*Chapter Twenty One*

*How Loony eventually fled into exile and the smile returned to Smiling
Forest*

Loony’s refusal to step down in the face of several mediation efforts
heightened the threat of war and greatly worried the peace loving animals
of Smiling Forest. Increasingly concerned about their safety and the safety
of their families and loved ones, more and animals sadly trekked into exile
to neighboring forests. Judging by what he said and the way he behaved, it
became crystal clear to the animals that Loony did not care a hoot whether
they lived or died, whether their blood and the blood of their innocent
children and relatives in the armed foxes was spilled or not, or whether
Smiling Forest became a raging battleground in a war whose consequences no
one could imagine. The animals now saw that all Loony cared about was Loony
and as far as he was concerned, Smiling Forest may as well be burnt to
ashes if that would allow him to stay on in power for as long as he lived.
But the animals also clearly saw that come what may, Loony must go because
the odds were just too stacked against him. And they were just totally sick
and tired of the mad fox in power. They knew that it was never again going
to be 'Loony bark animal run'.

Loony was devastated when in a surprise tactical move that confused the mad
fox to no end, the Association of Neighboring Forests suddenly invited the
victor to attend the summit of presidents in the neighboring forest of
Mili. This sudden and unexpected development really spooked Loony who
repeatedly gnashed his teeth and furiously switched his tail this way and
that to emphasize his anger. What evil plot are they hatching, he wondered.
But of course, no answer was forthcoming and Loony began to throw furtive
glances this way and that for a possible escape route just in case the
Association of Neighboring Forests had some funny trick up their evil
sleeves. It was widely reported in the international media that while the
Association of Neighboring Forests was ready to send their armed foxes in
to get Loony, the victor himself preferred a peaceful resolution to the
crisis. But while the animals of Smiling Forest also preferred a peaceful
resolution, they hoped and prayed that the victor would not reject the use
of force to kick Loony out because that was clearly the only way the mad
fox could be persuaded to leave power. When some animals interviewed on the
international media were asked if they shared the victor’s optimism that
Loony would leave power peacefully, their answer was a categorical no.
Loony would only leave power if he were physically kicked out either
through the use of force or the very credible threat of force against him.
The mad fox had proven over and over again that the only language he
understood was the language of force, which he habitually inflicted on
innocent animals and which was the only way to take him out of power.

Four days to the expiry of Loony’s last term in office, Smiling Forest
remained in an unpredictable limbo thanks to Loony’s evil and ill-fated
plot to stay in power after his crushing defeat by the candidate for the
coalition of independent animals.  No one knew how the impasse would end,
but many were convinced that Loony had to be forced out because he could
not be reasoned with to leave. The unimaginable alternative to forcing him
out would be many more years of Loony’s brutal dictatorship which the
animals even dreaded to imagine. So while every animal held their breath
and some fled into exile, they were unanimous that if getting Loony out of
power meant war in their small beautiful forest, they would prefer that to
extending Loony’s brutal regime over them. They were just sick and tired of
the evil fox who dressed up in the garbs of piety but habitually engaged in
the most devilish behavior for the past twenty two years. Shouts of ‘Loony
must go no matter what’ resounding around Smiling Forest and the Smiling
Forest Diaspora as the animals waited for their fate and the fate of their
forest. Some hoped Loony would leave without a bloodbath while others hoped
that he would remain stupid enough to insist on staying so he would be
captured and made to pay for his innumerable crimes against the innocent
and peace-loving animals of Smiling Forest.

Three days to the expiry of Loony’s term and the mad fox still remained
defiant. But he was now openly showing signs of extreme fright as
demonstrated by a call he placed to the president of Libiri Forest asking
her to please make it possible for his mercenary judges to travel to
Smiling Forest to settle the impasse peacefully. Watching him on TV, the
animals saw that Loony’s face was white with fear. His increasingly dry
face looked like a powdered rock with rough edges and cracks for lips. His
eyes were small, round and white with fright. And he sounded rattled and
cagey on the phone. His speech was dry and slurred, making some animals
think that he was either drunk or on drugs. “My sister I greet you in the
name of the Great God Yallah,” he cracked. “I am calling to personally beg
you my sister to please beg the Association of Neighboring Forests to allow
my judges to come and settle this matter peacefully. Let the judges come
right now please, my good and best sister ever. Please I beg you to let
them come now because right now I just want peace and security,” he
cackled, his voice shaking. “I swear to the Great God Yallah that I will
obey the constitution of Smiling Forest and we will all make peace and live
happily ever after.” When the president of Libiri Forest asked him to issue
a statement making the same plea, Loony readily agreed. But everyone knew
that Loony was up to his dirty tricks again. In fact, in order to give the
impression to the animals of Smiling Forest that he was still in firm
control of the situation, Loony was secretly recording his conversation
with the president of Libiri Forest. As soon as he hung up, he had the
video broadcast on national radio and television and loudly bragged that he
Loony, was the one and only one who could resolve the crisis. But the wise
animals of Smiling Forest knew that Loony’s mind had gone blind, his reason
totally clouded by the thick fog of his evil deeds, so that he stumbled
from one blunder to another even as he tried to be clever.

His betrayal of the trust of the president of Libiri Forest was a
particularly fateful blunder by Loony. The Libiri Forest president who was
also president of the Association of Neighboring Forests was extremely
furious. She granted interviews to international media in which she roundly
condemned Loony and called him a dishonest cheat of the worst sort ever to
walk this earth. Loony’s betrayal further infuriated all members of the
Association of Neighboring Forests and strengthened their resolve to kick
the mad fox out of power come what may. And so they accelerated their
preparations to remove Loony by force. News spread that more and more
fierce and heavily armed foxes from the forests of Sunulep, Nigiri, Libiri
and Ghini were now amassed on the Smiling Forest border, waiting to move
in, pounce upon Loony and take him out. In fact at this time there were
reports that some of the armed foxes had actually entered Smiling Forest
and encountered no resistance from the Smiling Forest armed foxes. Muhari
the giraffe, still angry at Loony’s rude treatment of him sent fighter jets
from Nigiri Forest. These zoomed across the skies of Smiling Forest, their
loud noises adding to Loony’s fright and heightening the anxiety of the
ordinary animals, who continued to flee into exile in their thousands.
Loony was rumored to have lost all capacity for sleep and grown extremely
irritable. His legendary *ratatoi* was fast coming back as small white
cracks of fear appeared at the corners of his hot dog lips. Meanwhile, the
Association of Neigh boring Forests flew the victor into Sunulep Forest
where he awaited his inauguration as the new leader of Smiling Forest.

Driven more by his growing fear of capture and possible death than by
concern for the peace and security of the animals of Smiling Forest, Loony
secretly welcomed the presidents of the neighboring forests of Muriti and
Gini to Smiling Forest. Their mission was to "persuade" Loony to leave. Two
days of behind the door conversations passed before news started leaking
that Loony had finally agreed to go. When the deadline for him to step down
was just hours ago, it was announced that Loony had requested a few hours
extension, which was granted by the Association of Neighboring Forests.
Loony now knew that this was indeed the end of the road for him. The armed
foxes chief had made it clear that he would not order his soldiers into
battle on behalf of Loony and with that support gone, Loony knew that the
die had been cast. He either had to leave, or fall into the hands of the
fierce armed foxes from neighboring forests, and then he would either be
killed or put in chains and dragged before a court of law to answer for all
the innumerable crimes he had committed as the brutal dictator of Smiling
Forest.

And so it was that one historic evening, the animals of Smiling Forest
watched the mad fox who had vowed to rule them for a billion years stepped
off their beloved soil onto a plane that carried him off into exile in the
distant forest of Ekuta Guana. There he would live in exile, hosted by
another notorious despot, the infamous Obinga Guma aka vampire, who was
said to be so rich that his clothes were made of gold while the animals he
ruled were so poor that they ate mud for survival. The Smiling Forest
animals were so relieved that they could hardly jubilate. Most animals just
broke down and wept, and praised the Great God Yallah for finally ending
the tyrannical rue of the mad and brutal fox who had terrorized them for
twenty two long years. Many months later, as the smile started returning to
Smiling Forest and life got back to normal, pictures started circulating
around the world of a frail and confused looking Loony lounging around in
the thick and muddy jungles of Ekuta Guana. That was the end of many many
dark days in Smiling Forest.


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