Punda and The Origins of Zebra

Punda and The Origins of Zebra

In ancient times on the African continent, there lived a group of horses that were close friends. There was a brown-furred horse named Farasi and a white-colored horse named Punda. Farasi was a calm-natured horse, but he was a hard worker due to his large body and strong legs compared to Punda. On the other hand, Punda was smaller than Farasi, but she had a white and beautiful coat compared to other horses. Punda loved to talk all day in her group and enjoyed discussing her white and clean skin.

"Look at my white skin, even though this land is hot, my skin still shines, and the sun can't change its color. Look at that Baobab tree leaf, its color can change to yellow and fall if there is no rain. Even the grass we eat changes color during a long drought like now," said Punda.

"Isn't it true that God made our skins in different colors?" Farasi asked.

"Then why do Lions, Rhinos, Hyenas, and Hippos have the same color? Am I not special because I'm the only one with a unique color?" proudly answered Punda.

"Enough, let's sleep! It's a good time to sleep because Lions and Hyenas are also sleeping," said Mbizi, the elder of the group.

Perhaps that's what Farasi and his friends heard every day when Punda came and gathered in their group. With her loud voice, she constantly bragged about her beautiful skin.

One day, in the midst of a scorching afternoon, several lions suddenly appeared, intending to ambush a group of horses grazing in the vast grassland.

"Come on, everyone run! Save yourselves, find a safe place. Some lions are running towards us!" Mbizi shouted to all members of the group.

Swiftly, everyone scattered in different directions, including Farasi and Punda. After they felt safe, they regrouped. However, Farasi didn't see Mbizi and some members of the group. Only Punda, not far from him, could be seen joyfully shouting because he had successfully escaped the lion attack.

"It turns out the lions' speed is limited to that. Maybe they were only chasing horses with brown and black colors," mocked Punda at Farasi.

"You're wrong; earlier I saw a lion running behind you. Maybe you were just lucky today," replied Farasi.

"We live as horses in this land, so our fate isn't only determined by luck but also by the strength and speed of our legs. Imagine if I had slowed down a bit, I would have been caught by their sharp claws," retorted Punda.

"It's up to you; let's find Mbizi and the others!" Farasi concluded to end Punda's remarks.

After walking for a long time, they both felt tired and stopped under a Baobab tree, eating the grass growing beneath it. After satisfying their hunger with the green and fresh grass, they continued their journey until they both saw a tall structure guarded by some humans in front of them. It turned out to be the palace of King Anansi, a feared ruler skilled in deception and able to communicate with animals.

"What if we enter the palace? While the guards are asleep..." Punda asked Farasi.

"Don't...! I've heard from Mbizi that there's a terrifying king in that palace who can hear our conversations," replied Farasi.

"Oh, come on! No human can hear and talk to horses. Let's go, this is our chance," Punda insisted to convince Farasi.

And finally, the aggressive Punda ran past the gate, while Farasi only watched from the bushes not far from the palace. However, Punda's loud steps startled the guard who was resting, and eventually, Punda was chased and captured.