When the kangaroo and the dog were people, they once met on a forest path.
-Where are you going, dog? - asked the kangaroo. “I’m going hunting,” answered the dog.
“I would also go with you,” said the kangaroo.
“Okay,” said the dog. - Come with me and be my friend.
They collected their spears and wommers, and the kangaroo asked:
-Where are we going to go?
- Yes, over there! - And the dog led the kangaroo to the mountains.
Soon they came to a river. The banks of the river were clayey. There was brown clay, and red, and white. They dug up multi-colored clay with spears and piled it in mounds near them.
“Try to paint me,” the kangaroo dog asked. - Paint me so that I look like a dog.
“Okay,” said the kangaroo. - I will paint you so that you look like a dog.
“You first paint me with brown clay,” said the dog. - Try to turn me into a dog.
The kangaroo painted first the dog's head, then the neck, belly, chest, tail, and four legs.
- Look! - said the kangaroo. - I painted you. I painted everything as it should be. You turned out just like a dog.
“You painted well,” the dog praised him. “You painted me just like a dog.”
“Now paint me,” asked the kangaroo.
“Okay,” the dog agreed. - Lie down. “Don’t draw me like that,” said the kangaroo.
“Lie down,” said the dog. - And I will paint you so that you will become a kangaroo and jump at full speed - hop-hop-hop!
The dog painted the head of a kangaroo, then two front legs, then the belly, and the tail, and the hind legs.
“So you’re ready,” said the dog. - I painted you well. I drew everything I needed.
“If you drew everything, I should become a kangaroo,” said the kangaroo.
“I’ve drawn everything, everything,” confirm; dog.
“Well, try to bark like a dog,” said the kangaroo.
“Okay,” the dog agreed and barked.
“Now catch up with me,” said the kangaroo. - Let's run a little.
“Run forward,” said the dog, “and I will run after you.”
And now they were no longer people; they became a dog and a kangaroo.
The kangaroo galloped forward, and the dog chased after him. They ran through the valley, jumped over the stream and climbed the side of the hill, and the dog barked all the time.
Then they stopped to rest.
- What do we call the place where we painted each other? - asked the dog.
“I can’t even think of what we should call this place,” admitted the kangaroo.
“Let’s call him Barl-barl,” the dog decided.
“Now let’s run on,” said the kangaroo.
“Okay,” answered the dog. - Run forward, and I will bark.
They ran for a long time. We crossed another river and found ourselves at the foot of a large mountain.
“This is a good place,” said the dog. - Let's climb this rock.
“Come on,” agreed the kangaroo. “Bite my tail and I’ll jump to the very top.”
When the dog also climbed the rock, he asked:
- What should we call this place?
“Let’s call him Numilukari and Binaminki,” suggested the kangaroo.
“Okay,” said the dog. - Now we will live here.
There they lived, and the dog barked from morning to evening.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru