On a rocky hillside not far from here, with verdant patches separated by craggy outcroppings, there lived a herd of goats happily feasting on the growth of the land. Though Young Buck was no longer a kid, he still loved to play, and was particularly interested in being at the top of any hill, stump or outcropping.
“I’m the strongest, I’m the fastest, I’m the King of the hill!” He would gleefully proclaim.
His kid brother, Little Billy, looked up to Young Buck and tried to emulate him. In fact, Little Billy tried to claim so many hills, that the herd leaders had trouble keeping an eye on him. “Hey, Little Billy!" called Old Joe. "Not so far from the herd! Take a little wisdom from your elders. Play may be fun, yet you must take care! There are lions and ogres; you must keep aware!”
“Oh, old Joe’s a fuddy duddy,” Young Buck told Billy, with a laugh. “He's just chewing his cud! Lions! Ogre’s! Hm, hm! He’s the ogre! He’s so old, he’s forgotten what it was like to kick up your heels, and leap through the air as though you are flying.”
“Yeah! He doesn’t know what it’s like to be the strongest, the fastest, the king of the hill!” joined in Billy, a little too loudly, perhaps, because his brother’s high attitude lost a bit of altitude.
“Hush! He’ll hear you!”
One day Billy and Buck got into one of their games climbing higher and higher on the hill. As they capered and flipped, they neglected to notice that the herd was moving away to a greener pasture. They also failed to see the mountain lion watching from among some nearby rocks. Billy, though much smaller than his brother, was giving Buck more challenge than usual. “I’m the strongest! Ooph! I’m the best! Umph! I'm the --hooomf – king of the Hill! Huhn!!” What joy, what fun, what a great way to celebrate the gift of life! Bang! This was the life, they thought, as they both reeled with the force of their huge head-on collision!
That was when the lion took his chance and leaped onto Buck’s back! Little Billy startled and ran down the hill for the herd, but they were no where in sight! Young Buck struggled to fight as he fled, but he felt his oppressor heavy on his back, and the claws ripped deeper into his skin.
Just as Buck was about to give in to his awful fate, from behind the tree bounded Old Joe, crashing into the pair. Thus began a great battle of rippling muscles, claws and teeth against hoofs and horns. Old Joe flew again and again at the lion, who scratched menacingly at the great goat while trying to avoid Joe’s forceful blows. Billy and Buck looked on as their leader fought alone, until the lion and the goat grappled, rose on their hind legs, the lion with his powerful arms around the goat’s shoulders, the goat pushing his horns into the lion’s face. “He’s going to lose!” moaned the injured Buck. At that moment, like a lightening charged rocket, Little Billy launched himself head down into the fray, knocking the lion’s hip and tumbling him over. Now the old goat and the young stood shoulder to shoulder facing their vicious enemy, and as Buck limped up beside the two, the lion made his decision to cut his loss, turned tail, and retreated over the hill.
As the three limped to rejoin the herd, Billy was elated! “Did you see how Old Joe flew out of the wood!? And me! I knocked that lion over! We really are the strongest and fastest, kings of the hill!”
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