*Chapter Two                                                *

*How Loony the fox came into Smiling Forest*

Loony the fox was a refugee in Smiling Forest. He and his family having
suffered some strange misfortune in their forest of origin, Loony had
abandoned his dying parents and crept stealthily into Smiling Forest in
search of greener pastures.

When he managed to slip into the borders of Smiling Forest, Loony had to
stay in total hiding. To avoid detection by the ever vigilant immigration
police, Loony sometimes covered himself in green leaves and posed like a
bush when any animal passed him by. Sometimes he stood erect on his hind
legs and froze, posing as a rock to avoid detection. When he felt in real
danger of being detected, Loony smeared his entire body with red mud and
froze at the slightest movement, pretending to be an anthill.

Ever the shady figure, Loony the fox spent most of those early days
slinking on the dark fringes of Smiling Forest. As much as possible, he
avoided detection and only went hunting during the nights. During the days,
he crept stealthily around or slept under the protective cover of some
thick bush.

Elsewhere in Smiling Forest, life went on as usual. Cheku the parrot told
his endless tales. Buki the hyena stole other people’s food. Nopa the hare
endlessly played his unpleasant tricks on innocent folks and sometimes
pretended to be Talkmuch Dolittle. Nice Boy the monkey was always on the
look-out for some mischief to make. Saa the snake, ever the celebrated
liar, wove fantastic tales of pulp fiction and continued to wreck havoc on
the stable relationships of unwary folks. Momba the tortoise, famous for
his lackadaisical attitude, was mainly concerned with stuffing his shell
with delicious food and sleeping under the cool shades of big trees. Samo
the elephant, who was so dull of wit that he often forgot his own name,
wandered aimlessly around, going to great pains not to crush tiny animals
under his massive feet. For stupid though he was, Samo had a kind heart.
Toothy the boar, hardly cleverer than Samo, continued to be a co-victim of
the vicious Nopa’s ugly tricks. Skimpy the giraffe, ever-proud of his great
height and his magical ability to eat from tree tops, gamboled gaily
around, boasting of his height. The banished animals, poor old Spotty the
tiger and Blackie the panther, quietly nursed their wounded egos in a
remote corner of Smiling Forest. There they laid their plans and waited for
an opportunity to pounce on the pompous Talkmuch Dolittle, tear him to
pieces and assume leadership of Smiling Forest. Every dog has its day, they
often consoled each other. Cheku the parrot kept his busy tongue wagging,
trying to throw verbal spanners into the works of whatever worthy projects
were going on in Smiling Forest, while Mbota the old frog hopped and
croaked dully away.

At the onset of every cold season, when the rains had completely stopped,
Talkmuch Dolittle called a general council of all the animals in Smiling
Forest. At such a conference, under the wise guidance of Chokie the
bushfowl, Talkmuch Dolittle gave a state of the forest address, reviewed
developments, highlighted achievements and pointed out failures. It was
here too that the animals expressed their opinions and views on burning
issues in Smiling Forest. It was here that new arrivals who wanted to be
accepted into the Smiling Forest community publicly stated their cases.
This was a rather risky business because if Talkmuch Dolittle was not
satisfied with an animal’s explanation, that animal was immediately pounced
upon and forcefully thrown out of Smiling Forest. It was to this annual
conference that Loony the fox came weeping and wailing, limping on all four
legs, his long tail sadly drooping, a haggard and mournful look on his
gaunt face, totally awash with baleful tears of extreme remorse.

A few meters away from the large gathering of animals, Loony the fox
suddenly started weeping and wailing, attracting all eyes towards his
direction. All the animals were mighty amazed when they saw the poor
stranger dragging himself from behind some bushes and painfully staggering
towards them. “Help him, help him!” Cheku the parrot shrieked, not able to
hold his tongue at the sorry sight of the staggering stranger. “Give him a
hand! Give him a hand!” Cheku loudly shrieked, frantically flapping his
wings, swaying this way and that, performing all those concerned antics at
which he was a great expert, prompting a few strong animals to run to
Loony’s aid and carry him moaning, groaning and wailing into the ring of
animals. They gently placed him before the incredulous Talkmuch Dolittle,
who repeatedly asked, “Who are you? What’s wrong with you?” Bending over,
Chokie the bush fowl whispered something into Talkmuch Dolittle’s ear,
while casting a suspicious glance at the moaning and groaning fox, who
looked as if he was going to die any moment.


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