Little Bimbo

Once upon a time, deep in the heart of the African grasslands, the setting sun prepared to give way to the coming of night. At that moment, just as the approaching night spread its mighty sheet of darkness across the savannah and the warm air turned into a chilling breeze, a young lady started showing signs of restlessness.
When the night finally conquered the savannah wilderness- as the grazers and browsers retired to their layers, and the growlers and hunters stretched in preparation for the hunt- she realized that time had come.
Six months had passed and now she was to ascertain her worthiness towards the survival and continuation of her kind. Despite the dangers involved, she knew it was a must. Lucky for her, her inherited instincts gave her natural knowledge on how best to handle the situation and her extremely sharp senses kept her safe.
Silently, she left the comfort of her kin and went to look for a suitable place. As she went, her nose read the scents in the wind and her ears scanned the sounds of the African night. Finally, she found a deserted place that was safe and comfortable. Here, alone, she felt much safer than being among family and friends. They were too many and could easily attract unwanted visitors. Satisfied with her choice, she waited
As the night dragged along, she braved recurring pangs of pain in silence. As the pain became stronger and its intervals shorter, her senses became more alert and she scanned her surroundings with utmost care. Finally, when the aged night became wrinkled with rays of light, and the rising sun returned to reclaim the land, little Bimbo was born.
Into the ‘morning’ world he came, a cuddly little fawn, innocent and new. His mother didn’t cuddle him or lift him, but she lovingly cleaned him with licking kisses and got him clean and dry. All ready for the big wide world awaiting him. Bimbo had a tawny color, a lovely brown that made him one with the dry savannah grasslands.
With eyes like, large, black pearls, Bimbo stared with awe. Everything amazed him and got him a little scared. The large bushes with intertwined branches waited as if to grab him. The swaying grass ‘crawled’ all over the place and the confusing scents quizzed his inexperienced little nose. The only thing that he recognized was his mother. It felt different out in the world. After welcoming bimbo to the world, mother patiently waited as Bimbo absorbed his new being and got acquainted.
When bimbo discovered he had legs, he attempted to stand up but wobbled and fell. He tried again and, to his joy, this time he stood for some seconds before falling on his nose.
After several attempts and encouraging nods from mom, he mastered the art of standing and, eventually, walking. Before long, he was playfully running around mom.
Like other babies of his kind, Bimbo learnt to run on the very day he was born and his chances of survival in the African wilderness were improved.
After suckling Bimbo, his mother decided she herself was hungry. She relocated Bimbo to a dry patch of grass and told him to wait there. Then she went to the family groups to graze.
Suddenly, Bimbo seemed to have vanished in thin air. But in reality, he was exactly were mama left him. To hide from predators, Bimbo was born well camouflaged and when seated among the grass, he becomes almost invisible; his brown coat mingled with the Savannah landscape. Furthermore Bimbo had the ability to freeze for hours, on end, without moving an inch and because he was a new born, he was odorless, no hunters could depend on their nose to track him. Little Bimbo had all the ‘baby kit’ that was necessary for survival in the wilderness.
Every day mother would come back several times a day to nurse him and every day he grew a bit. It was two months before Bimbo was weaned, and in the course of the two months he learnt a lot.
One day, when he was two weeks old, he learnt his first lesson. After mother had left him and went to feed, a fierce looking hunter had come prowling close to where he was hidden. Bimbo had never imagined anything as scary in his young life. All his body tensed with alarm and his little mind almost went numb. He sat as still as ever, his tiny heart pumping with fear as the hunter crawled dangerously close. For a minute, Bimbo panicked and thought of running away but, good for him, he didn’t.
The hungry predator had seen bimbo’s mother lingering around and decided to visit the area in case there was a quick and easy meal to be got. Bimbo did well in his first ‘test.’ The hunter didn’t see Bimbo or even sense his presence. He left.
From that day, Bimbo learnt that among the animals, there are friends and foes. This hunter was nothing close to the funny tortoise he met some time back.
Through out his growing days, bimbo learned new things and built on his experience. He grew up to be a handsome male Tomy, with long, backward curving, horns that had beautifull rings. But that is another story.