RURU'S ADVENTURE

It was a pleasant day in the grasslands of Kaziranga forest in Assam. Ruru rhino and his mother were grazing near some water.

- Niloy Kurmi

Ruru was merrily running around and playing with a stick when Ela egret came and sat on his mother's back. The mere sight of Ela annoyed Ruru because she always played pranks on him.

"Shoo! Shoo!' snorted Ruru. "Don't disturb us, Ela!" "But I'm not disturbing anyone!" Ela said.

"I'm only eating the flies, leeches, and ticks from your mother's skin."

"Let her be, Ruru," said his mother. "These parasites are extremely pesky."

 "Your thick skin can't protect you from these blood-sucking pests," Ela added smugly.

Ela had barely said this when Ruru felt an itch on his back.

"But even if you plead with me, I won't remove the pests from your body, you ungrateful rhino!" Ela scoffed.

"I don't want your help. Hmph!" Ruru snapped.

"Hush!" whispered Ruru's mother. Her ears pricked up as she could hear the footsteps of an approaching elephant.

And sure enough, from the tall elephant grass surrounding the grassland, a safari elephant emerged.

"There are humans on its back," Ela said.

Ruru was excited, saying, "Tell me more! Tell me more!"

"They have guns!" Ela shrieked suddenly, which made Ruru jump out of his skin.

"What are you saying?!" exclaimed Ruru, terrified. "Mother, what will we do now?!"

"Hohoho!" Ela laughed. It was just another one of her pranks, as she knew that rhinoceroses have poor eyesight.

Otherwise, Ruru would have been able to see that the humans were gazing at them through binoculars.