startled by a furious trumpet-blast. Ears spread, trunk raised, Chief charged down the path toward a milling group of hyenas. Shioni grabbed his ears to stop herself from falling off.
The hyenas had been skulking and mincing about, menacing the opening of the cave. But the Chief’s arrival scattered them as chaff in the wind. A slap of his trunk this way, a switch of his tusks that, and he had already dispatched three hyenas into the beyond. The rest broke into yipping, cowardly flight–all bar the last pair, the largest members of the pack. They emerged from the cave curling their lips back from their fangs and snarling bad-temperedly.
Shioni caught the image of Kalcha clear in their minds.
“Run, you mangy curs!” bellowed the Chief. “Scuttle back to your mistress with your tails between your legs!”
“You haven’t seen the last of us,” smirked one of the hyenas, giving Shioni a perfectly revolting view of his scabrous grey gums and yellow fangs.
“Yes, Kalcha has a nice surprise planned for you two-legged parasites.”
“Shut up!” snarled the first, snapping viciously at the other.
Chief kicked up dust with his forelegs and lowered his tusks. That was enough to frighten the hyenas off into the distance, cackling and yipping like a pair of demented ducks.
After a moment, his trunk curled upward and Shioni took a ride down. Not that she had any choice in the matter, she thought crossly, restraining an urge to slap him as he nudged her forward now. Chief often treated her as one of his herd.
“Beauty?” she called, entering the cave with the tread of a mongoose entering a strange burrow.
There she was! An exhausted trunk snuffled at her outstretched hand, and Beauty struggled to her feet. She had used her body to block the interior of the cave, Shioni saw. Clever. But her trunk was bleeding in at least a dozen places, and her left ear was torn like a beggar’s rags where the hyenas must have pulled at it with their teeth.
“You came!” cried Beauty. “How did you know?”
“The Chief brought me. The handlers saw you were gone this morning, and I… I had a nightmare. Ooh–is that your baby?”
“Come out, Little Chief! He’s a bit shy. Come out, honey.” Beauty laid a proud trunk upon his shoulder. “Shioni won’t bite. She’s the only human who can talk elephant.”
Well, at least the elephants thought she was human!
He was so new born–no more than a couple of hours old–that his skin still looked wet and his body and head were covered in soft, downy hair. There was a lovely baby smell about him, a fresh hint of milky vanilla clearly distinct from the sour, dank odour of the cave. The little calf could fit easily underneath his mother’s belly, but he had to be at least three times Shioni’s weight and stood nearly the height of her shoulder.
H e did not look at all certain about having his trunk stroked by her! A wild heave made him stagger into his mother’s side, but then he gathered his courage to test her clothes with the twin nubbins at the end of his trunk.
“He’s delightful!”
“He’s already had a good feed this morning,” said Beauty. “Come on, son, let’s meet your father.”
As the mother elephant stepped out in the sun’s gentle warmth, the little elephant wanted to hide behind her legs. He peeked out at his father. Shioni thought it comical–and precious–how he had to crane his neck further and further upward to take in the great height of his father, until he overbalanced and sat down with a thump on his backside.
Beauty chuckled indulgently. The three elephants touched trunks tenderly, meeting each other, just drinking it all in.
Shioni found herself dabbing away a tear. Some things about being an orphan were rotten. Just plain rotten.
Chapter 14 : A Giant Accusation
M URDERER!” shouted Captain Dabir. “You filthy madman! Answer your accusers!”
“Murderer!” hissed the village elders.
In the centre of the courtyard Talaku stood
The hyenas had been skulking and mincing about, menacing the opening of the cave. But the Chief’s arrival scattered them as chaff in the wind. A slap of his trunk this way, a switch of his tusks that, and he had already dispatched three hyenas into the beyond. The rest broke into yipping, cowardly flight–all bar the last pair, the largest members of the pack. They emerged from the cave curling their lips back from their fangs and snarling bad-temperedly.
Shioni caught the image of Kalcha clear in their minds.
“Run, you mangy curs!” bellowed the Chief. “Scuttle back to your mistress with your tails between your legs!”
“You haven’t seen the last of us,” smirked one of the hyenas, giving Shioni a perfectly revolting view of his scabrous grey gums and yellow fangs.
“Yes, Kalcha has a nice surprise planned for you two-legged parasites.”
“Shut up!” snarled the first, snapping viciously at the other.
Chief kicked up dust with his forelegs and lowered his tusks. That was enough to frighten the hyenas off into the distance, cackling and yipping like a pair of demented ducks.
After a moment, his trunk curled upward and Shioni took a ride down. Not that she had any choice in the matter, she thought crossly, restraining an urge to slap him as he nudged her forward now. Chief often treated her as one of his herd.
“Beauty?” she called, entering the cave with the tread of a mongoose entering a strange burrow.
There she was! An exhausted trunk snuffled at her outstretched hand, and Beauty struggled to her feet. She had used her body to block the interior of the cave, Shioni saw. Clever. But her trunk was bleeding in at least a dozen places, and her left ear was torn like a beggar’s rags where the hyenas must have pulled at it with their teeth.
“You came!” cried Beauty. “How did you know?”
“The Chief brought me. The handlers saw you were gone this morning, and I… I had a nightmare. Ooh–is that your baby?”
“Come out, Little Chief! He’s a bit shy. Come out, honey.” Beauty laid a proud trunk upon his shoulder. “Shioni won’t bite. She’s the only human who can talk elephant.”
Well, at least the elephants thought she was human!
He was so new born–no more than a couple of hours old–that his skin still looked wet and his body and head were covered in soft, downy hair. There was a lovely baby smell about him, a fresh hint of milky vanilla clearly distinct from the sour, dank odour of the cave. The little calf could fit easily underneath his mother’s belly, but he had to be at least three times Shioni’s weight and stood nearly the height of her shoulder.
H e did not look at all certain about having his trunk stroked by her! A wild heave made him stagger into his mother’s side, but then he gathered his courage to test her clothes with the twin nubbins at the end of his trunk.
“He’s delightful!”
“He’s already had a good feed this morning,” said Beauty. “Come on, son, let’s meet your father.”
As the mother elephant stepped out in the sun’s gentle warmth, the little elephant wanted to hide behind her legs. He peeked out at his father. Shioni thought it comical–and precious–how he had to crane his neck further and further upward to take in the great height of his father, until he overbalanced and sat down with a thump on his backside.
Beauty chuckled indulgently. The three elephants touched trunks tenderly, meeting each other, just drinking it all in.
Shioni found herself dabbing away a tear. Some things about being an orphan were rotten. Just plain rotten.
Chapter 14 : A Giant Accusation
M URDERER!” shouted Captain Dabir. “You filthy madman! Answer your accusers!”
“Murderer!” hissed the village elders.
In the centre of the courtyard Talaku stood
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