sash, another wore a necklace of polished stones and the third had a leaf band on his wrist. They watched silently, their eyes fixed on the small creature cradled in Kuya’s arms. 

The chief had invited the Library keeper from the Bird Clan. The Bird clan was revered for its special wisdom. They could fly and were thought to know everything in the Animal Kingdom.  

The Bird clan kept a huge library in their village that held all the history of the kingdom. The Library keeper, having been invited, sat at a small table. He wore glasses and his head feathers gleamed in the sunlight. His keen eyes scanned the gathering, his beak tapping against a scroll on a small table in front of him. 

At the center of it all, in front of the chief and the gathered Baboon clan, was a huge table with a large basket full of all kinds of fruits. 

The chief raised a hand, signaling for order and quiet. The murmurs faded. 

“Kuya,” the chief’s deep voice echoed through the cave. “Tell us again how you came upon… this creature.” 

Kuya picked the creature from its basket, carried it gently in her arms. She stepped forward. Mono stood by her side, his gaze shifting from the chief to the strange creature, then back again. The rest of the clan leaned in, eager to hear the story. 

“It was at the river, Chief,” Kuya began, her voice calm but firm. “We were gathering fruits for the festival when the children spotted a basket floating downstream. None of us had ever seen such a thing before.” 

“A basket?” one of the advisors, the baboon with the vine sash, muttered, scratching his chin. “And a creature inside?” 

“Yes, a basket with the creature inside,” Mono replied, nodding, “at first, of course, we thought it was only a basket floating downstream. We didn’t know it contained a creature inside…and decided to let it continue on.” 

“Hmm,” the chief reflected. “The basket! How did you come to know it contained a creature?” 

“We didn’t know…we couldn’t tell until we heard it cry,” Mono answered. 

Amal, Kuya’s youngest, couldn’t contain herself and piped up from her spot close to her mother, “he sounded sad, Chief! Just like one of us when we’re scared,” she said, clinging to her mom. 

The chief’s gaze softened as he looked at Amal and chuckled. “Did he now?” he said gently, smiling and taking another slow bite of his apple. “Go on, Mr. Mono, go on.” 

Mono smiled down at his daughter, Amal. “At first we thought, perhaps, we were mistaken—that it was something else. But then we heard it again and again, it persisted. So, I grabbed a stick with a hook, ran and scooped it out of the water on the bridge. That is how we found the creature lying inside.” 

“It was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen,” Amal cried out, still clinging to her mom. 

“It was?” the chief asked with a slight smile toward Amal. 

“Yes, yes it was,” she replied excitedly. The chief smiled, taking another deep bite of his apple. 

Kuya smiled down at her daughter. “We could not ignore it, Chief. It was so small and the sound of its crying… uhm, it touched our hearts,” she said. 

“Many of us had suggested we let it drift downstream and…” Mono added 

“Why didn’t you?” one of the advisors interrupted, inquiring with a serious tone, “clearly, it is like none of us in our Baboon clan and unlike any member of the other clans in this kingdom. Why didn’t you let it on?” 

“It was hungry,” Kuya answered, “it needed some care and feeding.” 

“I still don’t understand,” the advisor went on, “why would you want to feed and take care of something you have never seen or even understand?” 

There was a moment of silence. The Baboons murmured among themselves. The chief took a bite of his apple and observed quietly, looking at Kuya holding the creature. 

“We could not leave it there,” Kuya said, “it would have died and there was no way it could flow back to where it came from.” 

“No way it could flow back!” the advisor exclaimed. He turned toward the chief. “Chief, we clearly don’t know what this is. I would advise we put it back on River Leni and let it continue downstream.” 

The congregation went into a frenzy—murmurs filled the room, with some showing expressions of approval for the advisor’s suggestion. The chief raised his hand again and the room went quiet. He looked around, studying the room. 

“My most trusted advisor, let us be patient for now and hear everything there is to hear,” the chief advised. The room remained quiet but tense. “Clearly, the creature was brought here because no one knew what to do.” The Baboons nodded.  

“And it is our custom,” the Chief went on, “that with all matters unknown, we bring them here, here in this room where for thousands of generations our forefathers have been deciding on all things, even those unknown to them.” He paused, studying the room. Everyone was quiet, listening attentively. 

The chief turned to the Library keeper from the Bird Clan. “Our wise friend, the Library keeper,” the Library Keeper nodded, turning to the chief, “you have traveled far and wide; you know everything there is to know in this Animal Kingdom and you are our most gracious keeper of knowledge. Tell us, have you ever seen such a creature as this?” 

The library keeper tilted his head thoughtfully. He stood from his seat. All the Baboons were awed by his presence. The Baboons had great respect for birds. He walked across the room, everyone gazing with great admiration. He reached Kuya. 

“May I?” he asked, stretching out his arms to hold the creature. Kuya obliged and placed the creature gently into the Library keeper’s hands. He walked with it and placed it gently on his table.  

He tilted his glasses a little and studied it. Then he examined his scroll with a list of all animals and their pictures in the Animal Kingdom. He studied the creature again. When he was satisfied, he carried the creature gently back to Kuya. 

Turning to the chief and his advisors, he clicked his beak. Then he began to speak in a clear, deliberate voice with an air of authority and confidence. “I have traveled all over this kingdom, seen all the clans in every nook and cranny.”  

He paused. “I have read most of the scrolls about the clans of our Kingdom and every scroll I have read—trust me, I have seen many beings. I’ve seen all animal clans of our kingdom, from the farthest edge of the forest to the highest mountain but,” he paused, “I have never seen or heard of one like this.” 

The crowd murmured in amazement, whispers swirling through the cave. 

“No one?” Mono asked, eyes wide. 

“No one,” repeated the library keeper, turning to him, adjusting his glasses. “He is… a mystery, friends.” 

The room filled with even louder murmurs, bemused by what had just been spoken and confirmed by the Library keeper. Having spoken, he resumed his seat and watched the frenzy. The chief observed quietly, taking another bite of his apple. He raised his hand and the room went quiet. He allowed a pause. 

A chief advisor who had not spoken since the beginning of proceedings turned to the chief. “A mystery, Chief! And with all mysteries come risks. We don’t know what this one might bring to our clan. Should we not consider… letting him go?” 

“No!” Amal cried out before anyone could respond. She had returned to her seat on the mat with the other children, then ran forward and clung to her mother’s leg, looking up at the chief with pleading eyes. “He’s just a baby! Please, Chief. He needs us. I’ll help look after him! He won’t cause any trouble.” 

The chief smiled kindly at Amal. “You have a big heart, little one but the safety of the clan comes first. We must be sure.” 

“Chief,” Kuya spoke again, her voice steady, “we will care for him—Mono and me. If there is any risk, it will fall on us.” 

The congregation murmured among themselves, filling the room with hushed noises. 

“But what if he brings danger to our clan, something like misfortune or something of the kind?” the chief’s advisor who had first disagreed asked, then turned to the chief. “Chief, we need to exercise caution in this matter, whatever we decide.” 

“Kuya,” the chief called out. He paused, bit into his apple and swallowed, “it is not just you and your family. You realize we are a community. That is why we are all gathered here, deciding as a community. A risk taken by your family is taken by us all as a community.” 

“I understand, chief,” Kuya spoke. “Indeed, a risk taken by our family is a risk taken by our community as a whole,” she paused, looked at the strange creature in her arms gently, smiled.  

“You see, chief, we may not know where this baby creature is from. In fact, we may never know. But one thing we surely know is that this is a baby, a child of those creatures we are yet to know. It could be our baby, our child out there in a land where no one knows about us. In such circumstances, it would be the wish of any parent in this room that their child, their baby, is found by well-meaning creatures to take care of him or her.”  

She paused again, the room filling with murmurs again, most of the Baboons moved and touched by what Kuya had said. 

“Chief,” Kuya continued, “if it is left alone, surely it will die…” She trailed off, looking down at its wide, innocent eyes and smiled. “It is my humble request that you, your advisors and the community as a whole, as we have gathered here, allow this creature to stay with us as a new member of our community, be raised as one of us.” 

The room remained quiet. Most of the Baboons nodded in approval. The chief studied the room carefully. He then looked down as if in thought, chewing thoughtfully. The room tensed with suspense. Then he raised his head, no longer chewing, his eyes shifting from Kuya to the library keeper and back.  

“Perhaps it is alone,” the Chief said, his voice quiet, “but he is unlike any of us,” then he turned to the library keeper, the bird, “Keeper of the Library, what do you suggest?” 

The Library keeper leaned against his table thoughtfully, lowering his glasses. “Some creatures come to us as gifts. Some as lessons. And some… as both. Only time will tell, Chief.” 

The chief nodded and took one final bite of his apple, tossing the core aside. He raised his head, positioning himself in his seat. 

“We have always prided ourselves as a Clan that is more hospitable than any in the whole of this Kingdom. Over time, we have always opened our doors to any visitors from other clans in this kingdom. However, this moment in time, it is a special kind of visitor and having listened to all submissions made here today, we will accept this creature as the newest member of our community,” he paused, there was a murmur, he looked around the room. 

“Like our wise friend, the Library Keeper put it,” the Chief continued, “sometimes, the universe sends us gifts we don’t yet understand. I like to believe that this is one of those gifts and he will have a place with us.” Kuya smiled, Amal jumped around the room and the baboons nodded in approval and murmured. 

“However,” the room went silent, “Kuya and Mono,” the Chief paused, looked at them intently, “it is your responsibility. If you notice anything strange, you must let us know immediately and make sure it does not disrupt our ways as a community, or you will be answerable.” 

Mono and Kuya bowed their heads respectfully. “Thank you, Chief. We accept this responsibility,” Kuya said. 

“One more thing,” the chief continued, “have you given the new creature a name yet?” 

“No, Chief,” Mono replied, “not yet.” 

“Oh! Then let’s give it a name,” the chief turned to Amal. “My dear child, what should we call your new friend?” 

Amal, still clinging to her mother, raised her head and looked at Kuya. Kuya smiled at her. 

“The chief is asking you for a name,” Kuya said to Amal. 

 The chief looked at Amal, a slight smile flashing across his face. 

“Kame,” Amal said quietly. 

“What?” the chief asked. 

“Kame,” Amal said louder and giggled. 

“Kame? … I’ve never heard of that name,” he laughed and the whole congregation joined in. “But well, it sounds new just as our newly found friend. Kame it is,” the chief declared. 

The Baboons laughed and nodded. 

The chief continued, his gaze serious, turning to the Library keeper. “And, our dear wise friend, the Library keeper, we thank you that you always are able to come when we are in need of your wisdom.” The Library keeper nodded.  

“Now I request that you watch Kame from time to time, to learn what you can. We may need your wisdom as he grows.” The Library Keeper bowed slightly.  

“As you wish, Chief,” the Library Keeper said. 

A murmur of approval arose from the clan and even the advisors nodded, some with cautious expressions but all with acceptance. Amal hugged her mother tightly, her eyes glaring with happiness. 

As the baboons began to rise and leave the cave, the chief’s words lingered in the air; “sometimes, the universe sends us gifts we don’t yet understand.” 

And with that, Kame, the mysterious little creature, was welcomed into the Baboon clan, watched by curious eyes and hopeful hearts. 

EzroniX Kids.