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Once upon a time, the silence of the jungle was the only thing one could hear in these parts of the world. The chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, and occasionally the sounds of animals roaming through that endless green ocean known as the jungle. It had been an impenetrable thicket, so dense that one could not see one’s doom until it was already upon them.

But today, the jungle had been greatly thinned out, cut back to make room for the cities where the animals led a comfortable life without having to constantly fear being hunted by invisible predators.

The valley below the great pyramid-shaped temple, where prey had once gathered every two weeks to be led to their doom by the rulers of this jungle, had been almost completely cleared to make room for a large parking lot where the buses could park that brought a new kind of prey to the temple. And the former footpath, narrow and barely wide enough to drive the larger prey animals up the hill, had been widened, paved, and now fitted with a beautiful railing that visitors could hold onto as they climbed up to the old temple, the former seat of government for the rulers of the jungle. The terrible fear of being driven up the path to meet certain death there had vanished and been replaced by benches and neatly laid-out flower beds. The temple itself, a monumental, ancient structure, had been completely cleared of the surrounding jungle vegetation that had once enclosed it and was partially covered with scaffolding and tarps while extensive restoration work was still underway. Millennia of erosion had taken their toll on the pyramid-shaped complex. Acid rain, smog, soot, and fine dust had left their mark even on the granite from which it was built, and some of the finer details and ornamentation had already been completely lost. But because it was such an important, if controversial, part of their history, the animals of the jungle had decided to preserve it.

To finance the immense costs of restoring and rebuilding the temple, the government had agreed to offer guided tours.

One of these groups was currently making its way up the hill.

A whole crowd of children and a few adults, herding the little ones up the path to the temple’s main entrance. Clearly a school class, whose loud laughter and shouts could be heard from a distance, drowning out the sounds of construction work at the temple. They weren’t yet visible from the main gate, but their approach had already been noticed.

The guards standing at the entrance pricked up their ears in disgust as they heard the infernal noise approaching them from the footpath. The footpath that had once been part of one of the most important rituals, the one that had maintained peace between the carnivores and herbivores for so many centuries, and which was now being literally trampled underfoot.

They were large and massive tigers, whose orange fur seemed to glow in the sun, and whose characteristic deep-black stripes shone in the light as if they had been oiled. They were clad in ceremonial armor modeled after the ancient armor that had been found on the grounds. They carried spears and clubs, just as their ancestors had done, and they were not pleased that their sanctuary was about to be stormed by an army of loud, ill-mannered, and capricious children.

For the tigers, this place was sacred, their seat of power for millennia, the temple that had been left to them and where they had lived for as long as they could remember. A place of worship and sacrifice, where history had been written, and which had now been reduced to a tourist attraction. A shame, yes, but a necessary one to preserve it in its entirety.

As the group finally approached, the two temple guards stood at attention and crossed their spears. As their eyes narrowed, the larger of the two began to growl.

“No trespassing!”

The other tiger barked at the group, and though it was only a soft growl, combined with the second tiger’s exclamation, it was intimidating enough to make the noisy crowd of children stop in their tracks. Well, not all the children ‒ one of the young water buffalo tried to sneak past, but was easily snatched up by the first tiger, who grabbed him by the neck with his claws in an instant and then roared right in his face, causing the boy to turn pale instantly.

“He said: ‘No trespassing!’”

The roar was earth-shattering, and the boy pressed his hands over his ears before being shoved back toward his friends.

“You know what they say: someone always gets lost when herbivores stumble through the jungle...”

Added the guard, bending down toward the little buffalo.

“... and I’d really love some real buffalo meat instead of this artificially bred stuff...”

His tone was urgent, and even though he was speaking very softly now, it sent a chill down the spines of those present. He emphasized his statement by snapping his jaws in front of the boy’s face and watched with a predatory grin as the boy grew smaller and smaller. The other guard agreed.

“No one will miss this little chubby one...”

Now the young prey pointed at the guards and cried out.

“You can’t do that, carnivores aren’t allowed to touch us...”

He almost shouted, full of conviction in his statement, while the first tiger reached for his club.

“Oh, you’re in the jungle, baby. You’re going to die...”

He growled, drawing the weapon from his belt.

Now the boy stumbled further back among his peers, trying to reach his teacher, an older okapi who seemed somewhat desperate but not panicked. At that moment, a new voice cut into the argument, piercing the noise like a hot knife. It was a young, female voice, but one that seemed to match the guards in strength and firmness.

“Children, children... calm down now, unfortunately there will be no sacrifices today... you know how it goes...”

The voice had not yet fully faded when the guards retreated back to their posts and stood up to their full, imposing height. Their statuesque bodies radiated pride as they slowly lowered their spears to clear the way for the priestess standing behind them at the temple entrance. As she stepped between them, she nodded wisely to the two tigers before turning her attention to the children in front of the temple. She was significantly more slender than the muscular guards standing behind her, but her posture exuded an aura of power that did not stem from physical attributes. Her fur was immaculate, smoothly combed, and glistened in the bright sunlight. Her green-yellow eyes sparkled like gemstones, and it seemed as though she could see directly into the soul of whoever she was facing. She wore a simple robe whose color shifted between white and something else, though it was impossible to say exactly what that color was.

With a faint smile, she took in the composition of today’s tour group. She wasn’t particularly convinced, but it wasn’t up to her who she guided through her temple and to whom she recounted its history. Today it was a middle school class, perhaps even two. Mixed races, which had once been unthinkable, was now the norm. But that didn’t necessarily make things any easier.

Ever since industry had succeeded in perfecting the production of synthetic meat, the mur... sacrificing herbivores to satisfy their hunger had indeed become unnecessary, but racism and prejudice had largely remained.

Politicians on both sides, however, never tired of touting the whole thing as “the greatest step toward true coexistence since the historic deal between the Tigers and the Herbivores.” And indeed, it had enabled the two opposites of the food chain to live and work together in a previously unimaginable symbiosis.

Certainly, some of the old habits and hostilities that had been deeply rooted for countless eons still remained, but with each new generation, the carnivores learned more to accept the herbivores as equals.

The temple had not been the seat of government for a good five hundred years enough time to transform it from a place of worship and death into a memorial; at least, that was the government’s approach, even if it was far from being shared by all carnivores. And today, another guided tour would show a group of children how their peers’ ancestors had driven their ancestors to the temple and killed them there to feed themselves, all in the name of the greater good.

The priestess who now stood before the children, casting a disparaging glance their way, was today’s guide; she stepped forward and spread her arms in a well-rehearsed, welcoming gesture.

“Please excuse the guards’ rudeness, but even though the temple no longer serves its original purpose, it’s still a dangerous place due to the ongoing construction work.”

She began in an extremely friendly tone.

“Please, let me introduce myself. My name is Patita Graciosa, but you can call me Pattythat’s easier for now. I am one of the priestesses of this temple. I will be your guide today and take you back to a time when the jungle was a much more violent and dangerous place. One wrong step and you would have really ended up on a spit … just like that.”

The utter ease and matter-of-factness with which she said this made the two guards behind the priestess grin grimly and nod, while most of the children listened, shocked but attentive. The teachers, who had probably heard this sermon a hundred times before, merely nodded and kept an eye on their charges. Once she was certain her message had gotten through to everyone, the priestess nodded leisurely with her eyes closed before slowly turning back toward the door.

“All right, then follow me and don’t get lost. There are dangerous tigers everywhere here.”

The sarcasm in her voice did not escape the adults, but the children seemed a little intimidated. With these words, the priestess slowly made her way back to the temple entrance, past the two tigers, who bowed respectfully before her. As she stepped into the shadow of the temple, her robe, which had looked almost white in the bright sunlight, suddenly appeared almost red, and the silver threads with which it was sewn formed intricate patterns that still reflected the light.

The class was herded through the narrow gap the guards allowed them by the teachers accompanying them, while the guards sternly scrutinized every single child entering the temple. It took a little while for all the children, who were desperately trying to stay as far away from the guards as possible, to enter the temple, and when the last teacher finally stepped through the line with the last child she was pushing in front of her, she smiled at one of the guards and made the universal “call me” gesture.

The tiger’s subsequent growl made the child nearly leap over the threshold and into the temple, and both the teacher and the guard smiled as she followed the children past him. Now that no one was lingering in front of the temple, the guards crossed their spears again.

After a brief moment of silence, once the group was out of earshot, the first tiger looked at the other.

“Do you really want to do it with her again?”

He asked, and it sounded genuinely curious, but the one addressed just grinned.

“Have you ever tried those smaller herbivores? Man, they’re tight, I’m telling you.”

At that, both chuckled, and the first one shook his head.

“That may be, but it is and remains prey.”

“Of course it’s still prey that’s the whole point. When you’re with one of them, it awakens completely different instincts in you. Your hunting instinct kicks in and the adrenaline pumps through your veins… and don’t even get me started on what it does to the prey.”

The skeptical guard raised his eyebrows.

“Aren’t you afraid you might bite her in the heat of the moment?”

He asked uncertainly, and his companion nodded eagerly.

“Oh, believe me, if you were to shear her, you’d find my bite marks all over her body. She’s into that. But I have to hold back so I don’t bite too hard.”

He explained, raising a finger, while his companion just shook his head.

“That would be too risky for me.”

“You’ve just never tried it. Should I give you her number?”

…

Inside the temple, the light was much dimmer and the air cool. The sparse daylight filtered through small skylights high up in the thick stone walls. Dust from the construction work danced lazily in the golden rays of light that diffused throughout the room. Compared to the hot, humid jungle air outside, the air was cool and filled with the characteristic scent of antiquity. The priestess led the group through the large entrance hall, where she positioned them in front of a large mural that covered most of the back wall. It depicted an artistic interpretation of what the jungle had looked like in the past, when herbivores and carnivores still killed each other to survive.

“Come closer; I’ll show you how our ancestors saw the world and how they lived.”

The guide began in a calm yet solemn tone, beckoning the group closer to the large mural. Slowly, the teachers herded the children forward, urging them to finally put away their cell phones and take off their headphones. Her hands now clasped in front of her body in a typical scholar’s cradle, the priestess waited until the group had gathered around her, then nodded approvingly.

“Can anyone explain the meaning of the phrase ‘the law of the jungle’? Anyone?”

She asked the children, and many paws went up. With a smile, she selected a young tapir girl and let her explain the meaning as she understood it.

“It means that the strong rule over the weak, and only the strongest survive.”

The young girl explained with conviction, and the guide nodded slowly as she let the children take in this statement.

“Indeed, quite right. The strong ruled over the weak, and only the strongest survived in this cruel world. That meant that in those terrible times, when our ancestors did not yet live together in relative harmony, when we carnivores still roamed the jungle and hunted other species, the smaller, weaker species lived in constant fear. Not only from the carnivores, who could take their lives just like that, but also from the other, larger herbivores, who secured the best areas for grazing and raising their young. A water buffalo didn’t care much if it trampled one of the smaller herbivores to secure one of the best feeding spots. Likewise, we carnivores feared for our own safety and our lives, for if a tiger was hungry and a jaguar or a wolf was careless, or had presented itself as easy prey, he would not have turned down the opportunity to fill his stomach and at the same time eliminate a competitor for the available food and vice versa.”

Her voice was surprisingly loud, considering how calmly she spoke, as she described life in a wild, untamed jungle and pointed to the artwork on the wall, which depicted hunters and prey in a constant struggle.

“For millennia, this simple rule, this single law of the jungle, had been unambiguous for everyone living in these lands; but at some point, this balance between hunters and prey, so delicately maintained by Mother Nature, was disrupted.”

The priestess lowered her voice and spoke in a conspiratorial tone, causing the children to move closer so they could hear her better.

“When the herbivores finally realized that their numerical superiority would give them an advantage in battle, they decided to settle their differences and disputes and join forces to drive all carnivores out of the jungle once and for all. And so they tipped the scales in their favor.”

As she explained this, she held her hands which symbolized both sides of the scales in front of her body and adjusted their height accordingly. The herbivore children were thrilled, as it looked as though their ancestors were on the verge of victory, but the tigress moved the hand that was now higher, symbolizing the carnivores.

“This development deeply alarmed the carnivores, and so they, too, formed an alliance to join forces and stop the common enemy that threatened to wipe them out.”

Now she balanced her hands again to restore the equilibrium between the two factions, causing the carnivorous children to cheer.

“Despite their numerical superiority and a common enemy, the herbivores were divided in spirit, not as united as they had thought, and thus, after initial victories, were forced to retreat before the carnivores, who, though outnumbered, were united in their quest for ultimate victory...”

With these words, the priestess led the group through a corridor into another room dominated by a large stone throne, upon which sat a wax figure depicting a massive tiger warrior, adorned with many scars and clad in a richly decorated ceremonial robe.

“The conflict between the herbivores and the carnivores quickly escalated into all-out war, fought with extreme brutality on both sides. Both the hunters and the prey fought to completely annihilate the other side. And as the war dragged on for years and years, vast swaths of this jungle had been devastated, and many species had suffered catastrophic losses, from which some never fully recovered and eventually disappeared altogether. Ultimately, all of this resulted in the balance between the two sides tipping in favor of the carnivores.”

Her words echoed off the high walls of the room as the tigress approached the throne and took her place to the right of it. She placed a clawed paw on the high backrest of the ornate piece of furniture and looked at the children who had gathered before her. For a moment, the urge to command them to kneel stirred within her, but she quickly suppressed it and addressed the group once more.

“At that point, the outcome of the war was clearly foreseeable to everyone. The carnivores would win the war; there was no longer any doubt about that, not even among the most powerful herbivores.”

She said this with no small amount of smugness in her voice before lowering her head.

“But at what cost…”

She added quietly, letting her gaze wander over the group of children, many of whom seemed horrified.

“But first, let us learn how a decision made out of desperation and necessity created a society that has changed the lives of all animals in the jungle from that time until the present day.”

Concept and Idea by

El Poyo Diabolo

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El Poyo Diabolo

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El Poyo Diabolo

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El Poyo Diabolo

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El Poyo Diabolo