I don't own any of the characters apart from Amili (Swahili for 'guide') and Najiri (Swahili for 'emigrate').


Amili was thoroughly enjoying the presence of Melman and his friends, they were a welcome interlude in what had been a very boring part of her life. At least, she'd originally intended her meeting with the four odd friends to be an interlude, but as the day dragged on, she found herself wishing more and more that they would be rather more than such, though she knew her father would never agree.

Thoughts of her father suddenly caused a rise of guilt in Amili as she realised he was probably worried about her, so she waited for a natural break in the joking, and said, "well, it's been nice meeting you all, but I have to go now, my father is probably worried sick about me."

"This being the same father who kept you isolated from your own kind," Gloria asked.

"Well, yes," Amili admitted, "but he is my father."

"Good luck then," Melman said, "and maybe we'll see you again tomorrow?"

"Maybe indeed," Amili said, and smiled at him before turning and walking away.

"Got yourself a good one there Mel'," Marty said, "smart and funny, if a bit boring."

"Yeah," Melman said distractedly, more interesting watching Amili's retreating form.


It took Amili longer than she expected to find her father, but when she did, she approached him, and said "I'm back father."

Najiri turned at the voice, and smiled, "Amili, I was beginning to worry."

"I know," Amili said, "I, I'm sorry for being away so long."

"Oh that's all right as long as you're safe," Najiri replied, "and it got me thinking for once."

"Did it," Amili asked, "what about?" She knew exactly what was coming, but it was better to let him say it.

"About us," Najiri said, "I think maybe it's time we returned to a herd."

Yep, Amili thought, she'd heard this one before, and nothing ever got done, but now there was a chance to do something about it. "Actually," she said, deciding to hit her father with everything at once, "the reason I was out so long I because I was with a small group, although I suppose you could call it a herd."

"A group," Najiri asked, wondering at the 'you could call it a herd', "what sort of group?"

"Well, they're all misfits," Amili replied, "but in a good way, they've just had an unusual upbringing."

"Indeed," Najiri said, "and so you could perhaps furnish me with a few more details."

"It's, a little complex to explain," Amili said, "so perhaps we could go and see them tomorrow?"

"Perhaps," Najiri said. He knew Amili was keeping something from him, but he also knew pressing her wouldn't do any good, so he added, "if they're still there."

"I left them down at the river," Amili said, "so they shouldn't have gone too far."


"So exactly how many are in this group," Najiri asked, as Amili led him back to where she'd left the group the previous afternoon.

"Just four," Amili replied, "not that many."

"And when you say they're misfits..." Najiri said, letting the question hang.

"They're not all giraffes," Najiri replied, "I mean, there is a giraffe among them, but only one."

"Only one giraffe in a group of four creatures," Najiri asked, "misfits indeed."

"But friendly ones," Amili said, "they didn't do me any harm."

"Indeed," Najiri said, closing off the conversation.


"Hey," Marty said, interrupting their conversation and pointing, "Is that a giraffe?"

"Possibly," Melmam said, then concentrated, "no, it actually looks like two giraffes."

"Two giraffes," Gloria asked.

"Yes, two," Melman replied, "and you know what, I think one of them is Amili."

"Wouldn't that make the other one her father then," Marty asked.

"Probably," Melman replied absent-mindedly, watching the two giraffe's get closer, "yes, I'm sure it's Amili, I recognise the gait."

"You watch how others walk," Gloria asked, surprised, "Melman, I didn't think you had it in you."

"Hey nothing wrong with being interested in someone else," Marty said, "especially if they happen to be the opposite gender and the same species."

"Yeah, but Melman," Gloria asked, "I mean, he's..."

"Everyone has to let their hair down sometimes," Alex said.

"Yep," Marty said, "although in your case buddy down isn't the only direction."

"That's true," Alex said, "up and out to the sides are in there somewhere as well."

Melman had been ignoring his friends since he first caught sight of the other two giraffes. One had stopped still some distance away, but the other one continued forward, even closer. Nor was Amili, as she turned out to be, the only one moving, quite without being aware of it, he himself had begun to move forward. When the two giraffes finally met, he said, "good morning Amili."

"Good morning Melman," Amili replied.

"I see you brought your father this time," Melman said.

"I did," Amili replied, "although I have to warn you, he can be quite, conservative, at times, so this probably isn't going to go as well as I'd like it to."

"Well, we can but hope," Melman said, so how do you want to do this, meet everyone at once, or leave meeting the others till a bit later."

"I think we can leave meeting the others till we've had a few words," Amili replied, "it'll probably work out better."

"Then what are we waiting for," Melman asked.

Melman tried to appear confident, but Amili could tell it was a bluff, that he was actually quite nervous. Not that she was feeling any better, she just hoped her father could accept him, and eventually the others as well. When the three of them were finally together, "she said, "father, this is Melman." The older male made no more response than a curt nod, so she went on, "Melman, this is my father, Najiri."

"Pleased to meet you," Melman said, smiling nervously, though it quickly drained in the face of Najiri's frown. Glancing at Amili, he said, "er..."

"Those are your friends are they," Najiri asked Melman, seeing, even from this distance, a grey shape that might have been a hippo, or maybe a rhino.

"That's right," Melman replied nervously, "I mean, I know they're probably not what you'd expect, but they're nice." He gulped nervously when his comments didn't seem to have any effect on Najiri, who seemed to get more threatening by the moment as the silence unrolled.