The Ape King's Banquet

Far back into the past, long before man's great empires rose from the ground, the beasts ruled over Yakuallpa. Back in those days, the tigers had not yet reached these shores, just as humans were nowhere to be seen. Thus, the rulers of all the beasts were the great apes, powerful creatures who could live in the forests just as they could in the hills. 

Once upon a time, they had crossed the northern mountains to reach this place, from their ancestral home beyond the waves. With their great strength, their cunning and their numbers, they subdued all the beasts, one by one, until they became the rulers of the lands.

Of course, there were still many beasts who could resist their force. However, the king of all apes was a monster beyond monsters. Tall like a house, it would tower over any man today, even the great cultivators! And along with the beast's great size came its incredible anger! So large was the Ape King that it could solve all of its troubles with its wrath alone. A single scream could level hills and fell trees!

Whenever a beast dared not do as it was told, the ape king would crush it without remorse. Thus, the beasts of Yakuallpa shrunk in number, while the apes spread farther and farther across the lands. All the beasts had to toil under their rule. Whenever they felt joy, the uncontrolled wrath of the apes would soon take it from them, and return them to misery.

“If only the Ape king did not exist, if only they did not have their freakish strength, we could return to the old days,” the beasts whispered to each other away from the eyes of the apes.

However, not all was bad in the Yaku kingdom of beasts. Once a year, during the summer solstice, the great Ape King would allow all other beasts to come to his banquet, to prove their servitude, and placate their rulers for one more year.

One year, as the beasts sat there at the banquet, they watched the apes have fun with the finest wine and choicest food in the lands, as they always did. As all other beasts sat huddled in the corners, the apes tainted them from the distance. For years the clever raven had remained a silent observer to these proceedings, but this time it could not sit still. The past year had been harsher than all others. The great cold had crawled up from the south, and swallowed half the lands in white. While the apes lived still in luxury, all other beasts were starved. At last, the raven understood that the beasts could not save themselves, that it would need to act. It would no longer be an observer.

Its black eyes focused on the king's revelry in the center. Besides the giant, it saw the snake, the sliest of all the beasts, toast wine to the Ape King. This was the only way to receive some of the ape's precious wine: If they showed loyalty and submit their race below the Ape King's foot, a beast would be allowed a single cup of wine, to toast the great king with. Of course, none of the other beasts had ever done so. How could the beasts give up their honor for a simple drink? Only the sly snake would dare lie to the ape king about loyalty, as it knew nothing else. Even so, the Snake's shameless action had given the Raven an idea, one fit to save the beasts of Yakuallpa.

“Follow my lead,” the Raven whispered, before it spread its wings and flew up to the ape king's face.

As soon as one of the lowly beasts dared come close, the apes around their king began to scream and scramble! Like the wild beasts they were, they scratched the air and threw their cups and plates at the intruder, the one unperturbed by their might! However, the Ape king only balled his fists and all his subjects calmed. Not even the apes would dare provoke the Ape King's wrath.

“Great King of the Apes!” the raven shouted, unperturbed by its near death. “Word of the Great Ape King's power has spread all throughout the lands! With stature beyond the mortals, the Great Ape King's strength is unmatched! And yet, in his infinite benevolence, he has allowed the other beasts to live under his generous rule! This lowly servant thanks the Great Ape King for his generosity. The Raven bows his head and toasts to the Ape King's good fortune!”

At last he bowed, and drank from the wine presented by the ape king's servants. Gratified, the king nodded, and emptied his own cup in one go. Meanwhile, all the beasts in the far corner were shocked. How could the Raven submit to this creature, and speak such words of utter falsehood? Were times so desperate that even the great beasts would have to give in to the pressures of the world?

However, not all of them were surprised. The second to stand was the rabbit, clever as anyone. On fleet feet it hopped to the Ape King's front, and spoke: “Great King, this servant has always admired your power and grace! Let us toast on your greatness, to show my submission!” And again the king drank.

One by one the other beasts joined in. First the foxes and wolves, and all the clever beasts of the animal kingdom. Later even the donkeys and sloths joined the fun. The awkward banquet turned to great revelry, as all the beasts emptied cup after cup, and the air hung heavy with the smell of wine.

Soon all the apes were strewn across the ground, drunk out of their minds. Only the Ape King himself, with its massive size, still held on. Its eyes glazed over and a stupid smile on its face, the Ape King looked over his newest faithful servants. At last the Raven stepped forward again.

“Great King of the Apes!” he shouted again. “Word of the Great Ape King's brutality has spread all throughout the lands! With strength beyond the mortals, the Great Ape King's rule is unopposed! And yet, in his willfulness, he has allowed the other beasts to live under his yoke! This lowly servant thanks the stars for wine. The Raven bows his head and toasts to the good fortune of the animal kingdom!”

With a jitter, the Ape King's hand reached for his cup once more. So drunk was the monster on wine and power that it failed to see the Raven's insults. Even that the raven had toasted already was something the drunken beast failed to understand.

It's cup half-emptied, the beast slumped back in its seat, as the precious red wine colored the fur around its mouth. At last the giant fell, and with a massive thud it landed on the stone of the ape's caves. Although the apes were powerful beasts, although they were used to the wine, even they could never outdrink them when all the beasts took turns. Thus, there they lay, helpless to the whims of their servants.

Encouraged, the beasts cheered, for they knew that the worst times had passed. “What about him?” the rabbit asked, and pointed to the snake who had drunk with the apes all these years. “It was high time for all of you to follow my lead,” the sly snake said. “All by myself, I could never outdo the ape king on wine.”

And thus the snake saved its hide again, while the animals picked up all the apes and pushed them into the waves to Yakuallpa's left and right. They never even returned to their senses, as their bodies sank to the depths of the sea.

As he stretched his weary bones, the village elder clapped his hands and stared into the captivated faces beyond the fire.

“And that, good children, is why ever since the olden times, there are no apes on Yakuallpa.”

Hermit's Note: Here's another side story, one I've been wanting to write for a long, long time. At this point I'm not actually sure what other side stories to write out, so if you have any you would want to read, you can leave them in the commehnts or pm me, and I'll at elast consider them!

I'll update the tiers tomorrow, and I'll post the first three chapters of my other novel then as well, since I'm exhausted today. And then you'll get another regular chapter on Tuesday, as always. See you then, friends. o/