Cat was still thinking of the antics and travesties of justice committed by Hare and his crony when Bat asked everyone to help ferry the two bodies to a nearby anthill where the deceased would be laid to rest. Ants, birds, animals and reptiles did not shirk the task at hand. They struggled with the bodies, panting, falling and picking themselves up until they arrived at the final resting place for the two friends, and foes of everyone. The anthill was a hub for termites.
After the burial, Tortoise became the animal of the moment, the centre of attraction. He climbed over a tree and addressed the swelling crowd. He looked humble and calm. Even his usually hard and rocky body looked shiny and squashy. The horde of animals and birds thundered, “Tortoise! Tortoise! Be our servant leader!”
He took a long breath. His greeting words were greeted with thunderous ovation. He mentioned that animals came in many and various forms, sizes and shapes, and that it was common to lump them together for different reasons. He also stressed that animals usually worked as a team to gather food in an effective and efficient way, for grooming, for protection, for raising of their young, for migration and – of course, life was too short to be spent whining about – for playing as well. In response to this laughter and whistles shot up.
