Chapter 20:
Chanticleer's Ghost
Losing some tears, David cries for a moment. That was until David hears some odd chanting from the distance. David turns his head and sees a dark figure in the trees. She was shaking a branch about while she was still chanting. But in reality, the figure is actually Zecora doing the chanting. But David doesn't recognize her. But Zecora continues to chant some kind of language.
Zecora: Asante Sana!
Tasty grass!
We we Punda!
Mi mi Hapana!
David was getting slightly annoyed by Zecora's chant. Then he moves away from Zecora, trying to get away from her chant. Zecora, elated by the sight of David, follows him. David walks until he stops at the edge of a water hole, which was filled with different MammaGriffs drinking from it, and decides to have a drink. But then suddenly a pebble was thrown into the water catching David's attention. David looks up to see the same QuaggaGriff, now in another tree starting her chant again. David was more annoyed than before. " Come on, will you cut it out?" said David to Zecora, " If I cut it off its tracks, It'll grow right back," said Zecora as she laughs, David knows he was talking about Zecora, not the tree. Then David starts to leave the water hole. But Zecora was following him. " Creepy, weird QuaggaGriff," muttered David to himself, David then hears Zecora following him and said " Will you stop following me? Who are you?".
Zecora appeared out of nowhere right in front of the HippoGriff Stallion and said " If you knew, may I ask: Whooo...are you?". David was startled by the comment but the QuaggaGriff does have a point about him. David sadly sighed and said " I thought I knew. But now I'm not so sure,". " Well, I know exactly who you are. Shhh. Come here it's a secret," said Zecora as she brings David closer to whisper into his ear, David was expecting to hear something about himself he wants to know. But instead, Zecora starts chanting in David's ear.
Zecora: Asante Sana!
Tasty Grass!
We we Punda!
Mi mi Hapana!
" Enough already! What is that supposed to mean anyway?" asked David now more irritated by the chanting, " It means you're a QuaggaGriff and I'm not," said Zecora as she begins to laugh, David starts to walk away from Zecora. " I think...you're a little too confused," said David, then Zecora magically appears in front of David again and poked his nose with her hoof " Wrong my friend! I'm the one who's confused. You don't even know who you are," said Zecora, " Oh, and I suppose you know?" said David moving away while being sarcastic and irritated, " If I had a ploy, you're Chanticleer's boy," said Zecora, David stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the name. David was very surprised by the revelation. Then David looks back at Zecora only to hear her say " Bye!". Then the QuaggaGriff ran as she chants.
" Hey, wait!" said David as he chases after her, this QuaggaGriff knows something about his father and David has to know what she knows. Then David slid down a hill, jumped over the fence, and runs. David has finally caught up to Zecora, who's now meditating on a rock with her eyes close. " You knew my father?" asked David, " Any further, I know your father," said Zecora, " I hate to tell you this, but...he died. A long time ago," said David, Zecora then leaped off the rock and ran to the forested area. " Nope! Wrong again! Ha ha hah! He's alive! And I'll show him to you. You follow for I know the way. Come on!" said Zecora as she disappeared into the forest, David immediately chased after her. But David was having trouble keeping up.
" Don't dwandle. Hurry up!" said Zecora's voice, " Hey, whoa. Wait, wait," said David as he ran, " Come on, come on," said Zecora, " Would you slow down?" asked David, David managed to catch glimpses of Zecora fitting through the forest ahead of him. Then David got his rein tangled in vines but managed to break through them. David tripped a few times but kept on going. David struggles to keep up until Zecora suddenly appears with her hoofed hand held right up at David's face. " STOP!" said Zecora, David immediately stopped, Zecora quietly motions David near some reeds. " Shhh. Look down there," whispered Zecora as she parts away the reeds and points past them with her staff, David quietly and carefully works his way out.
But David was nervous. He hasn't seen his father for a long time. But how is his father alive? David has watched his father died when he was a colt. Then David slowly approaches the pond and looks over the edge and sees his reflection in a pool of water. David at first seemed a bit startled, perhaps at his own mature appearance, but David realized what he's looking at. David lets out a sad sigh and said " That's my father. It's just my reflection,". " No. If you want to see your father, you must look harder," said Zecora as she dips her hoofed finger into the pond, creating ripples.
David looks closer and the ripples distort his reflection. Then David's reflection starts turning into something else. It began to take shape as it resolves into a familiar face that only David can recognize: His Father's Face. " If you knew. He Lives In You," said Zecora, David was awestruck by this. Then he hears a deep rumbling sound and the winds quickly pick up. " David…," said a voice, " Father?" asked said David, David then looks up and sees the clouds approaching him. Then something takes shape in the clouds and then it took in the form of Chanticleer as it was formed in the clouds. Chanticleer appears to be walking from the stars and towards David. David was again awestruck by his father. David couldn't even believe what he's seeing right now. The image of Chanticleer is ghostly at first but steadily gains color and coherence.
" David, you have forgotten me," said Chanticleer.
" No. How could I?" asked David.
" You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself David. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in The Circle Of Life," said Chanticleer.
" How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be?" said David.
" Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true leader," said Chanticleer with his eyes now glowing yellow and is framed by swirling clouds, radiating golden lights.
David's face begins to show a mixture of awe, fear and sadness. Then the image of Chanticleer starts to fade.
" Remember who you are," said Chanticleer.
As Chanticleer disappears rapidly into the clouds, David runs into the field trying to keep up with his father.
" No. Please! Don't leave me," said David.
" Remember…," said Chanticleer.
" Father!" said David.
" Remember…," said Chanticleer.
" Don't leave me," said David.
" Remember," said Chanticleer.
Chanticleer finally disappears and David is left out in the fields. There is just a cloud left to where Chanticleer's image was. As the wind tosses away the grass restlessly, David begins to realize something. He's been running away from his past for a very long time. But it'll only haunt him and David's family and home is now dying and flooding. David knows that he must return home and stop The Grand Duke. Zecora then approaches and said " What was that? Ha ha ha! The weather-Pbbbbah! Very peculiar. Don't you think?". " Yeah, looks like the winds are changing," said David, " Yes. And change is good," said Zecora, " Yeah, but it's not easy. I know what I have to do. But going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long," said David.
Then Zecora whacks David on the head with her staff. " Oww! Jeez-What was that for?" asked David, " I did it so fast, now it's in the past," said Zecora as she laughs, " Yeah, but it still hurts," said David, " Oh, yes my friend the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or...learn from it," said Zecora as she swings her staff at David again, but this time David ducks. " Hah! You see! So what are you gonna do?" asked Zecora, David smiled and said " First, I'm gonna take your stick,". Then David grabs Zecora staff with his mouth and tossed it to the side. " No, no, no, no, no! Not my staff," said Zecora as she rushed over and grabbed her staff, Zecora looked back to see David running off on an overhanging ledge on a nearby cliff. " Hey, if getting my staff is what I'm doing. May I ask: Where are you going?" shouted Zecora, David stopped and quickly turned to Zecora and said " I'm going back to take my father's place and show The Duke what I have it takes,".
" So send my friends a message Zecora. Tell them the Leader has returned! Because it's hero time!" said David as he jumps off from the ledge and lands onto a nearby rock formation, David then begins to balance on the rock formation and slid down until the tip of the rock meets with the other and David runs all the way down the bottom. As David runs back to The Great Farmlands, Zecora watched with a proud smile as David ran and disappeared into the night.