Kinara's ongoing feud with Old Maloki was coming to a head. Finally the privilege of getting water from the creek on their lands was going to start costing them more. That was it. Old Maloki had been holding on to his lands with great tenacity, but some of his people were ripe for a change. And Kinara thought the best change for all concerned was a greater village, and a united council.

But how best to go about it? Certainly not by military force, at least not the forces of Kinara. Rather, it must be done subtly from the inside with a few well-placed rumors. After all, the chief felt, there was nothing he could say about the old greedy gut that was worse than the truth.

As he was working on his plans, Neema brought him his favorite dinner, a mixture of several different fruits mashed together with a bowl and antelope bone with an egg. The three children used to love it, not so much for the taste or texture, but the way she fixed it, describing the elephant stomping through the village. She called it "Elephant Stew."

"Neema, is that you?"

She startled and dropped the plate, spilling the contents all over him.

"What is wrong with you, Missy??"

She grasped her head. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry."

"What's wrong?"

"I've been a little clumsy lately. Maybe it's this headache."

"Headache? Oh." He brushed himself off as best he could, but the mixture was a little sticky. "Don't bother with it--I'll clean it up. Besides, I need a break."

Usually she would insist on cleaning it up anyhow. As Kinara headed to the creek to bathe, he began to wonder if maybe her headache was worse than she'd been telling him. And come to think about it, she'd had that headache for a number of days that he can remember.

Makedde was humming to himself softly as he cleaned out the little wooden bowl he used for mixing his medicines. Wiping it clean, he discarded the handful of leaves and set the bowl gently in a corner. Rising, he turned around and nearly collided with Neema. Startled, the mandrill tumbled backwards, upsetting the stack of crockery and sending it tumbling to the floor.