Chapter 5: It's Not So Bad
Mzungu and the other two cubs exchanged concerned looks as Mohatu lay on the ground, crying his eyes out. That had not been the reaction they had expected from him. Raising her eyebrows nervously, the female cub turned to Mzungu. "Is he gonna be okay?" she asked.
Mzungu turned from her and looked to Mohatu. "It's hard to tell," she replied. "He's never done this before. At least not when I was around...but that doesn't mean he hasn't done it around Mtundu or his parents."
"He's really got some issues," the male cub said. "Poor guy...we really got out work cut out for us."
"That we do," Mzungu replied. She walked over to the distressed Mohatu and sat next to him. "Mohatu, what on Earth is the matter with you?" she asked softly.
Mohatu pulled his paws away from his face and glared at her. "What's the m-matter?" he sobbed. "What kind of...stupid question is that? I trusted you, and you decided to r-round up your f-friends and ambush me! I'll bet Mtundu put you up t-to this, d-didn't he? I thought you were m-my friend."
Mzungu and her friends all looked at eachother, not quite knowing what to say. They had only been joking around--they didn't think he was going to react in this way. They properly deduced that his psyche was far more fragile than they could ever know, especially if he got the idea in his head that Mtundu had hired them to ambush him.
The male cub walked over the Mohatu and smiled playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "C'mon, Bud," he said, "we were only funnin' with ya!"
"Yeah," the female cub said. "We weren't actually gonna hurt you."
Mohatu wiped the tears from his eyes and looked at them questioningly. They had only been playing? Mzungu gently nuzzled him. "Geez, Mohatu," she started, "what would give you the idea that we were going to hurt you?"
"I...I..." Mohatu sputtered. He didn't know what to say. They had been playing a joke on him, and he started bawling. He felt like a total idiot. With an exasperated groan, he buried his face in his paws, embarassed to even look at the other cubs.
Try as he did, he couldn't hide his embarassment from the others. Mzungu and her friends didn't find it funny though, or think he was an idiot. They felt bad for him, if anything, that he would have experiences that would cause him to react in that way. The female cub walked over to Mohatu and nudged him. "Oh, don't feel bad," she comforted, "it was an easy mistake."
"No," Mohatu replied, "you don't need to be nice about it. I'm such an idiot..."
"No!" Mzungu exclaimed. She used her paw to lift his chin so that they were nose to nose. "No, you're not. And it's our job to get you to see that." Mzungu turned to her friends. "I even went to the trouble of recruiting my best friends to get you back on track. That's Ucheshi,"--she motioned to the male cub--"and that's Tuli,"--she motioned to the female cub--"and they're going to help me to boost your self-esteem."
Mohatu sighed and shook his head. "No...no, you guys don't have to do that..."
"Yes we do," Mzungu replied, "or soon, all your pain and self-hatred will consume you from the inside out. Your choice."
Mohatu looked to the ground. He felt like crawling under a rock right about now. He had reacted like a total idiot to their joke, and now he had to be advised on how to accept himself. What a great life he was living. "Alright," he sighed.
Mzungu's face lit up. "Great! First off, we gotta teach you how to have fun...you could definately use it."
"Fun?" Mohatu asked.
Mzungu, Ucheshi and Tuli stared at eachother. "Boy," Mzungu said, "we do have our work cut out for us." She thought a moment. "Well, since you're obviously an amatuer, we'd better start you off slow. Cover your eyes and count to twenty."
Mohatu stared at her for a minute, as if trying to figure out whether she was really serious. She just stared back, and nodded to him. He groaned. "Oooh boy," he muttered, "a counting game. That's some fun, there." He covered his eyes with his paws. "One...two..."
"C'mon!" Mzungu whispered.
The three ran off in different directions to find a good spot to hide. They all decided to stay within a twenty yard radius, so that Mohatu would at least have a chance at finding them. Mzungu found her spot at the top of a boulder. Ucheshi climbed up into a tree, and Tuli hid in a patch of long grass. "twelve...thirteen..."
Mzungu sat in wait. She wondered how long it would take Mohatu to catch on to the game. They hadn't taken the time to explain the rules to him, since he probably would have question them on how hide-and-seek qualified as "fun". Even though he didn't know what it meant.
"...twenty." Mohatu pulled his paws away from his face and turned to face Mzungu, Ucheshi and Tuli. They were gone. Mohatu let out a huge groan. First they pretend that they were going to ambush him, and now they ditch him? If this was what fun was all about, he wanted no part in it. They seemed to be playing some kind of game with his mind. He didn't like that. Onevu and Mtundu did that often enough. He didn't need it from these three either. "Oh, come on," he groaned, "you guys said you wanted to have `fun'. Is ditching me your idea of `fun'?" No answer. Mohatu rolled his eyes. "Alright then. I guess I can go home then." He turned around and began to walk towards home.
Mzungu shook her head, embarassed that she assumed that he was going to catch onto the game. "You're supposed to try and find us, genius," she called.
Mohatu whirled around. "What?" This seemed completely ludacrous to him. Pointless even. Oh well, it wasn't as if he had anything better to do. "Fine, I'll look for you."
The cubs watched from their posts while Mohatu searched aimlessly for them. Ucheshi, who had perched himself in a branch of the tree, shook his head. This was going to take forever. Why did they have to start with hide-and-seek? There were many more simple games that Mzungu could have chosen.
Finally, after several moments, Mohatu began to make his way toward the patch of grass where Tuli was. The patch happened to be conviniently located next to Mzungu's boulder. Mzungu grinned, as an idea came to her. She crouched low, and waited for Mohatu to get closer. Just when Mohatu was about to uncover Tuli's hiding spot, she pounced.
With a swift movement, she flipped Mohatu onto his back. "Tag, you're it!" she exclaimed.
Heart racing, Mohatu stared up at Mzungu, trying to figure out what had just happened. "What?" he replied, after a moment.
"You're it," Mzungu said, "now you have to try and catch us."
Mzungu jumped off of Mohatu, and waited for him to get up before she ran off. Mohatu nonenthusiastically pulled himself to his feet. "No," he replied.
Mzungu's smile faded, and she stared at him. "What?" she asked.
Mohatu turned fo face her. "No. I don't want to chase you. It's pointless." Mzungu continued to stare. Ucheshi and Tuli jumped out of their hiding spots and stood next to Mzungu, and stared as well.
"But I thought you wanted to--" Mzungu started.
"You wanna know what I want?" Mohatu snapped. "I wanna go home, that's what. I'm sick of you guys, and your idea of `fun'. It's just not gonna work for me, okay?"
Mohatu began to walk off, not giving Mzungu or her friends a chance to reply. Mzungu sadly watched him walk off. With a defeated sigh, she looked to the ground. Ucheshi and Tuli drew closer to her.
"Aw, don't worry, Mzungu," Tuli said, "you tried."
Mzungu shook his head. "No. You guys don't understand. I just wanted to teach him that life isn't all that bad...he can still have a good life, regardless of what Onevu and Mtundu want him to think. I just wish he could understand that--"
THUD!
Mzungu groaned in pain. She had been thrown on her back, and quite hard at that. Painfully, she opened her eyes, and couldn't believe what she saw. There, standing over her, was Mohatu, a big grin on his face. "C'mon, Mzungu," he said, "you know I was just funnin' with ya."
"What...I thought..."
Mohatu jumped off of Mzungu and turned to Ucheshi and Tuli. "Mzungu's it!" he shouted. "Run!"
Mohatu tore off at a speed none of the cubs had ever seen before. Ucheshi and Tuli stared at eachother, then smiles broke out on each of their faces. Laughing, they ran off, leaving the stunned Mzungu to get to her feet and give chase.
* * * *
Day had passed, and night was upon the Misty Valley. It was a clear night, and all the stars twinkled brightly in the cold sky. Mohatu, Mzungu, Ucheshi and Tuli lay on their backs, stargazing.
"Hey, look!" Ucheshi exclaimed, pointing out a shooting star.
All the cubs muttered their `oohs' and `aahs'. Especially Mohatu, who was completely overwhelmed by the mystique and beauty of it all. He had never been outside at night, if at all, so this was a completely new experience for him. Ucheshi noted the amazed expression plastered on Mohatu's face, and he laughed.
"What, Mohatu," he asked, "never seen stars before?"
He and the other two laughed. Mohatu just smiled and shook his head. "No, I haven't," he replied casually.
The other cubs instantly stopped laughing at eachother and looked at eachother. Stargazing was a popular activity among young cubs in the Misty Lands. But Mohatu claimed that he had never done it. At that moment, the three realized just how isolated Mohatu must have been.
Feeling uncomfortable with the silence, Mohatu rose to his feet. "Well, I guess I had better go," he said. "My mom's probably worried about me..."
Ucheshi rolled onto his stomach. "Wait, Mohatu," he said, "you don't have to go, ya know."
Mohatu gave a weak smile. "I know," he replied, "but...I...I just gotta go."
Mzungu jumped to her feet and ran over to Mohatu's side. "Then I'll walk you home."
"Aw, you don't have to--"
"I know, but I want to."
"Well...o..okay..."
Deciding not to argue any further, Mohatu began to walk home with Mzungu at his side.
* * * *
The two were nearing Misty Rock, and neither one had said a word throughout the whole time. The silence was eating away at their nerves, both wanting to know what the other was thinking. They both searched their mind for things to say, but found nothing.
Mohatu, after searching for anything that might start a good conversation, spoke up. "Uh, Mzungu?"
Mzungu's ears perked up and she looked over at Mohatu with a big smile, grateful that he finally had something to say. "Yeah?"
Mohatu looked at the ground for a minute, then looked at Mzungu nervously. "Ucheshi and Tuli...do they think I'm...weird?"
Mzungu drew back. "Weird?" she asked. "What would give you an idea like that?"
Mohatu looked away again. "Well, I'm not saying they flat out said it or anything, but the way they looked at me awhile ago...before I left..."
Mzungu sighed, not knowing quite what to say. She'd admit that she had never met a cub who had never seen the stars before, which was kind of awkward, but not exactly weird. "They don't think you're--"
"Well, well, well, what have we here?"
Mohatu and Mzungu both whirled around, startled by the voice. To their dismay, Mtundu walked out of the shadows, teeth gleaming as he grinned at them. Mzungu instantly greeted him with a scowl. "What do you want?"
Mtundu chuckled. "Well, good evening to you too, my precious gem," he said. As he walked by her, he brushed his tail under Mzungu's chin suggestively. Mzungu angrily pulled away. Ignoring the gesture, Mtundu went on. "I certainly do hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"You are," Mzungu retorted, "now buzz off!"
Mtundu grinned. "Oh, fiesty one, are we?" He turned to Mohatu, and his smile vanished, and a grimace took its place. "Mzungu, forgive me for asking...but what is a beautiful flower like yourself doing hanging out with trash like this?" He looked pointedly at Mohatu.
Mzungu snarled at Mtundu. "I beg to differ," she growled, "for your information, Mohatu is my friend. Something you will never be. And I want you to leave him alone. He never did anything to you." Mtundu drew back. Mzungu continued. "And as for the whole `trash' issue, I think you inherited it. From your father."
Mtundu stared, stunned. Mzungu turned her back on Mtundu and smiled at Mohatu. "Don't let him push you around, Mohatu," she said, "remember, you have three friends to back you up."
Mohatu's mouth went agape. Mzungu winked at him and made her way home. Mohatu felt quite triumphant that night--he passed the rest of the night without being harassed by his older brother.
Mzungu and the other two cubs exchanged concerned looks as Mohatu lay on the ground, crying his eyes out. That had not been the reaction they had expected from him. Raising her eyebrows nervously, the female cub turned to Mzungu. "Is he gonna be okay?" she asked.
Mzungu turned from her and looked to Mohatu. "It's hard to tell," she replied. "He's never done this before. At least not when I was around...but that doesn't mean he hasn't done it around Mtundu or his parents."
"He's really got some issues," the male cub said. "Poor guy...we really got out work cut out for us."
"That we do," Mzungu replied. She walked over to the distressed Mohatu and sat next to him. "Mohatu, what on Earth is the matter with you?" she asked softly.
Mohatu pulled his paws away from his face and glared at her. "What's the m-matter?" he sobbed. "What kind of...stupid question is that? I trusted you, and you decided to r-round up your f-friends and ambush me! I'll bet Mtundu put you up t-to this, d-didn't he? I thought you were m-my friend."
Mzungu and her friends all looked at eachother, not quite knowing what to say. They had only been joking around--they didn't think he was going to react in this way. They properly deduced that his psyche was far more fragile than they could ever know, especially if he got the idea in his head that Mtundu had hired them to ambush him.
The male cub walked over the Mohatu and smiled playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "C'mon, Bud," he said, "we were only funnin' with ya!"
"Yeah," the female cub said. "We weren't actually gonna hurt you."
Mohatu wiped the tears from his eyes and looked at them questioningly. They had only been playing? Mzungu gently nuzzled him. "Geez, Mohatu," she started, "what would give you the idea that we were going to hurt you?"
"I...I..." Mohatu sputtered. He didn't know what to say. They had been playing a joke on him, and he started bawling. He felt like a total idiot. With an exasperated groan, he buried his face in his paws, embarassed to even look at the other cubs.
Try as he did, he couldn't hide his embarassment from the others. Mzungu and her friends didn't find it funny though, or think he was an idiot. They felt bad for him, if anything, that he would have experiences that would cause him to react in that way. The female cub walked over to Mohatu and nudged him. "Oh, don't feel bad," she comforted, "it was an easy mistake."
"No," Mohatu replied, "you don't need to be nice about it. I'm such an idiot..."
"No!" Mzungu exclaimed. She used her paw to lift his chin so that they were nose to nose. "No, you're not. And it's our job to get you to see that." Mzungu turned to her friends. "I even went to the trouble of recruiting my best friends to get you back on track. That's Ucheshi,"--she motioned to the male cub--"and that's Tuli,"--she motioned to the female cub--"and they're going to help me to boost your self-esteem."
Mohatu sighed and shook his head. "No...no, you guys don't have to do that..."
"Yes we do," Mzungu replied, "or soon, all your pain and self-hatred will consume you from the inside out. Your choice."
Mohatu looked to the ground. He felt like crawling under a rock right about now. He had reacted like a total idiot to their joke, and now he had to be advised on how to accept himself. What a great life he was living. "Alright," he sighed.
Mzungu's face lit up. "Great! First off, we gotta teach you how to have fun...you could definately use it."
"Fun?" Mohatu asked.
Mzungu, Ucheshi and Tuli stared at eachother. "Boy," Mzungu said, "we do have our work cut out for us." She thought a moment. "Well, since you're obviously an amatuer, we'd better start you off slow. Cover your eyes and count to twenty."
Mohatu stared at her for a minute, as if trying to figure out whether she was really serious. She just stared back, and nodded to him. He groaned. "Oooh boy," he muttered, "a counting game. That's some fun, there." He covered his eyes with his paws. "One...two..."
"C'mon!" Mzungu whispered.
The three ran off in different directions to find a good spot to hide. They all decided to stay within a twenty yard radius, so that Mohatu would at least have a chance at finding them. Mzungu found her spot at the top of a boulder. Ucheshi climbed up into a tree, and Tuli hid in a patch of long grass. "twelve...thirteen..."
Mzungu sat in wait. She wondered how long it would take Mohatu to catch on to the game. They hadn't taken the time to explain the rules to him, since he probably would have question them on how hide-and-seek qualified as "fun". Even though he didn't know what it meant.
"...twenty." Mohatu pulled his paws away from his face and turned to face Mzungu, Ucheshi and Tuli. They were gone. Mohatu let out a huge groan. First they pretend that they were going to ambush him, and now they ditch him? If this was what fun was all about, he wanted no part in it. They seemed to be playing some kind of game with his mind. He didn't like that. Onevu and Mtundu did that often enough. He didn't need it from these three either. "Oh, come on," he groaned, "you guys said you wanted to have `fun'. Is ditching me your idea of `fun'?" No answer. Mohatu rolled his eyes. "Alright then. I guess I can go home then." He turned around and began to walk towards home.
Mzungu shook her head, embarassed that she assumed that he was going to catch onto the game. "You're supposed to try and find us, genius," she called.
Mohatu whirled around. "What?" This seemed completely ludacrous to him. Pointless even. Oh well, it wasn't as if he had anything better to do. "Fine, I'll look for you."
The cubs watched from their posts while Mohatu searched aimlessly for them. Ucheshi, who had perched himself in a branch of the tree, shook his head. This was going to take forever. Why did they have to start with hide-and-seek? There were many more simple games that Mzungu could have chosen.
Finally, after several moments, Mohatu began to make his way toward the patch of grass where Tuli was. The patch happened to be conviniently located next to Mzungu's boulder. Mzungu grinned, as an idea came to her. She crouched low, and waited for Mohatu to get closer. Just when Mohatu was about to uncover Tuli's hiding spot, she pounced.
With a swift movement, she flipped Mohatu onto his back. "Tag, you're it!" she exclaimed.
Heart racing, Mohatu stared up at Mzungu, trying to figure out what had just happened. "What?" he replied, after a moment.
"You're it," Mzungu said, "now you have to try and catch us."
Mzungu jumped off of Mohatu, and waited for him to get up before she ran off. Mohatu nonenthusiastically pulled himself to his feet. "No," he replied.
Mzungu's smile faded, and she stared at him. "What?" she asked.
Mohatu turned fo face her. "No. I don't want to chase you. It's pointless." Mzungu continued to stare. Ucheshi and Tuli jumped out of their hiding spots and stood next to Mzungu, and stared as well.
"But I thought you wanted to--" Mzungu started.
"You wanna know what I want?" Mohatu snapped. "I wanna go home, that's what. I'm sick of you guys, and your idea of `fun'. It's just not gonna work for me, okay?"
Mohatu began to walk off, not giving Mzungu or her friends a chance to reply. Mzungu sadly watched him walk off. With a defeated sigh, she looked to the ground. Ucheshi and Tuli drew closer to her.
"Aw, don't worry, Mzungu," Tuli said, "you tried."
Mzungu shook his head. "No. You guys don't understand. I just wanted to teach him that life isn't all that bad...he can still have a good life, regardless of what Onevu and Mtundu want him to think. I just wish he could understand that--"
THUD!
Mzungu groaned in pain. She had been thrown on her back, and quite hard at that. Painfully, she opened her eyes, and couldn't believe what she saw. There, standing over her, was Mohatu, a big grin on his face. "C'mon, Mzungu," he said, "you know I was just funnin' with ya."
"What...I thought..."
Mohatu jumped off of Mzungu and turned to Ucheshi and Tuli. "Mzungu's it!" he shouted. "Run!"
Mohatu tore off at a speed none of the cubs had ever seen before. Ucheshi and Tuli stared at eachother, then smiles broke out on each of their faces. Laughing, they ran off, leaving the stunned Mzungu to get to her feet and give chase.
* * * *
Day had passed, and night was upon the Misty Valley. It was a clear night, and all the stars twinkled brightly in the cold sky. Mohatu, Mzungu, Ucheshi and Tuli lay on their backs, stargazing.
"Hey, look!" Ucheshi exclaimed, pointing out a shooting star.
All the cubs muttered their `oohs' and `aahs'. Especially Mohatu, who was completely overwhelmed by the mystique and beauty of it all. He had never been outside at night, if at all, so this was a completely new experience for him. Ucheshi noted the amazed expression plastered on Mohatu's face, and he laughed.
"What, Mohatu," he asked, "never seen stars before?"
He and the other two laughed. Mohatu just smiled and shook his head. "No, I haven't," he replied casually.
The other cubs instantly stopped laughing at eachother and looked at eachother. Stargazing was a popular activity among young cubs in the Misty Lands. But Mohatu claimed that he had never done it. At that moment, the three realized just how isolated Mohatu must have been.
Feeling uncomfortable with the silence, Mohatu rose to his feet. "Well, I guess I had better go," he said. "My mom's probably worried about me..."
Ucheshi rolled onto his stomach. "Wait, Mohatu," he said, "you don't have to go, ya know."
Mohatu gave a weak smile. "I know," he replied, "but...I...I just gotta go."
Mzungu jumped to her feet and ran over to Mohatu's side. "Then I'll walk you home."
"Aw, you don't have to--"
"I know, but I want to."
"Well...o..okay..."
Deciding not to argue any further, Mohatu began to walk home with Mzungu at his side.
* * * *
The two were nearing Misty Rock, and neither one had said a word throughout the whole time. The silence was eating away at their nerves, both wanting to know what the other was thinking. They both searched their mind for things to say, but found nothing.
Mohatu, after searching for anything that might start a good conversation, spoke up. "Uh, Mzungu?"
Mzungu's ears perked up and she looked over at Mohatu with a big smile, grateful that he finally had something to say. "Yeah?"
Mohatu looked at the ground for a minute, then looked at Mzungu nervously. "Ucheshi and Tuli...do they think I'm...weird?"
Mzungu drew back. "Weird?" she asked. "What would give you an idea like that?"
Mohatu looked away again. "Well, I'm not saying they flat out said it or anything, but the way they looked at me awhile ago...before I left..."
Mzungu sighed, not knowing quite what to say. She'd admit that she had never met a cub who had never seen the stars before, which was kind of awkward, but not exactly weird. "They don't think you're--"
"Well, well, well, what have we here?"
Mohatu and Mzungu both whirled around, startled by the voice. To their dismay, Mtundu walked out of the shadows, teeth gleaming as he grinned at them. Mzungu instantly greeted him with a scowl. "What do you want?"
Mtundu chuckled. "Well, good evening to you too, my precious gem," he said. As he walked by her, he brushed his tail under Mzungu's chin suggestively. Mzungu angrily pulled away. Ignoring the gesture, Mtundu went on. "I certainly do hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"You are," Mzungu retorted, "now buzz off!"
Mtundu grinned. "Oh, fiesty one, are we?" He turned to Mohatu, and his smile vanished, and a grimace took its place. "Mzungu, forgive me for asking...but what is a beautiful flower like yourself doing hanging out with trash like this?" He looked pointedly at Mohatu.
Mzungu snarled at Mtundu. "I beg to differ," she growled, "for your information, Mohatu is my friend. Something you will never be. And I want you to leave him alone. He never did anything to you." Mtundu drew back. Mzungu continued. "And as for the whole `trash' issue, I think you inherited it. From your father."
Mtundu stared, stunned. Mzungu turned her back on Mtundu and smiled at Mohatu. "Don't let him push you around, Mohatu," she said, "remember, you have three friends to back you up."
Mohatu's mouth went agape. Mzungu winked at him and made her way home. Mohatu felt quite triumphant that night--he passed the rest of the night without being harassed by his older brother.