A jungle story

After the past few months and especially today ...
Am not angry, not frustrated, not sad ... just nauseated by it all.
Here I write a simple story :

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful tropical jungle with many exotic plants and different species of animals. As long as anyone could remember, the elephants and their Head had always been the Rulers of the Jungle. One day however, the tigers challenged their rule, saying that they and their Head were the rightful Rulers. The vultures tried to issue a challenge as well, but were laughed out of the jungle council. After calling for a vote of all the jungle folk to decide the issue, all were shocked to find out that the tigers had won a majority, though slim. The elephants were furious, but decided to take action later.

Some time passed, and the elephant Head succeeded in getting several of the discontented tigers to support their claim to authority. With that excuse, the entire elephant herd marched onto the peak and booted out the tigers and their Head to retake their familiar seat of government. The tigers quickly rushed off to gather their allies and returned soon after to evict the elephants from the hill-top. Some of the more moderate members from both sides urged civilized negotiations, but emotions were running high; both sides having too much face to lose and already hotheadedly against conceding even an inch to the other.

The elephants, having always been the governing authority and tasted the bitterness of losing their position, were determined to fight trunk and tusk to keep their newly-reasserted power.

The tigers, having always been outsiders and having experienced the greatness of being in power, were prepared to risk everything to take back what was rightfully theirs.

The Head tiger leapt out from their formation, and the battle was joined. The clash was titanic, with both sides throwing all they had at each other. Whole swaths of trees were trampled down in the reckless charges of the elephants. Streams were muddied and buried by the dirt and soil being tossed around. The very ground trembled and cracked as the elephants either crashed to the ground under assault, or while slamming their unlucky attackers head-on into the hard earth.

Though the elephants were big and powerful, the tigers and their allies had the advantage in numbers and agility. The fighting soon spread beyond the hill-top into the entire jungle. Unfortunate bystanders were torn apart and eaten alive as impromptu food for the tigers during pauses in the fighting. While many others too slow to escape were crushed to death by the stampeding elephant herd. The bellowing of injured bulls and the roars of cornered alpha males continued long into the night.

Several days later, the final sounds of clashing ivory and slashing claws faded into the cloud of dust that now covered the entire valley. After awhile, a single strained voice could be heard crying out, "We won! We ... have ... won". Unfortunately, the origin of that voice will never be found out. With the haze of battle drifting off as the sun rose anew, only the lifeless bodies of numerous tigers, elephants and other uninvolved animals could be seen strewn across the valley.

Not a tree was left standing. Not a single stream or body of water was left unsullied. The familar landmarks were gone, replaced with the footmarks of the elephants or the blood of the tigers. And all its inhabitants had either been frightened off, smashed under the thundering feet of the elephants or ripped apart by the sharp claws and teeth of the tigers.

The vultures and other carrion birds, previously reviled outcasts, now came down hungrily by the dozen and feasted themselves on the carcasses lying all around the valley floor. Their Head sarcastically commented that now they were the Rulers of the Jungle, or at least of what was left of it.

Many years have passed since then, and the valley never regained its old luster back.
Only grass grows where towering behemoths once stretched towards the clouds.
Dead silence where there was once the melodious confluence of noises from the creatures of the jungle.
Stale air which had once been perfumed by the many wild flowers and plants.
Anyone passing by the barren valley now would be amused to be told that it was once a lush tropical jungle.

"Victory at too high a cost is not victory at all, but defeat in disguise"

**original composition and copyright of Michael