Raja, the lion king had grown old. His teeth wobbled and he had not been able to hunt for one whole week. His tummy felt like an empty cave where the rumbles of hunger echoed like roaring thunder.
Even his roar was not as effective as before. The animals were no longer terrified by his voice. His wrinkled skin, now visible through his mangy coat of fur, displayed all the scars from the fights with the younger lions preparing to overthrow him. Raja decided that, before he could be replaced, he should treat himself to a hearty feast.
Raja’s plan
So he summoned all the animals in the jungle. “I have called you all here to choose my successor,” Raja declared to the gathering. “It can be anyone from among you.”
“Even me?” asked Bholu the bear.
“Probably old age has made Raja forget the jungle law,” screeched Mithoo the parrot.
“Everyone deserves a chance to be king,” replied Raja. “Not just us lions. Any animal able to protect the jungle and its creatures is worthy of being king.”
“Really?” chuckled a suspicious Cheeky the monkey.
Raja nodded, his patience running out. “Here is how I will choose my successor. Two animals will visit me every day in my cave. I will ask a question that no one else must hear. The one who gives the best answer will be crowned the next king,” he concluded.
“Me first,” said Chotu the hare, the next day and hopped off to Raja’s cave. He was followed by Heera the deer.
The next day, two more made their way to the den. After a week, when none of them returned, Cheeky became concerned. But the other animals refused to hear a bad word about their noble leader. After all, he had been the first to consider everyone as worthy of being his successor.
Time to act
Finally, Cheeky decided to take a risk and go to Raja’s cave. It was the only way to save the other innocent animals. So the next day, he made his way there.
“Greetings, my king,” called Cheeky from the cave’s entrance. The skeletons of various animals lying around confirmed his suspicions. But, to expose Raja’s trickery before the other animals, he had to come out alive.
“So, you want to try your luck too, Cheeky,” said Raja, striding slowly towards him. The lion’s tummy was bloated, since he had feasted all week.
“It is not my desire to be king that brings me here,” declared Cheeky, as Raja’s paw landed on his back.
“Then what is it?” asked Raja, tugging him with his tail.
“I have a contagious disease and am on the verge of death,” Cheeky coughed hard. “I need your help. The animals want me to leave the jungle, lest they contract the disease. But this is my home. So, kind king, either tell them to allow me to stay here or give me refuge in your cave.”
Cheeky did not anticipate the hard kick Raja gave him, which sent him somersaulting out of the cave. When Cheeky returned, the others gathered around curious to know what had happened. When Cheeky told them everything, the animals were furious. “Raja tricked us,” they shouted, and rushed to the cave.
Raja tried to roar but, instead of the deafening and scary noise, his teeth flew out of his mouth. “You toothless old liar,” they yelled, as they bit and kicked the lion. After giving him a beating, they left him to starve in his cave.
For his courage and selflessness, Cheeky was unanimously chosen as the first-ever monkey king of the jungle.