RUYANGE Jean-Fraterne
Long ago, deep in the rainforest, the animals lived in constant tension. The jaguar prowled in the shadows, its fangs sharp, crocodiles stirred at the river’s edge, and even the parrots fought over the branches. Every day felt like a competition: who was the strongest, the loudest, the fiercest.
Peace, it seemed, had no place here.
But then came the capybara…
It was neither the biggest nor the fastest. Its teeth were small compared to those of the jaguar, and its footsteps were silent compared to those of the deer. It had no roar, no armour, no poison to wield. And yet, wherever it went, the world seemed to soften.
The crocodiles, who bit everyone else, let him drift alongside them like a brother. The jaguar, swift and proud, slowed his pace when the capybara passed by, as if remembering something older than his hunger. Even the noisy parrots fell silent when he sat under their tree.
The young animals were perplexed.
‘Why doesn’t anyone hurt him?’ asked the squirrel.
‘Why isn’t he afraid of the jaguar?’ whispered the rabbit.
‘Why does the river part to let him pass?’ wondered the deer.
The capybara just smiled, his eyes as calm as still water.
‘I have no resentment in my heart,’ he said. ‘I walk as if everyone were already my friend. And so, the world treats me the same way.’
One night, a storm swept through the forest. Lightning tore through the sky and thunder shook the trees. The animals scattered, frightened. But when they found the capybara, he was sitting quietly by the river, raindrops sliding off his fur. Slowly, one by one, they gathered around him: the rabbit, the deer, the birds, and even the jaguar and the crocodile. In his stillness, they too found rest.
When the storm had passed, the forest seemed different. The air seemed lighter, the trees gentler. From that day on, the animals spoke of the Capybara secret: a way of walking without anger, a way of carrying peace like a lantern.
But one curious monkey still didn’t understand. He tugged at the capybara’s ear and asked,
‘Don’t you want to be strong so you can fight? Don’t you want to roar like a lion so you can defend yourself?’
The capybara raised its head, the reflections of the river sparkling in its eyes.
‘No,’ it replied softly. ‘Because perhaps the best way to be strong is to be soft, steady, wild and free.’
And with that, it continued on its way, calm as the river, gentle as the moon.
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