How the Rat Kept First Place


Shortly after the order of the heavens was decided there was a grumbling amongst the ranks of the chosen animals. The great God ignored it as long as possible but after a while the bickering became wearying to him. He decided to hold an audience and hear the grievances one by one.

First to press his suit was the mighty Ox, who was disgruntled at receiving second place in the Zodiac.

"It's not fair!" He complained. "I was first! If the Rat hadn't ridden my back he'd never have gotten there at all. It was our bargain that we would arrive together at the same time. I was deceived. I deserve first place!"

"Oh, come now." the Rat said dismissively. "I meant no harm, my eagerness to get to our destination and announce your presence that caused me to jump down first." The Rat was a picture of wronged innocence. "Little did I realize that doing so would gain me a place before you, brother."

The Ox looked a little unsure, loosing some of his bluster. He glanced at the God who looked impassively on giving no clue to his thoughts.

"Then, you shouldn't mind giving up first place to me." The Ox said finally, proud to have spotted the flaw in the Rat's tale. He gave a self-satisfied snort thinking surely he would be rewarded with first place now.

"Oh, surely, I would have..." the Rat said agreeably. "...had you arrived first. But seeing as I am King of the Jungle it would be unseemly for me to be anything but First."

The Ox was flabbergasted, "K-king? King of the Jungle? You?!" How absolutely ridiculous!

"Well, yes.." The Rat looked at the Ox as if he'd lost his mind. "It's a heavy burden, but one I am forced to shoulder." He said modestly.

The Ox turned back to the God, "You see how he lies?! How can such a puny creature claim to rule the jungle?!"

"Lying!" The Rat pulled himself up indignantly to his full height, nearly 5 inches on his hind legs. "Me? I tell nothing but the truth!"

"Can you prove this claim?" The God spoke finally, amused by the sheer audacity of the little rodent's speech.

"Why of course," the Rat said, full of confidence. "Let the Ox and I go on a tour of my kingdom, if he does not believe at the end that I am king I will give my place to him."

"Is this acceptable to you, Ox?" The God asked wondering how the clever Rat intended to prove that he was King.

The Ox thought hard on the matter, trying to find the trick the rat was surely playing. But he could see no flaw in the matter, for surely there was no way that the Rat could prove he was king of the jungle.

"Yes," he finally agreed. "Let us go, Rat." He turned and trotted out of the room.

"Of course..." The Rat said forced due to his small size to scamper to keep up. "Brother," he called as he began to fall further behind and the Ox began to snort in impatience. "This would go much quicker if I could, well, maybe, perhaps....catch a ride?"

Snorting in anger, but not wanting to draw out this farce any longer than he had to, the Ox growled "Alright then, hop on."

The rat lept on to his back and quickly scampered up to his head.

"What do you think you're doing?" The Ox looked up trying to see the Rat perched on the top of his head.

"Please, Brother!" The Rat grabbed tightly to the tuft of hair on the top of the Ox's head as the Ox tilted his head further back, "I'll fall off!" The Ox settled down and the Rat regained his footing. "How else am I to be seen and prove my magisty to you? No one would see me among your hooves."

Unable to see a flaw in his reasoning the Ox harumped and scowled, making his way into the jungle. He glanced around looking for the residents of the jungle feeling ridiculous with the little rodent perched on his head. His lips drew back in a snarl.

The first animal they happened against was the shy rabbit. He took one look at the scowl and grimace on the Ox's face and bowed low against the ground trying not to be noticed.

"See?" The Rat said into the Ox's ear. "See how my subjects bow to me?"

The Ox was flabbergasted. Surely there was some mistake. "That is just one rabbit," he said, but the doubt was creeping in. "You could have arranged it."

"Well, then lets keep going." The Rat said. Mumbling under his breath in a hurt tone, just loud enough for the Ox to hear, "How could I have arranged it? I only just made the bargin mere minutes ago..."

The Ox's brow furrowed farther, realizing that it was true. The seeds of doubt have been sown. His face grew even darker. Every where he looked the animals shrank back bowing their heads in fear and trying not to meet the eyes of the Ox knowing his violate temper.

To the Ox it seemed as if everyone was bowing to the Rat on his head. "This is insane! I refuse to believe this." He stomped finally.

"Well, if you won't believe in the proof of your own eyes I don't know how else I can prove it to you." The Rat said doubtfully. "Still... Even the humans..." he trailed off. "No matter. Let's return to the God, I'll explain that I was unable to prove it to you despite all of my loyal subjects and he will switch our places."

The Ox paused, that would make him sound very foolish. Even if he did get his deserved first place he would be a laughingstock. He seized on the Rat's words. "What did you mean 'Even the humans'?" He asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." The Rat said smiling unseen on the Ox's head. He had him now. "It's just that... Even the humans acknowledge that I am King."

"The humans do!?" The Ox said his voice rising in amazement. "The humans are blind to the world around them, how would they know that *you* are King of the Jungle?"

"Oh, I don't know," The Rat said dismissively. "I suppose my grandur is so great that word has spread."

"This I must see for myself." The Ox snorted, thinking he'd finally caught the Rat in one of his lies. "Let's go to the human village and see *them* call you king."

"If we must to prove it to you," The Rat said sounding bored. "But then you must acknowledge that I deserve first place."

"Fine. Let's go then." The Ox turned towards the village.

"Wait!" The Rat cried.

"Scared that you'll be found out?" The Ox chortled. First place was in his grasp!

"Oh, no, it's not that. It's just I've been riding around in the hot sun all day. There is a spring over there, would you mind if I washed up before we went to the villiage? It wouldn't do for a King to look ragged in public." The Rat explained.

"Fine. But make it quick." The Ox grumbled.

The Rat jumped down and washed himself till his fur shone and glinted. He broke off a leaf from one of the large leafy plants and scampered back up the Ox's back.

"What's the leaf for?" The Ox asked trying to resist craning his head to see the Rat.

"Shade... There are no trees in the human villiage and it is hot up here." The Rat said with bored disagreement. "Surely you don't mind?"

"Not at all." The Ox said setting his jaw in anger. "Let's go."

The Ox and Rat trotted into the human village and the Rat drew himself up to his full height. He rested the stem of the leaf on his shoulder like a little umbrella. The Ox looked around. They were getting quite a lot of attention. Everywhere people pointed to the Rat. Never had they seen a Rat ride an Ox before, but large lumbering Oxes were seen everyday. The Rat took all of their attention, making them point and gossip. The Ox felt like he was invisible.

"Look at that! A rat on an ox!" Said one man to the man next to him. "Have you ever seen such a Rat? His coat gleams." He shaded his eyes from the glare off of the Rat's wet fur.

"See," said the Rat to the Ox. "The men salute me."

"He's quite the largest I've ever seen." A woman commented to her husband. She shuddered and looked away thinking of the damage a rat that size could do to her families megar stores.

"See," said the Rat to the Ox, "The women bow to me."

"Look how he holds that leaf, Mama!" A child pointed to the Rat as he passed by, the child jumped up and down in excitement. A Rat on an Ox! With a leaf! How silly!

"See," said the Rat to the Ox, "The children rejoice in my passage."

They circled the village once before the Rat suggested they return to the audience chamber of the God. Disheartened the Ox agreed silently.

Hopping down before the God, the Rat bowed tossing the leaf aside.

"Have you settled your differences?" The God asked his lips twitching at the strutting of the Rat and the dispirited droop of the Ox's sholders.

"Yes." The Ox sighed. "The Rat has proven that he is the king of the Jungle."

"How did he prove this to you?" The God asked. He curled a finger over his lips to keep his smile from showing.

"In the jungle the animals bowed to him. In the villiage he was saluted by men, the women bowed and the children rejoiced. Surely he must be a king." The Ox replied.

"Surely." The God agreed, biting the inside of his cheek. "Then let there be no more disagreements. The Rat's place will be questioned no more."

And that is how the Rat tricked the Ox into letting him keep First Place.

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Hope you all enjoyed it. ^_^ This is just one of many stories of how the Rat tricked or played jokes on the Ox. No wonder Haru felt hurt and suspicious of the rat if he grew up with stories like this one! --Merrow

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