National Park

Chapter 15

Eyes widened in shock. A wave of silence followed as the implications began to settle into the minds of the animals. The few seconds that followed felt like hours to Raja as thoughts flooded through his head about the night before: Niol had suggested Raja sleep while he went off to his sleeping area. Niol had said he was tired since he had not slept well. Niol had returned early from the search... maybe to clear the evidence?

Raja closed his eyes and quickly shook his head in disbelief! This could not be true; Niol would not and could not have done such a thing! Raja opened his eyes in determination to say something, but he had to listen as the silence was broken by Hhati.

"Niol, can you explain this?" he demanded.

The crowd of animals was shifting restlessly, the noise growing as everyone spoke. Many were shocked and expressed their disbelief, but many were also saying that they should have seen this coming and that they were not safe and should start leaving the park.

Niol was attempting to speak over the chattering of all the other animals, but his voice was drowned out by the rising noise levels. The shock on Niol's face was replaced with frustration and then worry as a sense of anger rose amongst the animals.

"Silence!" Hhati trumpeted, silencing the entire congregation. He stepped forward as a group of buffalo moved threateningly towards Niol.

O-el, seeing this, had also moved in front of Niol and was positioning himself to attack.

"Stand back! We are all concerned with this turn of events! Violence at this moment is not going to solve anything and definitely is not going to answer all the questions we all have. Niol has been a strong and abiding member of this park. His father has played a vital role in the development of this park. I believe we owe Niol the right to speak before any action is taken against him," Hhati said, speaking first to the buffalo and then to the larger group.

The murmuring started again in some areas, but Raja could see the general nodding in agreement even though reluctance could be seen on many faces.

Niol stepped forward and stood close to Hhati. "My friends, I can understand how incriminating the evidence may seem, but you must believe me when I say I am innocent. I have never seen these items before. I do not know how they could have come to be in my area. I believe strongly in the ideologies of the founding members and the stability of the park. Those of you who know me should believe this and that I would never intentionally disrupt the order that we have created." Niol's voice was calm and composed, but there was obvious concern in his eyes.

Raja was convinced by Niol's plea, but, as he looked over the audience, it was clear that not all were.

Hhati looked at Niol and then walked over to the other council members. While they discussed the matter, the whisperings amongst the animals began again. Niya turned towards Raja, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Sqwee had joined them, and he was fuming as he continuously cursed. "This is bullshit.... It's not just bull; its buffalo.... It's bigger, actually; it's elephant...."

Raja smiled grimly, but he agreed with Sqwee; this just didn't make any sense. If it was true, why would Niol do such a thing?

Raja decided Niol should not be alone and walked over to him. He had not moved since he had spoken in his own defence. Now he glanced blankly at Raja, then blinked in acknowledgment. O-el watched the little puggle walk across to stand beside Niol.

The council members had ended their discussion and Hhati made his way back to where Niol stood. He noticed Raja, but did not acknowledge his presence. He faced the crowd.

"Friends. The council believes that a thorough investigation and interrogation will be required before any judgment can be made. Niol will be incarcerated and placed under the watchful eyes of the rhinos."

As Hhati finished speaking, many animals shouted in agreement, but Raja could see that some appeared dissatisfied. What else were they expecting, he thought, as Bheki approached Niol to escort him away through the path initially formed for Josie. The other animals did not move, but watched as Niol was paraded out. A tearful young monkey sat slumped in the middle of the path, bringing Niol and Bheki to a stop. The little monkey continued to cry piteously, looking up at Niol before slowly moving to the side to let them pass. Niol watched the little monkey sadly, then moved on as Bheki nudged him to continue. The two animals slowly disappeared from sight. Raja walked back to Niya and Sqweee as the animals began to disperse, although many remained behind either chatting amongst themselves or posing questions to the remaining council members. O-el had moved over towards the council members, but was still staring in Niol's direction.

"It is late and I believe we are not going to get any value by continuing this discussion now. I suggest we all get some rest and we will discuss this further in the morning," Hhati suggested.

Raja, Niya and Sqwee walked silently with Hhati as they headed to their sleeping area. Hhati continued on as they reached the area where Raja had slept the night before, waving his trunk goodnight as he left them behind.

"Do you think he did it? I don't believe it!" Raja ran after Hhati, shouting.

Hhati stopped and looked down at the little dog, his face lined with worry. "I do not want to speculate, Raja, before we know all the facts." Hhati raised his trunk and let out a long, sad trumpet before walking away.

As Hhati disappeared in the distance, Raja turned to Niya and Sqweee, who had settled down to rest, but were both lying awake staring into the distance. Raja sprawled next to Niya, but could not settle as the thoughts of the day crowded his mind. He did not know what to do, but he knew that Niol was innocent and he had to do everything to help his friend. What would Niol gain if he killed Lenoh? But why would anyone frame him? Raja promised himself that, first thing in the morning, he would start his own investigation!

Raja stared at Niya and Sqwee, who, surprisingly, both appeared to have fallen asleep. Unable to relax, he decided to take a walk around the park and maybe see if he could find out where Niol was being held. He stood up slowly and quietly walked away without disturbing the others. Raja grinned at the sight of Sqwee, who had moved closer to Niya and was using her trunk to cover himself! He made his way down towards the stream, which was now completely deserted. He moved through the area stealthily, ensuring he did not disturb any of the animals that might be sleeping nearby, as he did not want to wake some predator who fancied a midnight snack!

As Raja got closer to the edge of the stream, he could hear voices not too far away. Instinct stopped him, and, creeping forward slowly, he made sure that he was extra quiet. As the voices grew louder, Raja lay down on his belly, then crawled behind a tree stump and peeked around the edge to see a group of animals gathered. Raja could not make out everyone, but it did appear to be a group of the Big Five animals and the only voice that Raja could recognise was Josie. She was busy explaining again how she had found the blood and fur by Niol's sleeping area, as well as the leaves that had been in the previous area. The other animals were listening intently and, as soon as she ended, the elephant in the group spoke.

"It has been such a turbulent few weeks in the park and I'm not sure if we as a sub-committee could have dealt with this any more effectively. I believe we need to make some difficult decisions, and we need to know that these difficult decisions can be taken forward and articulated at council. We need to have someone who is strong and able to influence things, but, of course, with the best interests of Umzantsi and the park in mind. Josie, please do not think that I do not have faith in you, but I believe a certain opportunity has risen. I wish the circumstances were different, but they are what they are and I believe we need to act fast."

The other animals nodded in agreement. Josie, too, was nodding in agreement, but with a confused look on her face as if she was not sure where this discussion was leading. Raja craned his neck to see which animals were there, but could only see the elephant, Josie, a giraffe, a buffalo and a leopard.

"I would like to suggest a new chairperson for this forum and, therefore, a new council member to represent Umzantsi. Please note that I am not attempting to take advantage of the unfortunate circumstances, but I do believe we now have a good candidate who can make a difference in this park and ensure quick action. I would like to suggest that our new chairperson and, therefore, council member from Umzantsi be..." The elephant stopped.

Raja's eyes widened as, from out of the shadow, a limping lion stepped out into his view.

The elephant smiled and turned to complete his sentence. "....O-el."