Aru lay under the shade of the giant fig tree, panting like he had just raced the wind itself. His chest heaved. His legs wobbled. His pride… sat somewhere broken behind him.
"Great antlers, they said. Majestic, they said," he muttered. "Try running for your life with two tree branches glued to your skull!"
He flopped onto the grass dramatically.
Thunk.
"Ow."
Silence stretched over the forest.
Until—
Plop.
Something dropped from the tree above and landed right on his stomach.
"OOF!"
Aru wheezed as two big golden eyes stared down at him.
It was a monkey. A very energetic monkey.
And that was BEFORE the monkey spoke.
"Wow! That was the most dramatic flop I've seen all week!" the little creature said, clapping its hands. "Ten out of ten. Very artistic. Great sound effects."
Aru blinked. "Who… are you?"
"Tiko!" the monkey declared proudly, doing a midair somersault and landing on Aru's back. "Tiko the Magnificent. Tiko the Brave. Tiko the—ah, what was the third one? Oh! Tiko the Hungry!"
Aru groaned. "Why are you sitting on me?!"
"You looked comfy."
"I nearly died!"
"Exactly!" Tiko said cheerfully. "Best time to meet someone. Very memorable!"
Before Aru could argue, another voice piped up from the bushes.
"Oh no. Not again. Tiko, stop jumping on strangers!"
A rabbit hopped out—sleek, white, and looking extremely unimpressed.
Her ears twitched with irritation.Her glare could cut stone.
"Tiko," she sighed, "why are you terrorizing exhausted animals?"
"Hey! I'm welcoming him to the forest!"
"That's not what it looked like."
Aru lifted a hoof weakly. "Can someone please remove the monkey from my spine?"
The rabbit hopped over and smacked Tiko lightly on the head.
"Down."
Tiko slid off with exaggerated sadness. "Rella, you ruin all my fun."
Rella turned to Aru. "Sorry about him. I'm Rella. You're new around here, right?"
"No," Aru said, still wheezing. "I've lived in this forest all my life. Just… never in this part."
"Ah. Tourist," Tiko said wisely.
Aru ignored him and stood on shaky legs. "Hunters chased me. I barely escaped."
Rella's ears shot up. "Hunters? Again?"
Before Aru could answer, the ground rumbled.
BOOM.BOOM.BOOM.
Tiko jumped onto Rella's head. "Uh oh. Big footsteps."
Branches parted. Birds scattered. A massive shadow approached.
Aru braced himself.
Then a huge buffalo—muscles like boulders, horns sharp as stone—stepped into the clearing.
He snorted, steam puffing from his nostrils.
"WHO," the buffalo rumbled, "disturbs my nap?"
Tiko waved both hands. "Hi, Bolo!"
Bolo narrowed his eyes. "The monkey lives another day."
Rella whispered, "Don't mind his tone. He's actually very kind."
"I HEARD THAT," Bolo thundered.
Aru gulped. "Are you… uh… dangerous?"
Bolo stomped a hoof. The forest shook.
"That depends," he growled. "Are YOU dangerous?"
Aru squeaked. "No!"
Rella stepped between them. "Bolo, calm down. Hunters are nearby."
That changed everything.
Bolo's expression hardened.His muscles tensed.Even Tiko stopped smiling.
"Again…" Bolo muttered. "Those creatures never learn."
Aru blinked in confusion. "You all deal with them often?"
Rella nodded. "More than we'd like."
Tiko leaned close to Aru's ear. "We're forming a team! A secret forest alliance! With snacks!"
"No," Rella said immediately."Yes," Tiko insisted."We're not calling it an alliance," Bolo grumbled."We are absolutely calling it an alliance," Tiko countered.
Aru stared at them—this ridiculous trio of forest misfits.
Why were they helping him? Why did they care?
Rella looked him over. "You run fast. We could use that."
Bolo nodded reluctantly. "You survived the hunters. That's impressive."
Tiko put an arm around Aru's neck. "Welcome to the group!"
Aru, still dazed, whispered, "I… have a group?"
"For now," Rella muttered.
"For life!" Tiko corrected.
"For the forest," Bolo said firmly.
And for the first time, Aru felt something strange—something warm.
Belonging.
But the calm didn't last long.
Because deep within the forest, a hunter raised his binoculars.
"There," he whispered. "Found the antelope. And this time… we're not letting it escape."
The forest trembled, and Aru's new journey—full of comedy, chaos, and courage—was only just beginning.