THE CRY OF ANIMALS

THE ANCIENT DAYS A long time ago, all the animals lived as a family and spoke the same language. They all fed on herbs, roots, cereals and grass. There were no carnivorous animals back then. Birds were highly valued and used as messengers due to their ability to fly. There was adequate rain in the whole land of Nyaa, which was covered by ever-green forests except for some coverage of natural dams and lakes which were the sources of water for the animals. It rained almost daily and the food for the animals was plenty. There were springs of water near the lakes and dams across the land. The forest was naturally misty and icy during winter. During such times, the animals could be seen shivering with coldness as they longed for sunny days and fresh feeds since the ice covered all herbs, grasses and shrubs. During the summer, all animals which live in holes can gather and store enough feed to sustain them during the winter. Sometimes the melting ice could enter and fill holes which were habitation for some animals. Thus, some animals drowned while others died right inside the holes. Other animals lost their lives due to severe coldness. For many years the situation remained an unsolved mystery for all the animals. Every animal enjoyed life during summer as they would graze in the evening and early in the morning. During the sunny hours of the day they lay under huge trees chewing cudd as they waited for the evening. They played together happily throughout summer as they expressed their gratitude for the fertile land. This was the time they mostly mated to multiply. They looked healthy and satisfied. Their young ones could be seen jumping up and down happily as their mothers lay down chewing cudd. They would spend the night resting while others comfortably grazed on green pastures with their young ones since there were no predators. They had enough freedom to choose to do whatever they wished. Each possessed a territory and had enough preservation to feed on since there were not many. They had different habitations as some lived in holes while others lived either on dry land or in water. Regardless of their habitation, all of them moved freely in the land. They usually held a general meeting after every rainy season. The meeting was held at the field of Tanya Reserve, which was located at the Centre of the land. There they sang sweet melodies and dancing for entertainment, enjoying their unity. Every animal brought their favorite feed as a present to the lion who was their elder in the jungle. They discussed any matters arising from what they had discussed previously. If any of the animals needed help from the others, this meeting was an opportunity for them to present their cry to the lion. Here they would take numbers to identify those who had died after their previous meeting and those who had been born. Amazingly, during every meeting they would realize that they had increased in number. Years passed, and the animals increased in number when men suddenly emerged and claimed rulership over all animals and the land. Day in – day out, rapidly, men increased in number, displacing animals. Also, animals were increasing each day. Man took dominion over land, denying liberty to animals. He set boundaries across the land, possessing larger parts of the fertile land which was initially the habitation for animals. He additionally tamed some animals at his homestead for domestic purposes. He took most of the fruit trees and cereal crops, making them his food. All the animals were disappointed by the actions of man. They accused man for his threatening invasion on the land. All animals complained about man every sunrise. They were jealous of man and thus he became their enemy! Man did not change his approach and interest in both animals and the land; He went for all that looked pleasant in his eyes. He worked on taming all edible animals as well as those who were able to work for him. Although he managed to tame a number of animals, some were too brutal and big for him to handle. He therefore chose those who were small and less cunning and tamed them at his homestead. He trained the donkey and the horse to pull chariots and carry luggage on their backs and trained the monkeys and gorillas on how to do home chores and till the land. Since they were able to work with both hands like man, they did almost everything that man did. He tamed the frog, cat, squirrels and several others as pets. He tamed goats, cows, pigs, and buffalos for milk and meat. Since some birds looked good for meat, he tamed the turkey, hen, ostrich, duck, and parrot among others. Every day, he woke up early in the morning to go around his homestead familiarizing himself to them. Regardless of his cold-heartedness towards them, he was proud of them and took care of them. THE MEETING IN JUNGLE One quiet evening, the Lion (king of the jungle) gathered all the birds who were the swift messengers for the animals. He sent them to inform all the other animals about a general meeting that he had scheduled to be held the next day. In the forest and over the water bodies they flew whistling to inform all the animals about the meeting. Over the man’s homestead, they passed informing all the tamed animals about their meeting that their king, the lion, had planned for the next day. They whistled in the manner of a language that only the animals could understand, but the man couldn’t. Since they were many in number, they spread all over the land and the message reached all the animals. The farm animals were very happy to hear about the meeting. They anticipated to sneak away from the man’s farm and meet with their friends in the field of Tanya. They knew beyond doubt that their friends would help them break free from the hands of man. By midnight, the farm animals that were slow in walking began their journey towards the venue of the meeting. These were the peaceful animals and birds that were never kept in cages but were always free to walk around the man's homestead. The frog, duck and turkey proceeded with the journey, heading to the venue of the meeting, being led by the cat without any obstruction. The rest of the farm animals didn’t sleep that night. They waited anxiously, waiting for the time to come. The cry of the first c**k was the best time for them to sneak from the farm. They had agreed to wake up and leave once the first c**k crew. Minutes dragged to hours and the hours were never selfish for their departure. At three o’clock in the morning, the cry of the first c**k was heard. Without wasting time, all the animals woke up. The gorilla and the monkey helped in losing the other farm animals free from their cages. As the monkey opened the hutch for the rabbits, doves and chicken, the gorilla opened for the horses and cattle. Dogs never barked that night, horses never neighed, the cows did not mow. The goats and the sheep remained silent. The baboon opened the main gate, and they all headed to Tanya Reserve. They walked in a hurry up the hills and streams lest they get late at the meeting. The day anxiously longed to break briskly with clouds skidding on the eastern horizon. The sun peeped at the peak of Mamuu mounts, spreading its golden rays across the land of Nyaa. Morning dew drops reflected the sun's rays that looked like many scattered twinkling silver discs. The Mother Nature was at its best beauty since the whole land was green and all flower plants had bloomed. The wind was not calm but moved slowly, carrying away the mist and the scattered clouds on the sky. Every animal shivered immensely due to the morning coldness as they hurriedly moved towards the Tanya Reserve. In the slowly moving morning breeze, tree branches swayed forth and back, humming peaceful sounds with their leaves. All the animals were busy heading to Tanya Reserve for the destined meeting with the king of the jungle. Although the blooming flowers looked tempting, insects and nectar collectors never risked sucking a single flower. All the farm animals, marine, wildlife, birds and insects met at Tanya Reserve. They all circled around Lion - their king, who sat on a log under a Manee tree. All the little animals and insects sat in the inner circle, with birds in the second circle, while the rest of the bigger animals settled on the third outer circle. They did that to facilitate enough room for a better view of all the animals. At that specific meeting, the animals didn’t bring their favorite feeds for the Lion and didn’t sing or dance for entertainment. They were all angry with the man. The lion stood up at the center of the meeting and cleared his throat to chair the meeting. Every animal was silent and ready to present its cry once the Lion began addressing them. Some were restless, moving forth and back while others were seen tagging their tails as they anxiously waited to hear the lion mentioning their names. The lion’s eyes narrowed dangerously, manifesting his full boiling anger. Tears of sorrow filled his eyes and his effort to keep them back by at least blinking repeatedly was an effort in futility, depicting that his anger had erupted out of control. In a moment of blind rage, his lips broke into a smile. It was a smile, not a joy, but out of sheer rage and fury that was simmering deep in him. All the animals were like a blur through the curtain of his tears. “Good morning, my fellow brethren,” he started by greeting the animals. “I’m grateful that you have responded to the call for our freedom by attending this meeting. This is a good day for each of us as it marks the birth of our freedom as a family of animals. As you all know, our enemy - the man, has become a threat to all the family of animals.” “Therefore, this meeting is meant to solve our concerns once and for all. I humbly request each of you to present his cry and any suggestion he has worth solving this great distress that has befallen us. Welcome all and feel comfortable speaking your mind. Thank you!” The big animals would normally begin to present their cries and views, but it was different for that day. All the animals were uncontrollably angered that they could not afford to follow the normal order. Any animal, bird or insect stood in a disorderly manner immediately after the speech of the other to present their cry.