Once upon a time on the wide savanna, a thoughtful young hyena had a big idea.
“I want to build a place where animals can laugh, learn, and feel safe,” he said. “A place for stories and snacks, for mischief and meaning, a club for anyone who needs one.”
He brought the idea to his hyena clan, who chuckled and cheered. But they knew it wouldn’t be easy.
To begin, they needed to dig the foundation.
Just then, a pair of squirrels, scrambled down from a tall acacia.
“We’ve got claws, and we’re fast,” said one
“And we work best together,” added the other.
“We’ll help.”
And they did.
Next came the beams and walls, sturdy enough to hold dreams.
Two meerkats poked their heads up from under a log.
“We’re small, but mighty,” said one.
“And we’ve got a knack for building,” said the other.
They joined in.
When the rains came, they needed a roof to protect it all.
A stork landed nearby, graceful and tall.
“I’ve flown over villages and nests,” he said. “Let me help you build a roof that breathes and shelters.”
And he did.
Day after day, they worked, hyena, squirrels, meerkats, and stork, laughing, sweating, listening, and learning.
And finally, it was finished.
A place made of branches and bamboo, of effort and empathy, with room enough for every creature of the savanna.
The hyena stood at the door and called out:
“Come in! Come laugh! Come rest!
Today, we are all hyena.”
And they came.
The zebras, the jackals, the owls and the ants.
Even the lion.
He stood at the doorway, uncertain.
The hyena walked over to him.
“You’re really letting me in?” asked the lion. “After all our disagreements?”
The hyena smiled.
“Yes,” he said. “Because this place isn’t about who we were. It’s about who we choose to be, together.”
And so the lion stepped inside.
The music played. The food was shared. And for the first time in a long time, the savanna felt like one big family.
Because the Hyena Club wasn’t just a building.
It was a beginning.
Moral:
True strength is in shared effort, and true leadership is in making space for everyone, even those we once opposed.
Because forgiveness opens more doors than pride ever could.
