The porcupine soldiers had a tough time maintaining peace at the parliament house. Before they reached the parliament, many animals had heard from their homes and had rushed there to defend their own. Over two thousand animals died. Most animal families had casualties except tortoise family. They hid in their protective shells when it got dangerous and stayed that way until the chaos went down. Blood was everywhere around the parliament house. Carnivores bit and chewed their former games to the disgust of all.
The porcupines were able to chase almost all the animals away but the carnivores and fierce omnivores took a while to leave as they ate the dead like the gluttons they were. Eventually, all the animals were sent away and the carcasses left were sent to The Palace.
The first family and their friends had a silent meat party that night. They ate and ate until they couldn’t eat anymore.
Some could not stand the air in the caves of the palace and so came out to its compound to stretch for fresh air, forgetting the state they were in. Meanwhile, the animals whose representatives and families died heard their carcasses were sent to the Palace got up early and headed there hoping to get them for burial. What met their eyes caused them to turn the Palace into a mourning ground. There, lying on the ground were many lions, hyenas, tigers and many carnivores who could hardly breathe, their bloated stomachs pregnant with satisfaction. Bones and debris of animal bodies were seen being pecked by vultures. Although the vultures fled when they saw the first badge of mourners, it didn’t do anything to appease them.
The first family got up but Catcher decided they stayed in their caves until they all left; her reason being that could give them an alibi to the shameful happening. So they stayed there until late mid-day and asked Porcupine Poku to go and tell them the first family went up into some mountains to call on the new gods to give them direction as to how to solve the current situation.
Meanwhile, Poku told them that a commission of enquiry was already up and Cruiser, Fly Flier and Beauty had been served to meet to commission as soon as they could in order to get to the bottom of the matter. He also added that anyone who saw someone in any appropriate behavior can come and file a complaint so the animal will be called and brought to book when found guilty.
Most of the animals calmed down when this was told to them and went to their homes to wait for the first family to come to lay their complaints. Few stayed back with sorrow in wait for the first family; the new head of cows, the new head of giraffes, the new head of sheep, the new head of warthogs and the mother of the head of giraffes; Necky, who perished in the chaos and was obviously lying scattered in some belly of a carnivore.
Corrector the parrot, who left immediately he sensed the first drop of blood, stood on some tree near the Palace, silently repeating the lamentations of the mourners.
Henrietta, the mother of Necky, was the most dramatic. She cried and cried and cried until she collapsed and was sent to the Palace river to be ponded into sanity. Seeing as the few mourners refused to leave, King Gyaas and his entire family, led by Catcher, exited through the palace gate to wash themselves at the Palace River and met the unconscious Henrietta being resuscitated there. Blood and all, the head of cows, who replaced Quintin, Alex, stopped in his track and saw the very blood-bathed first family of the kingdom who felt caught and could not run. The head of goats was also fetching water for Alex, when he looked back, he also saw what was not meant to be seen. Before any of them could say jack, Catcher ordered for them to be killed. Henrietta opened her eyes and closed them again when she saw how her helpers were being scattered by the first family.
Corrector saw all that had happened and flew away thinking of the safety of his life. Henrietta was helped back to the palace in her state by the first family after washing themselves clean. When those in wait saw them, they hailed them as the savior they seemed to be. Before anyone could ask where and how they got Henrietta, they said they came from the palace river and saw her helplessly lying on the shores of the river. Just then, Henrietta opened her eyes, looked critically at King Gyaas and his family and started crying as though her heart has been ripped apart.
END OF CHAPTER SIX. WATCH OUT FOR CHAPTER SEVEN NEXT WEEK
Mum Cee 