National Park

Chapter 9

"He seems to faint for every little thing! We should have just left him on the road. I'm sure the humans would have picked him up by now!" came Sqwee's high-pitched voice.

Raja slowly opened his eyes and found that the sun had already set, but it appeared they were no longer on the banks of the stream. He gave a short yawn and slowly stood up. A chill was in the air, which brought some comfort to the pain in Raja's head as he looked up into the most dazzling cloudless night sky. Raja thought about the night of the drive with the ranger and wondered how he could have missed such a stunning sight.

"Without any light pollution from the humans, the night sky here at the park is magnificent. Every star can be seen almost winking back at us. If you look carefully, you can make out what looks like a white mist in the sky, which I believe is called the Milky Way. On the right, you can see the constellation of Centaurus."

Wide-eyed, Raja stared into the unblinking eyes of the large crocodile who had just spoken! It appeared to see straight into his soul.

"The humans believe the stars and planets have an influence on their minds. It has also been said that the events in one's life can be forecast just by reading the stars. I find it extremely fascinating and would like to believe that these stars and planets have an influence on all life on this planet. What do you think, Raja, since you have lived with humans your whole life?"

Raja swallowed hard, then spoke over the pounding of his heart. "Well... I... umm... good... ya... I think it applies... umm... to all."

Raja's eyes widened further, as it appeared as if the crocodile was now smiling!

"Yes, I think so too. Welcome, Raja. I am Cronilot, possibly one of the oldest inhabitants in this park. I've seen a lot during my time and I have learnt a lot from all those I have met. I do believe that a lot can be read from the stars."

Cronilot paused and looked up into the skies briefly. "My favourite field of study, and an area I do consider myself to be a bit of an expert, is in what the humans refer to as astrology and maybe astronomy. I am known not only for the wisdom of my years, but for my insights into the stars. It is amazing how animals can sometimes so quickly believe what they are being told without having any understanding of it. I'm talking about the fact that we all would like to know where our lives are leading to. Will we be killed by a lion at a young age?"

Cronilot looked back at Raja and smiled. "...Or will we have long fulfilling lives that we can look back upon with satisfaction?"

Raja looked at Cronilot in bewilderment. Had Niol told him about his fears? He turned to see Niol and Sqwee expectantly watching him. Raja cleared his throat and tried his best to sound intelligent.

"I... umm... I have listened many times to Dev... umm... my owner, reading out his star signs. In the human world, they have these papers on which the news of the world and various entertainment and sports topics are documented. Included in these papers on a daily basis are what they call the star signs, which are determined by the period of the year that you are born. I don't know if they are always correct, but my owners would religiously read it on a daily basis. For myself, I have lived my life with the belief that I was going to die young. Now that I think about it, I think I would have lived my life very differently if I didn't believe that. The same, I guess, would apply if I knew anything about my future. Would this affect the way I live my life now? Would it change my future, by my own action or inaction, because I believe that no matter what I do it will always lead to the outcome prophesised? I'm not sure I like the idea that my life is already predetermined, though, and that I do not have a choice."

Raja stared up into the night sky, his little puggle brow furrowed. This was the first time he had really thought about his life so deeply. He glanced at the wise crocodile and, seeing the smile, realised that the intention of this discussion was to get him questioning his own existence. Raja let his gaze wander the moonlit heavens as Cronilot spoke.

"There is much for us to learn, young puggle, yet we always stay grounded in menial obsessions... mmm... I've heard that the brighter of the stars are planets. Isn't it an amazing thought that maybe there are other animals like ourselves possibly looking up into the sky at this very moment and possibly thinking the same as us? Mmm... fascinating discussion for another time." He paused, then snapped his jaws shut. "Niol, I think Raja should get some rest. His head is healing fine, but a good sleep will make all the difference. Take him to the baobab where he can relax."

Cronilot edged slowly back towards the stream. Raja watched curiously as Cronilot lifted one leg at a time, inching backwards.

"Every moment can be made to be joyous! Don't think too much, but try to enjoy the current moment. I love these long walks!" Cronilot called out, his big teeth gleaming in a large crocodile smile.

Far in the distance, Raja could see a ranger's truck driving slowly down a road, with various spotlights aimlessly seeking out the night life. Further down the road, out of sight of the truck, something moved quickly. There seemed to be a scurry of single lights switching on and off on the ground! Raja watched more closely and realised that the lights weren't switching on and off, but something was reflecting the lights coming from the truck. Every time the truck passengers aimed their spotlight beams directly into the bush, these bright eyes shone back.

"Those are the foxes, up to their usual mischief! The eyes of a fox are reflective, but not as reflective as you can see now. They picked up a box of foil that had been dropped by the humans and, ingeniously, they managed to make goggles out of the foil. So now the reflection is totally exaggerated! Various other animals are doing the same thing with the foil not used by the foxes. Quite hilarious, really, since the humans have figured out that certain animal's eyes reflect light and others don't, but now with the various smaller animals using the foil, the humans are completely confused! Some of the cut-outs are not even round, but odd shapes, making the eyes look even weirder!" Niol laughed loudly.

Raja burst out laughing! As he regained his composure, he explained the sightings on the night drive and the two differently shaped eyes. Niol and Sqwee fell about laughing as he explained animatedly how flabbergasted the ranger had been, and how he had quickly diverted attention and changed the subject! Finally, Raja's snorting giggles stopped, and he looked around to realise Niya was no longer with them. The three of them were on the far side of the bulge in the stream where the grass was greener and Raja smiled as he noticed that Cronilot had still not reached the stream. Niol nudged him and pointed, and Raja saw a lone animal, the large body of Niya, the elephant, standing in the middle of the stream in the reflection of the pale moonlight, a contrast to the orange glow he had seen earlier. Niya swayed her head from side to side as if she was singing a song, her trunk arcing gracefully and dipping into the water on occasion. Raja could have been mistaken, but he thought there was a peaceful grin on Niya's face; she looked as if she had finally found what she was looking for. Raja smiled at Niol and continued to soak in his surroundings.

The night air close to the stream was very different. There was a dampness in the air almost as humid as the coast, but with more of a chill to it. The cool breeze flowed through Raja's lungs, giving him a new lease on life. The soil below his paws was moist and full of paw and hoof prints. Many animals of different sizes had already walked here! Raja lifted his paw and placed it in the track of a larger animal, and realised again how far away from home he was. He smiled up at Niol, knowing that, as long as he was close to his friends, he would be fine. Then he looked up into the starry sky again and wondered if his future was written already and, if it was, what more would this adventure reveal?

Raja was beginning to feel the aches in his body. Cronilot was right; he did need to rest. Sqwee ran and jumped onto a large mound of grass, where he turned around a few times to make himself comfortable, and Raja quickly followed.

"Don't wait for me, as I still want to chat to the other animals," Niol said. "I'll get some rest at my usual spot not too far from you."

Raja raised his head to suggest that he might like to join Niol, but his body seemed to disagree, so he gave in and laid his head onto his crossed paws, winked at Sqwee and Niol and was asleep before his eyes closed. The thought of Dev and the family floated through his thoughts as he wondered if they were out looking for him. He knew that they would be missing him, but they would not understand the adventure that he was on and that things would never be the same for him. For the first time, Raja fell asleep to a dream without dangerous lions.