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Under a great old baobab tree lived Tumbi, a small pangolin with soft brown scales like tiny shields. Whenever another animal came too close, Tumbi curled into a tight little ball, and everyone thought she was simply too shy to ever be friends with.
One morning, a bright weaver bird named Kiki flew down to build her nest in the baobab's branches. But Kiki soon noticed the leaves turning brown and tiny ants marching in long busy lines up the trunk, nibbling everything in sight.
Worried for her new home, Kiki asked the other animals for help, but no one knew what to do — until wise old Elephant remembered that pangolins loved eating ants more than anything else in the world. So Kiki flew straight to Tumbi and gently asked for her help, promising she would not come too close.
Slowly, Tumbi uncurled, stretched out her long sticky tongue, and began scooping up the ants one by one until the baobab's trunk was clean and safe again. Kiki was so happy that she sang the sweetest song she knew, just for Tumbi.
From that day on, Kiki sang every morning while Tumbi kept the ants away, and the baobab tree grew tall and green above them both. The other animals watched in wonder, realizing that Tumbi was never too shy for friendship — she had simply been waiting for the right friend to find her.
