What else did it need? Did it need anything else? Perhaps it just needed a few more touch ups. Yeah, that was it!

     Monkey sat on the arm of the gift he had prepared for the child. It was enormous, it was strong, it was mighty. It was a sculpture that was sure to impress the human child. If he could only figure out what he should add, it would then be perfect. Well, more perfect would have been a better phrase. It was clearly already the most perfect gift out of any of the other animals.

     He scratched his chin, thinking. Monkey's black skin was covered in a shaggy gray hair that hung at his arms and spiked on top of his head. His face bore lighter shades of gray on it as did his ears.

     He reached out a long, lanky arm and swiped a small splinter off from the arm of his gift. He reached up and scratched it on to the side of the statue's head. He scratched it at the top, he scratched it at the middle. He scratched it at the bottom and he was all-well, maybe it could use a bit more at the top. He reached up with the splinter and scratched it a bit more. Just a little bit-

     Monkey was caught of guard by the snapping branch he heard behind him. It sent a shudder shooting through his body, causing him to drop the splinter he had been scratching with. Monkey whirled around to see Tiger standing in his clearing

     After her encounter with Hornbill, Tiger had through the forest, eventually coming to Monkey's clearing. She passed by more of the twisted tree, some with entire branches missing, fallen off from some time in the past. Tiger had not been paying attention to where she was walking and had stepped on a twig, causing it to snap loudly and frighten the unsuspecting Monkey.

     Monkey jumped, no, gracefully leapt up onto the head of his statue and hurled himself up into the trees, disappearing for a moment in a scatter of leaves. Monkey jumped and flipped through the tree branches above, swinging off of vines and twisted branches, his long tail giving his innate balance. Swinging close to Tiger, Monkey dropped down, landing exactly how he wanted before her.

     Tiger thought for sure that of all the animals, the, albeit slightly odd, Monkey would appreciate what she had to offer the human child. Monkey sat down and fell back on his hands, waiting expectantly for Tiger. Tiger sat up and purred. She lifted her chin and showed Monkey her gourd, purring again, her tail curling a bit.

     Monkey stood, swaying on his feet. He wore a confused expression on his face. Surely Tiger was not thinking of giving the child this gourd as a gift...right? Monkey reached out and plucked the gourd from Tiger's mouth, holding it in his hands. Monkey turned it over, trying to figure out if it was to do something or it was supposed to make a sound, but Monkey could not figure out why Tiger thought it would make such a good gift.

     Monkey held the dried gourd out near his ear. He shook it once, he shook it twice, but it yielded no sound. Tiger watched as Monkey did this and once more, she dropped her head, embarrassed. Monkey, unimpressed with the gourd, thrust it back into Tiger's mouth with a pop.

     Monkey decided that he needed to show Tiger what a really worth gift looked like. He vaulted backwards, flipping as he did so. He demonstrated his superior climbing skills, jumping up the side of his statue, pulling himself up on its right arm, swinging from its eye and using the left as a spring. He bounced up on top of its head and let out a few squawks. He looked down at his statue admiringly.

     The statue looked somewhat crude, being carved from on of the forest's trees. In had a large knot on its left side and above that knot was one of the long spindly arms with three twig fingers at the end. Opposite of that arm was another arm, this one looking much more twisted, with two curdled twigs for fingers. The head, however, was probably the most disturbing part of the figure. Its left eye was a crude circle and its right eye was a jagged mess that left a gap in the right side of its head. Its large, grinning mouth was full of sharp looking teeth.

     Monkey perched himself on top, next to the small sprout on the head that held two green leaves. He looked at Tiger eagerly. He patted the head with both arms and squeaked, letting Tiger know that his massive, mighty statue was a really worthy gift. Much better than the pitiful little gourd that Tiger was going to offer.

     Again, Tiger was sorely discouraged, gazing at Monkey's grand statue. It might not have been pretty, but it stood tall, taller than some of the animals. The child would accept that mighty gift and probably Hornbill's beautiful bouquet as well. Tiger knew that her humble little gourd stood no chance against such extravagant gifts. Tiger gripped the dried gourd in her mouth and she started off once again.

     Tiger sulked away as Monkey sat atop his statue, beating his chest and squawking as monkeys usually do. Tiger walked off, her tail dragging on the dirty ground. Her head hung low, lower than it had leaving Hornbill's tree. Her eyes remained mostly closed as she walked along; barely paying attention to where she headed as she left Monkey's clearing. She could still hear him as she put more and more distance between them.

     Tiger walked through the forest. The birds, the bugs, the distant waterfall, they all sounded in Tiger's ears. Even they seemed to be mocking her now. She walked slowly, her steps taken carefully. She paced passed more massive trees and found the sound of the flowing river reaching her ears. She walked along a small path leading to the river bank. She stopped just short of it and sat down.

     Tiger stared into the river, her tail coiling into her. Her reflection shimmered and wavered in the rippling water. Her reflection stared intently back at her, holding a distorted gourd in her mouth. Tiger knew that it was too late to prepare a gift that was truly worth giving. The other animals were all but ready to present their gifts. Tiger would have to give the child her small dried gourd as a gift. Her reflection looked sad, discouraged. Tiger realized that it was what she looked like at the moment.

     A gentle breeze caused the bushes around her to bristle, the purple flowers and some beautiful pink flowers on the bank to rustle their petals. The breeze passed over the water, distorting Tiger's reflection further. She closed her eyes. The other animals were probably already gathered around the human child and presenting him with the first of the beautiful and mighty gifts they had prepared.

     Tiger knew that she was going to be late, but she knew she had to go, even if all she was going to do was give the dried gourd to the young, crying human child. Tiger lowered her head, thinking about everything the other animals would be thinking of her. She gazed into her reflection and her reflection gaze into her. It was time to go.