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“O Kalulu,” Moro-goro the Squirrel had said, “I overheard Fisi the Hyena, mumbling to himself, ‘I know the wild goat has given birth to a kid in a small cave below the Black Rock. I’ll make a meal of both the mother and the kid just after sunset ha…ha… ha… But the goat may hit back with her horns. I’ll give her a surprise. She shouldn’t know that I’m coming.’ Kalulu, can’t you do anything to save the goat and the kid?”

“Let me think about it,” murmured Kalulu. After a little thought he spoke to Moro-goro for a long time. The squirrel twitched its whiskers, raised the tail and said, “I’ll do exactly as you’ve told me.

What a wonderful mind you have, Kalulu, only you can find a way through such situations,” the squirrel said.

Moro-goro slithered off and went up a tree trunk as it saw the hyena coming.
“Fisi!” the squirrel called out, “You are very stupid. Don’t you know that your
body gives off a foul odour. It can be smelt even from a distance. The goat might give you a tough fight although you’ll win in the end. Why not play safe and use some trick?”

“So, you know my plan,” growled the hyena.

“Give me some idea about how to hide my presence. I’m dying to have the goat and the kid in my jaws.”

“That’s easy,” replied the squirrel, jerking her head.

The-Horned-Hyena

“Cover yourself in black mud to hide the foul odour. Try to fix a pair of goat’s horns on your head and bleat like a goat when you approach the cave. The goat
would not know what you are; she’d be confused, thinking that you are a
strange kind of goat.”

“What an idea,” exclaimed Fisi joyfully. “You deserve a reward. I’ll try to eat you
last as your reward.”

Maddy Wolf was in a bad temper. He was not really mad but his temper gave him
the look of madness. He swore at everything, cursed everyone and snarled
his teeth at his imaginary enemies. He was often overheard mumbling, “I’ll dig my teeth into your neck and tear you from limb to limb. Between my jaws no
one remains alive for long. You don’t know me.”

He even howled at the trees and bushes. “You’re in a dangerous mood but you’ll
have the gentlest and sweetest temper once you have your mate.”

Maddy stopped in his path and howled,

“Who’s that?”

He looked at the thick bush from which someone had spoken to him.

“I think I know the voice,” spoke Maddy.

“Isn’t it Kalulu? What is this talk about the mate? What do you mean?You know how long I’ve been waiting for a mate but she never comes. I’m cursed to remain a lone wolf.”

The-Horned-Hyena

“You deserve pity and sympathy,” came the voice, “Listen carefully. Tonight you
should stay in the cave beneath the Black Rock. If you’re lucky you may see a black horned-hyena bleating like a goat. Grab the horned hyena and force him to show you your mate. Don’t let him go before he does it. Don’t be fooled if he plays
any trick on you.”

“A black horned hyena, bleating like a goat!” repeated Maddy, “What wild talk
is this? Are you sure you aren’t fooling me?”

“You’ll see for yourself this evening,” replied Kalulu, leaving Maddy in deep
thoughts.

As the evening sun set behind the hills and twilight covered the jungle, Fisi
walked towards the Black Rock.

The very idea of digging his teeth into the juicy goat meat was making his heart
dance with joy.

“No one can guess what I am,” he said, happy with the idea. “I’ll give wild goat a
terrible surprise. Thereafter I’ll gobble up both the mother and the kid.”

Meanwhile, Maddy was getting restless. He could see the black hyena with two
horns oddly placed upon his head trying to bleat in a horrible way: “Maaa, maaa… he-ha, he-ha, maaa, maaa… he-ha… heha…”

“This strange hyena ‘howl-bleats’. I’m really in luck,” muttered Maddy.

The next moment he pounced upon the strange creature, growling, “Give me my mate this moment.”

His pointed teeth began to rip the hyena’s skin. “Give me my mate,” cried Maddy.

“What mate?” wailed the hyena. “How can I give you something I don’t have? You can’t be the wild goat. I know you now. You are Maddy. Don’t you know me? I’m Fisi, your humble servant. Your dreadful teeth are tearing me part.”

“Don’t try to fool me,” snarled Maddy. “Who ever heard of a black hyena with two horns and ‘howl-bleating’? You have all the signs which assure me that you can give me my mate.”

The-Horned-Hyena

Wild Goat was watching the whole scene from a safe distance. She had the kid with her. Kalulu was standing beside her.

“Kalulu, my dearest friend!” bleated the goat, “I can’t thank you enough for saving our lives. If you weren’t there for us, we would be dead by now.”

Fisi lay still under the jaws of Maddy who was tearing and ripping him apart.