A troop of monkeys passed through the area, their presence a fleeting ripple in the grand rhythm of the wild. Among them was Rina, a mother whose own child had been snatched from her arms by a hawk just weeks before. Her grief lingered like a shadow, her body still producing milk with no infant to nurse.
The frail orphan, barely clinging to life, his eyes pleading for something he could not name. Something in her heart cracked open. Without hesitation, she reached down and gathered him into her arms. He flinched, unfamiliar with kindness, but soon his body softened, instinctively seeking the warmth he had lost.
The troop hesitated. Would they accept this outsider? The dominant male studied the tiny creature before finally turning away, his indifference an unspoken approval.
From that moment on, the baby had a mother.
Under Rina’s care, he grew stronger. He learned to climb, to chatter with the other young monkeys, to find food among the lush foliage. With each passing day, he became more than an orphan—he became family.
