“Four large stones he had tossed, and still the leopard came closer. Little Brother Chako had only the small one left. This he tossed at a nearby hornet’s nest. Kerplunk! It fell onto the leopard’s back, and with great anger the hornets came out to avenge this outrage. Only they directed their attack at the leopard who had to run for his life! And Little Brother Chako laughed loudly. ‘It’s not how big the rock is, but how you throw it that counts!’”
Metutu, Wandani and Asumini had been playing tag, but it eventually lost its edge and they sought new pursuits.
“I know where there is this great tree with lots of vines,” Metutu said. “Come on.”
He headed off into the jungle where there were no paths. “Where are we going?” Wandani asked. “This place is dangerous!”
“Dangerous?” Asumini said. “I don’t know about this.”
“Aw, don’t be such a big mwana! I’ve been here lots of times. It’s safe!”
Wandani threw up his hands. “You’ve been sneaking away again. You know your dad would whack me good if he knew.”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t know. And he won’t know if you don’t tell him. The way I look at it is this--he doesn’t think we should do fun stuff till we’re too old to have fun doing it. I mean, how many times have you seen HIM swinging from a vine?”
Wandani scratched his head. “I still don’t like it.” Still he came, and Asumini followed. The subtle marks on tree trunks showed that Metutu HAD been that way at least once before and left his trail. He skipped through the brush with such enthusiasm that before long they were all wondering just how good it could be to risk a spanking for twice.
And then they found it. Twin trees in the middle of a clearing with lots of vines that reached the ground. Metutu pointed excitedly. “Check this out!”
“Yeah!” Wandani forgot about his unease. He grabbed a vine, stepped back a few paces and pulled up his feet. “Oh, this is so neat!” As he swung, he bellowed out, “Asante sana, squash banana! We we nugu, mi mi apana!”
Asumini sprang for another vine. It easily held her weight, and she quickly climbed hand-over-hand to a low branch. She put her knees over the branch and hung upside down. “Hey Metutu, look!”
“Don’t do that!” Metutu was beside himself. “You could get killed!”
“I’m fine. You ought to--oh my gods!”
“Are you all right?? Hold on, I’ll get you!”
“Leopard! Get up, get up!!”
For only a second, Metutu thought it might be a joke. Then he thought better and sprang for a vine, quickly pulling himself up. Seconds later, a huge spotted cat lunged and touched the bottom of his foot with a swipe of the paw. Metutu did not stop until he was safely in a crotch of the tree between two strong branches. He glanced around for Wandani, but found him hanging from a branch about halfway up the tree.
“You’re lucky I saw her,” Asumini said. “You might have been killed.” She pulled herself upright and shivered.
“Oh, I wasn’t a’skeerd,” Metutu said. “I was just worried about you two. You gotta let them know who’s boss. They smell fear, you know.”
“Really?” Wandani asked.
“Sure. Look at that ugly nose. See, she’s sniffing. Sniffing for someone that’s afraid, because she won’t attack unless you’re afraid. She wouldn’t dare tangle with me.”
“Well I’m not afraid,” Wandani said, pulling a nut and tossing it down. It fell with a plop beside the great cat, and she looked down at it with a huff.
“Can’t you hit a target that big?” Metutu pulled a nut and chucked it at her. With a sudden growl, the leopardess wheeled around and struck with her claws. “Right on the behind!” Metutu said. “This one will go right between the eyes.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Asumini said. “Big cats have a sense of pride. If you make her mad, she’ll come for you.”
“Yeah, right. Don’t worry about me, girl--I have the situation under control.
“I’m telling you, this is a mistake.”
“Oh? Who made you such an expert on big cats?”
“I have a lioness for an Auntie, that’s who.”
“Yeah? No foolin? Well I have an elephant for an Uncle!” He pulled another nut and aimed carefully. “Look out below!”
Whap, it struck her right between the eyes making her wince. “I told you to look out!”
“That’s enough, you half pints!” Enraged, the leopardess began to climb the tree. “I’m going to skin you alive, and every time you scream I’m going to laugh!”
Her heavy but firm treads made the whole tree shake. She was remarkably quick. The three mandrill children had to make a dizzying leap into another tree. Wandani charged across without a second’s hesitation. Asumini leaped and rather than landing with her feet grabbed a branch and swung for a moment by her arms.
Metutu looked down at the ground far below. It began to spiral and he lost his nerve. Clutching his stomach, he moaned. "I can't!"
The leopardess was working her way out onto the smaller branches. His precarious perch began to sway alarmingly. He found the motivation, and with his heart practically in his throat he jumped! For an awful couple of seconds he was airborne between tall trees. He desperately grabbed for a branch. Gotcha!
He worked to get his feet on a good-sized branch. Catching his breath, he works his way toward the trunk of the second tree and from there hoped to climb down on a vine to safety.
The leopardess jumped, catching a limb with her forepaws. After hanging for a second with her legs dangling, she felt the limb go ‘crack!’
The concussion almost threw Metutu off of his perch. She fell from branch to branch, and finally dropped to the ground, her fur looking scrubby and flecked with bits of green leaves. Her dignity damaged, but otherwise intact, she licked her paws nonchalantly, then sniffed derisively.
Metutu yelled down, “I’ll tell my dad!”
She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll skin him for raising a brat!” At once she began to climb up the trunk.
Asumini, her voice trembling, shouted down, “Forgive my friend. He was foolish to challenge your honor. Indeed you are powerful, and your anger must be unstoppable. I crawl before you, Mother of Death.”
The leopardess stopped. “Your mother has raised you well. I will spare you and the silent one.”
“I plead with you for the blood of mercy. Remember who separates the milk from the mud. May he separate your anger from your wisdom. He’s only a child--if he is not killed, he will learn from this.” Trembling in every limb, Asumini climbed down toward the great cat, her breath shallow and fast, and her heart pounding. As she came closer, large hazel eyes watched her every move intently. With less than an arm’s length between her and the powerful huntress, she held out a trembling hand.
The leopardess’ nose came up very close so that Asumini could feel the breath on her hand. Depending on the merits of her apology, one of two things could happen. Asumini shut her eyes tightly, gasped for air, and prayed.
The pink tongue shot out and licked her hand. The leopardess purred appreciatively. “My honor is satisfied. On the off chance that you are right, I will spare him--for YOUR sake.”
The leopardess climbed down, but she was in no hurry to leave. To live up to her reputation, she groomed her powerful, lithe body, sharpened her scimitar claws on the tree, and made a forced but effective yawn to display her arsenal of death. Then she leisurely strolled off into the forest.
A few minutes later Metutu, who had everything under control, could be talked into climbing down to join Wandani and Asumini. The three friends then started home, scratched up and sore, and maybe a little bit wiser. Metutu looked at Asumini and said, “I didn’t know you liked me that much.”
She scowled and slapped his face with all her might. “Don’t you EVER do that to me again!”
“I’m telling his dad!” Wandani said.
“Be sure to tell him you started it! The moment you snitch on me, I’m holding nothing back!”
“You wouldn’t tell him that, would you?”
“Just try me.”
Metutu rubbed his cheek. “I only meant ‘thank you.’”