Monkey Kingdom Page #4

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are gone,

you've gotta get

a bit more adventurous.

Maya treads carefully.

It's Maya who makes

the first move

into the deeper waters.

Kip will go along for the ride.

The younger monkeys follow.

But even the bravest hesitate

over this next incredible step.

Did you know

monkeys could swim?

For Kip,

it's been a day of firsts.

First swim lesson,

first lily-seed pod

and now, this.

A monitor lizard.

7 feet long,

a deadly ambush predator.

His most lethal weapon,

the element of surprise.

Maya hasn't spotted the lizard.

In the chaos,

Maya has gotten Kip to safety.

But not before one of their

own has fallen.

After a night spent

wet, cold, and shaken,

the low-born recover.

Maya isn't sleeping in.

She's got a growing son

to feed.

Maya finds a patch

of caterpillars,

perfect for enriching her milk.

Kip should be eating

soon enough.

The sisters believe any food

patch is their food patch.

They mount an attack,

driving Maya away from her son.

Kip is stolen away.

Maya receives

her brutal punishment.

And Kip is carried off

into the forest.

Hours pass, and still,

Maya is looking for her son.

On the far side

of the ruined city,

the sisters keep Kip close.

Maya calls for her lost son.

Finally, the sisters

lose interest,

and Kip is free to leave.

Kip is lost

and dangerously exposed.

Maya has been patrolling

the territory for hours,

straining to hear

her son's calls.

At last.

This ordeal is over.

The lessons of yesterday

are clear.

Maya will need another way

to feed her son.

She must head

into uncharted territory.

For today's mission,

she brings backup,

leaving Kip safely behind

with a fellow low-ranker.

The upside to this score

could be enormous,

but so are the risks.

The predator encountered

at the edge of the forest

is unpredictable and loud.

The humans.

Maya gets a glimpse.

"Oh! They're terrifying!"

"Hmm."

"Chickens. Very small brains."

"Will they notice

if we take their eggs?"

The lookout gives the signal.

"All clear!"

"In. Confirming we are in."

"No one will ever know

we were here."

"We are like ninjas."

"They're coming.

Quick, last chance!"

"Mmm. I like pink flavor."

"Is this even food?

I don't care!"

"Leave nothing behind,

eat it all!"

"Mm, this is good!"

"Oh, this is delicious!"

"Mm, cake. Love cake!"

"Abort mission!"

"Happy birthday, kid."

Back in the forest,

Maya is reunited with Kip.

The underclass

will retire for the night

with an unfamiliar sensation

in their bellies.

Fullness.

Yesterday's raid can't be

a regular thing.

Maya needs long-term security

for her son.

The next morning,

a lone male surveys

the edge of the kingdom.

Maya will not be

expecting this.

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