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Ninja Monkeys: Dark Rising
Chapter 1: How it Happened
The Jungle of Gana was a place of peace and prosperity. War's grimy claws had not marred the land for many a century. The monkeys that dwelt among the shady, vine infested trees, made their living by selling fruits, nuts and other such things to each other. But it is true, that some of the more adventurous ones wandered across the great desert to seek their fortune. The younglings where always taught that this was a foolish endeavor since all any monkey could wish for was in the Jungle. So, in the end, only one in a thousand or so would embark on this act of “foolishness.” And, of course, many songs and plays where composed about them. Even the great poet Fruloo Framboola has yet to discredit an amateur play-write who produced such a re-inactment. For instance............During the reign of King Baruloomear back in the Third Dynasty, a certain youngling had stolen all of his parents valuables and trinkets and stuffed them into a sack almost the size of himself. He then made his escape by running off into the night, strait for the desert. He would have never succeeded in making it far with his load, or with the royal guard in pursuit, but, it is said, that once this vagabond reached the last tree and bush of the Jungle, a great lizard came running toward him from the desert. The young monkey mounted the great beast, which devoured three of the royal guards. Then it streaked away into the night never to be heard of again. To this day, though it be the twenty-first dynasty, this story is dramatized through out Gana in almost every theatre. Few believe that their actually was a lizard large enough to carry a monkey, but it still makes for a spectacular performance on stage.
The current king of the Jungle was a noble, middle aged monkey by the name of Baroonda. He was very fair in his judgments and ordinances, like his ancestors before him and he his Queen Suroo and his princess Keekee where praised throughout the jungle by all the she monkeys. But, as of late, dark times had fallen upon the Jungle.
It all happened during breakfast one morning.
“Good morning fair queen!” hailed Baroonda as he sat down into his chair at the well stocked table.
“Have you seen our princess this morning?” inquired Suroo.
“No, she usually isn't late for breakfast though.”
“I am under the table!” came the voice of princess keekee.
“Nutty Nuts! What are you doing under there?” asked the king.
“Oh just getting my – oof – there, all better.”
“Your what darling?”
“My, uh, crown.”
“You shouldn't drop that thing” laughed the king, “It's worth half my kingdom!”
“Let's be honest, dear” chided Suroo.
Baroonda recovered from his fit of laughter, “Really...I am quite serious, your worth more to me than...Well...anything else.” The king then threw a dried fig at Keekee (this is a sign of affection amoungst monkeys).
“I love you too daddy” the princess replied, catching the fig and eating it (this shows that she also felt affection for her father).
“Now” said Baroonda, “Let's eat! I haven't had a banana since last night!”
“Naturally” chuckled Suroo, who, if you couldn't tell, liked saying one liners like that.
As Baroonda, Suroo and Keekee where about to peel their first bananas, a loud crack split through the air. A section of the wood ceiling above them shattered and four black colored monkeys, with hideous red eyes dropped right on to the middle of the table. Baroonda first thought they were just a few hula gins who had decided to play a practical joke on the royal family. But, after one look at their strange red eyes, he was certain they were up to no good. So he immediately shouted: “Seize these knaves.”
The unlucky royal guards who were in the room, rushed forward, spears at the ready. Two of the black monkeys jumped off the table to engage in combat. It really shouldn't be called “combat” since it took the two dark brutes all of four seconds to knock the royal guards senseless. And it took all of about five seconds for the other two knaves to grab Suroo and Keekee. Buroonda watched in horror as his bride and daughter where carried out of the room and onto the landing area. Since you probably don't know what a landing area is, I am going to take a moment to explain. Monkey houses are never on the ground, rather in trees. So the royal palace was really made up of a dozen or so tree houses all within close range of each other. One house was the throne room, another was the armory, another the sleeping chambers and so on. In order for the royal servants, guests and family to get from one tree house to another, a landing area was located around the perimeter of each house that is around three to six feet wide. Monkeys of course are superb vine swingers. And if there were no landing platforms, each monkey would either have to swing onto the roof of the house, swing in through a window (which is quite dangerous considering that it is very hard to know what inside of the window) or be smashed into the side of the tree house. Monkeys don't like doing any of the above so, landing platforms where invented.
Now if you think Baroonda was just going sit there while his family gets stolen, you thought wrong. The brave king wasted no more time than the 5 seconds he had already. In one acrobatic dive he cleared the table. As he soared over the banana basket, he managed to snatch a bunch of them. In a moment he was out on landing platform. The two black monkeys, who seemed to just be waiting there, spun around in surprise. Baroonda expertly squirted two of the bananas out of their peels and straight into the faces of the two felons. A banana squirted into your face can be quite messy, just as it was for the black monkeys. They were stunned just long enough for Baroonda to punch one of them in the gut and grab his stolen property. But he only executed his gut punching maneuver on one of his foes. Right after this he heard a swooshing sound then felt sharp whack across the back of his head, which sent him flying off the landing platform, leaving the scene behind. A great black, winged, bird-like creature alighted on a nearby branch. The black monkeys, who had by now recovered from the banana squirting, transported their prisoners onto the back of the monstrous black bird. As Baroonda fell, he looked up as the beast's big wings pounded the air and lifted it up to the sky. The king let out a howl of agony. He felt helpless as he descended. But he hadn't given up yet. As he fell, he grabbed a vine that was dangling horizontally between two trees. The vine stretched like a sling shot; then released it's ammunition, that being Baroonda, heavenward. It was just enough force to propel the king back up to the breakfast chamber landing platform. Then he jumped from the platform to the roof, then from the roof right onto the wing of the bird. Though it flapped violently to shake him off, Baroonda's strong grip on it's feathers prevailed. In a moment, they where twenty feet above the jungle tree tops and Baroonda could see another black bird approaching through the sky. On it's back was dark monkey, like the kind witnessed previously, and a brown rough looking monkey with a tattered cloak flowing behind him.
Right after he saw this, Baroonda looked down below at the jungle and saw two black figures come shooting up toward the bird he was clinging to. They landed on either side of the king. Each grabbed one of his arms, then rolled off the bird's wing, taking Baroonda with them. Down, into the jungle foliage, the three of them fell. Baroonda would not see his family again for a very long time.
