The Fight to Lead

Rooster strutted up and down the dusty yard, crowing happily as he did so. Little did he realise, Rat was following cautiously along behind him, trying to imitate his perfectly confident strut. Up until now, she'd been prepared and had managed to move herself as he moved so that she was always invisible. But this time, Rooster was too quick for her. He whirled around so quickly it made her jump before she froze again. His face went from an expression of elation to one of anger.
"What do you think you're doing Rat?" he snapped at her, causing her to jump back a few metres from him.
"I was trying to be like you," she said defensively, her ears drooping as her head hung low. She didn't think she was doing anything wrong. They'd both been having fun! At least, that's what she'd thought...
"And what makes you think you can be me?" asked Rooster loudly, beginning to flap his wings.
"I wasn't trying to be you. I was trying to be like you," said Rat quietly, speaking to the ground.
"What makes me think you can be like me?" Rooster spat. "You're you, and I'm me. Separate. Different."
"But..." Rat stopped, furiously searching her brain for a good defence. "But... I'm... I'm adaptable!"

Just as it seemed Rat would burst into tears, Pig appeared, trotting slowly toward them. "Rooster is right," she said, looking at Rat. "But so is Rat," she said as her gaze shifted to look at him.
"What?" they both asked, open mouthed. "Rat, the two of you are different," she said, "but Rooster, can't you see that Rat was only trying to have a little fun? She meant no harm," said Pig calmly. Beside her, Rat nodded her agreement. "It's fun to pretend sometimes," said Pig.

Meanwhile, Monkey, Rabbit, Dragon, Horse and Dog laughed as they played not too far away. They danced around each other and clapped as Dragon exhaled a puff of sweet smelling smoke in the middle of the small huddle.

Rat ran toward them, having decided it was best to leave Rooster to his own devices. Jumping up and down, due to her small size, Rat eventually managed to tap Dog on the shoulder. Dog turned round and lowered himself so Rat would not need to jump anymore. "Thank you," she said, panting for breath. "Can I come play with you guys?"
Dog smiled and edged to one side, closer to Monkey in order to create a small gap in between himself and Rabbit. "Don't be silly! Of course you can."

A little further away, Ox and Tiger argued loudly about who should be in charge. "I am the strong one!" said Ox, "I can protect us from attack."
"But I'm a born leader!" argued Tiger passionately.The argument went on like that a long while, each new retort becoming louder and louder.
Rooster wandered over to see what all the fuss was about, having heard the yelling from across the yard. He soon joined in, believing himself to be the best candidate for leader.

Before long, even the animals who'd been playing happily came to join in the fight. The noise disturbed Sheep and Pig, who's returned to her resting spot. They watched on, trying to understand what all the commotion was about. They were tempted to join in. They knew they had good leadership qualities. Pig was focused and known to achieve great things. Sheep was quiet and sensitive, but also creative and compassionate.

The argument was so loud now, with nearly all the animals involved or watching on, that Snake, who usually kept to himself so much that the others knew little about him, wandered to the quarrelling group. "Well," he said calmly, "I'm the wisest one. It's only right that I should lead us."  The group erupted with angry noises from the other animals. And so the heated debate continued, until suddenly, there was a thunderous bang as a bright light flashed overhead, stopping the animals in their tracks.

The brawl had become so loud and boisterous that it had disturbed the spirits from the sky. "Now," said the spirit, in such a commanding way that the animals all turned to look. "What is all this fuss?" he asked. Sheep stepped forward, and said quietly. "We all think we should be the leader."
"And so you all should," said the spirit. "You shall all be leaders. Each of you will take it in turns to lead for a year, however you should all be celebrated for your unique qualities." The animals nodded and murmured excitedly. And so it was, that each year an animal is chosen to lead and all the animals celebrated for who they are.