4 Fearless Friends

Far far away, in the African jungle, there lived four friends: A colorful parrot called Perry, a clever hedgehog called Thorn, a busy bee called Honeybun and a little frog who was nicknamed Froggy the Prince or just prince for short.

Perry could imitate all kinds of different sounds. Honeybun worked long hours preparing wonder honey that could cure everybody’s illnesses and wounds. Thorn had very good ideas, and Prince had a magic crown. With this crown he could see anyone who entered the jungle and know what they felt and thought.

The friends loved to help all the creatures in the jungle and called themselves 4 Fearless Friends.

After finishing their daily chores the friends often met to chat or play. One day, as they met, Thorn the hedgehog suggested, “Let’s play Hide and Seek. I’ll be IT and you hurry up and hide while I count to 10”.

Perry hid in a tall tree, Honeybun hid in a flower and Prince hid in the grass under the trees.Thorn finished counting and called out, “Ready of not, here I come!” He turned around and checked the area. He easily discovered Perry in the tree since the leaves did not hide his colorful feathers. Then he heard the bee, who forgot to stop buzzing in the flower. But he couldn’t find prince.

 While Thorn was looking for him, Prince sensed that a stranger had entered the jungle from the Savanna. He concentrated and saw that it was a rhino, a sad and angry rhino looking for revenge. Prince was so frightened that he jumped out of his hiding place and ran toward his friends.

 “Here you are, Prince! I win!” cried Thorn.

“Never mind who wins!’ cried Prince, “Run away, hurry! A big nervous rhino has entered the jungle!”

“I don’t intend to run away so quickly,” said Thorn. “Please lend me your magic crown, my friend, I want to see this rhino myself.”

Prince gave the crown to Thorn. The hedgehog turned his head right then left, listened and said, “It’s not quite as you’ve said. It’s not just a rhino, it’s a mama rhino. She is sad and angry because…”Wearing the crown Thorn could read what the mama rhino was thinking and he added, “The hunters hurt her baby rhino. She is very worried about him.”  “We shouldn’t be afraid of her!” the friends called out, “we can help her! We are the 4 Fearless Friends!”

“I can bring the baby rhino some of my wonder honey,” said Honeybun.

“I can bring him some soft down to warm him up,” said Perry.

“I can bring him some water from the brook in my wide mouth,” said Prince.

 “Great,” said Thorn, and I’ll go meet the mama rhino and find out where the baby rhino is hiding.”

 Thorn returned the crown to Froggy the Prince and the friends set about carrying out their different tasks.

Thorn went forth to meet the mama rhino.

“Hello Mrs. Rhino,” said Thorn, “We know what happened to you and we want to help you. Hurry up and tell me, where is the baby rhino?”

The mama rhino did not see who was talking to her, because rhinos have very poor eyesight and she couldn’t see the hedgehog in the grass. When he got closer and she saw him she did not believe that he could really help her.

“How do you know what happened to my baby rhino? Who told you, the hunters? And why do you say ‘we’, you are just one little creature? How could you help?”

“The magic crown of my good friend Froggy the Prince helped me find out what happened to you. I said ‘we’ because soon my friends will arrive. Together we will cure your baby rhino, but you must tell us where he is.”

As Thorn was talking with the mama rhino, his friends arrived – each one with his/hers special gift for the baby rhino.

“Here is the wonder honey,” said Honebun.

 “here is the soft down to warm up the baby rhino,” said Perry.

 “M…M…,” said Prince, who couldn’t speak with his mouth full of water.

 “Come on,” said Thorn, “Let’s go to the baby rhino.”

The mama rhino was convinced now that the friends really wanted to help her and her baby. she turned back immediately and led them to where the wounded baby rhino was hiding.

 When the friends reached the baby rhino Prince splashed him with the water which revived him a bit. Honeybun put wonder honey on his wounds and fed him with what was left over. Perry laid soft down bed for him to lie down, get warm and rest.

“stay with him here, in the hideout till the morning. Tomorrow he will be well again. We will drive the hunters away from our jungle.”

 Froggy the Prince concentrated so he could hear the hunters’ voices. Perry the parrot sat on top of a high tree and looked around so he could see them as they approached. The hedgehog and the bee got ready to chase them away the moment they showed up.

After a short while Prince announced, “The hunters are coming!”

Perry also called, “I see them up the path! They are coming from the left!”

 The 4 fearless Friends hurried to meet the hunters. The hedgehog ran as quickly as his short legs would permit, the frog hopped and jumped next to him, the bee flew above them and high up above them all flew the parrot.

When they reached the hunters Thorn pricked them with the sharp points on his back. Honeybun circled above their heads buzzing angrily and threatening to sting them. Perry imitated shooting sounds, “Ta, Ta, Ta, Bang! Ta, Ta, Ta, Bang!” He also added the sounds of exploding shells, “Puff, Sh…Sh….Sh….Ka-Boom!”

Prince joined the noise croaking loudly, “Ribbit, Ribbit, you mustn’t hunt here! Ribbit, Ribbit, get out of our jungle – and never come back!”

The hunters were frightened off by the mock shooting sounds, the noise, the buzzing and the Pricking. They did not understand what had attacked them and ran away as fast a they could.

The baby rhino soon recovered and went back to the Savanna to graze with his loving mother.

The 4 Fearless Friends returned to their happy life in the jungle and nobody ever bothered them again.

                                                  The End

Rachel Wool

Tl: 03-5407916

e-mail: [email protected]