Deep within the heart of the Emerald Forest, where sunlight filtered down in golden stripes and birds held daily gossip conferences at dawn, lived an antelope named Aru.
Aru was graceful. Aru was swift.But most importantly—according to Aru himself—Aru was gorgeous.
Every morning began the same.
He trotted to the Mirror Lake, bent his slender neck, and admired his reflection like it was an endangered treasure only he could protect.
"Ahhh, look at these antlers!" Aru would sigh dreamily. "Perfect curve, perfect shine. If beauty were an exam, I would score full marks."
The fish in the lake rolled their eyes.The frogs groaned.Even the trees rustled with exasperation.
But Aru didn't notice.
He was too busy adjusting his pose so the sunlight hit his antlers just right.
Aru's Problem (Besides Loving Himself Too Much)
Despite being handsome enough to cause daydreams, Aru had one deep insecurity:
His legs.
They were long. They were thin.Very thin.Spaghetti-thin. Toothpick-thin. "Is that a leg or a branch?" thin.
Every time he saw them in the water, he groaned dramatically.
"Why must MY legs be so skinny? Why not thick and muscular—like a buffalo's? Or powerful like a zebra's?" He wailed to the sky. "Why do the gods hate me?!"
A nearby squirrel choked on his acorn."Bro, you're literally the FASTEST animal in the forest. Those legs are a gift."
Aru gasped. "My legs are an insult, thank you very much!"
This was precisely why none of the forest animals befriended Aru.He wasn't mean.He wasn't rude.He was just… too much.
Too dramatic.Too obsessed with his antlers.Too annoyed at his own legs.
If arrogance could glow, Aru would have been visible from the moon.
Forest Gossip Hour
One sunny morning, Aru strutted through the forest with his head high—so high he nearly walked into a tree.
The forest animals whispered.
"That antelope thinks he's a prince," a rabbit muttered.
"He's so proud he might trip over his own ego," a tortoise commented.
"Honestly," said a parrot, "if a hunter ever shows up, he'll get caught because his antlers are too big to fit between the trees!"
Aru flicked his ears."I heard that! And FYI, big antlers equal big beauty. You wouldn't understand."
He tossed his head dramatically, nearly smacking a bird off a branch.
The Day Everything Changed
At noon, when the forest hummed with lazy warmth, Aru pranced happily to the lakeside for his scheduled reflection-admiration session.
He leaned down, practicing his "heroic stare."
Then—CRACK!
A branch snapped.
Aru froze.
He heard murmuring voices.Footsteps.Human footsteps.
His eyes widened."Hunters?"
Yes.Hunters.
With actual weapons.And the "I'm-going-to-ruin-your-day" look in their eyes.
Aru gasped so loudly even the lake rippled.
Run, Aru! RUN!
The hunters spotted movement.
"There! The antelope! Quick!"
Aru's heart dropped to his hooves.
"Oh no oh no oh no—MY BEAUTIFUL LIFE IS IN DANGER!"
Without another word, he sprinted.
And oh, those thin, noodle-like legs finally showed their worth.
Aru shot through the forest like a fired arrow.Bushes rustled violently behind him.The hunters gasped.
"Holy—he's fast!""Don't lose him!""Move! MOVE!"
Aru zigzagged between trees, leapt over fallen logs, and dodged rocks with acrobatic flair.
He felt the wind rushing past him.He felt alive.He felt POWERFUL.
His legs were carrying him faster than any creature in the forest.
For the first time in his life, Aru thought:
"…Maybe these legs are… okay?"
But his moment of appreciation was short-lived.
Because—
WHACK!
His antlers struck a low-hanging branch.
"OW! OW! OW! NOT THE ANTLERS!" Aru cried.
He tried to pull back—the branch refused to let go.His prized antlers were tangled.
He was stuck.Stuck stuck.Horribly stuck.
"Oh no no no—this cannot be happening! Let me gooooo!"
He yanked, twisted, kicked—nothing.
The hunters' footsteps grew louder.
"Aru… you idiot…" he whispered to himself. "I should have trimmed these antlers…"
A Realization Hits Harder Than the Branch
As fear gripped his heart, Aru understood something painfully obvious:
His legs—the ones he hated—had saved him.
His antlers—the ones he adored—were about to get him killed.
"I can't believe this…" Aru muttered. "Has my whole life been a lie?"
Yes, Aru. Yes, it has.
A Desperate Struggle
He twisted left.
He twisted right.
He tried to dig the branch out with his hoof, but somehow ended up slapping himself in the face.
"WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT?! WHYYYY?!" he screamed at the tree.
The tree did not answer.Rude tree.
Finally, with a wild kick and a lucky snap—
CRACK!
His antlers came loose.
Aru stumbled backward and nearly fell, but he caught himself and sprinted again.
He didn't look back.Didn't dare to.
He ran until the hunters' voices faded into the distance.
Then he ran some more.
A Humble Moment (Surprising Even Aru)
Aru collapsed under a large mango tree, panting.
"Haah… haah… I'm… alive."
He looked at his legs.
Thin. Long. Ridiculous-looking.
But they had saved him.
He patted them lovingly.
"My beautiful legs… I promise… I will never call you names again."
The legs, being legs, said nothing.
Aru sighed.
"I need to change… I really do."