When Chi the chicken was born,it was a very happy moment for Tunga her mother, too bad Tunga could not remember who exactly it was that put her in the family way. Chi was a cute little chick that all the neighboring chickens always pampered,sometimes at the expense of their own kids. She was pure white,had a very lovely pink beak and smoothly arranged feathers. But soon,Chi began to grow bigger and wasn’t so beautiful any longer. Worse still was the fact that Tunga, her mother had put to bed again and had three newer and even cuter chicks. Attention had almost completely shifted from Chi’s direction.

Few days after Tunga had given birth, she was taken by the owners and sold. Chi was devastated, and was then left with the responsibility of taking care of her younger ones,which she totally gave herself to. She stole food sometimes just so they could eat,she turned down all her ‘suitors’ calling them clogs in her wheel of progress.Even when poor Josh sang and mimed to ‘Hero’ by Enrique just to impress her,she would not be moved. She didn’t bother to wear any make up and ensured that her younger ones were always around her everywhere she went. She didn’t want to fail her mother,whom she was sure must have been killed and was now watching from heaven!

Despite how devoted Chi was to her younger ones, tragedy struck.One day,while taking them around the neighborhood in search of food,two boys playing football mistakenly played the ball towards them, hitting and instantly killing one of the chicks.Chi was mad! She started running after the little boy who hit her sister.She ran after him till she had lost all her strength and collapsed beside the road,only to be awakened by the horns of cars driving past.She jolted up at the thought of the other two chicks and ran to the spot where she had left them but couldn’t find them. Shivering due to the combination of cold and fear (or should I call it cold fear), she went home to her owners hoping she’d find them there,but alas,they were gone.She became instantly sick…

It was two weeks already. Chi had grown very sick that her owners thought she might die so they began making plans on how to kill her ASAP. Chi didn’t so much care whether she was killed or sold or used for money rituals. She just wanted to end her miserable life. Then, Daar showed up, right at the nick of time.

Daar belonged to the bread seller down the street. He was her only animal so she decided to keep him, even when she knew he couldn’t reproduce. Daar,a tall,black and not too handsome cock, was brought just around the time of Tunga’s demise. He had,since then,watched Chi from afar and admired her high sense of responsibility. But he heard from his counterparts that she was proud and therefore chose to keep his distance.

But he began to sense danger hovering around her and somehow he felt responsible. He knew he had to do something to save her. He began paying her visits. Soon, Chi’s frail body became familiar with this stranger who’d just come sit by her from morning till evening. And she began to get better. Within a short time, Chi and Daar had not only become best of friends,but Chi had become strong and healthy. Her owners saw that and decided against killing her.

Chi’s experience created an unquenchable passion for fellow chickens. She began a move that insisted that chickens too have a life and should be allowed to live. All the neighboring chickens joined in the protest with Daar firmly behind Chi who led it. The chickens planned on absconding from their owners and creating a place for chickens only, called ‘CHICKENDOM’. At the time of the plan, Chi had taken in with Daar’s child. A rally was held from street to street, calling every chicken far and wide to support their cause. And it worked. People began noticing that their chickens were missing. Daar’s owner suddenly changed her mind about keeping him and killed him. Though Chi was saddened by his death and mourned him for days, she would not allow it to discourage her. She and a large number of chickens raised placards against chicken murder and maltreatment…