| \r\n\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t![Zhang, Annika and the Rest of the Meerkat Family - Zhang, Annika e O Resto da Família de Suricato [Page 19] by moyomongoose](https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/1738/1738372_moyomongoose_zz15_noncustom.jpg "Zhang, Annika and the Rest of the Meerkat Family - Zhang, Annika e O Resto da Família de Suricato [Page 19] by moyomongoose") +38 \r\n\t\t\t |
One hot July afternoon, only a few weeks into the war, Zhang saw his next oldest brother, Jorad, take a sniper shot in the chest. Zhang immediately dropped his weapon and ran over crying to Jorad, who was still conscious, but laid dying. Immediately, the adult meerkat who was with Jorad and Zhang threw himself to the ground to shield the cubs from further gunfire with his own body, as he frantically tried to locate the sniper.
As Jorad was moaning, "Estou a sangrar...Estou ferido gravemente (I'm bleeding...I'm hurt badly.)" another round barely got past the adult meerkat and ricocheted near the cubs, followed by the distant sounds of muzzle fire and projectile crack, as Zhang laid with his brother, Jorad, hugging him.
The adult meerkat finally spotted the pangolin sniper and took him out with a fatal 30.06 shot to the forehead. The adult meerkat knew the pangolin was a UNITA fighter by him having no bandana or arm cloth...and from the obvious fact the pangolin had just shot Jorad who was clearly wearing a bandana.
Jorad gave his last farewell to Zhang. Then said to Zhang in a weak voice, "Zhang, I love you. And mom and dad. And our brothers. Say good bye for me to them. Tell them I love them."
Then Jorad passed away. Zhang cried bitterly, embracing his deceased brother for a while before he and the adult meerkat picked up the weapons and ammo from the bodies of Jorad and the pangolin sniper and moved on. Jorad's body was picked up for burial that evening.
Jorad's funeral was held the following morning at the village community worship center, which is an unpainted, concrete block building, with stone slab floor and slate shingle roof, and with it's cemetery beyond it's north side. It was on the outskirts of the north end of the village, just off of a narrow dirt lane highway leading north out of the village which ran along side the narrow gauge railroad. For a hearse, Jorad's body arrived in back of Granddad Zeth's old '54 Rekord station wagon...There was no hearse...No one in that part of the Cunene Province had ever even seen a real hearse before. There were no funeral homes or embalming either, as those things were totally unheard of. As customary for the locals, Jorad's body spent the night at home before Granddad Zeth stopped by at dawn with his car so the family can take the body to the village worship center that morning for the funeral.
Sy Aardwolf, who was the proprietor of the automotive garage and junkyard in the village, and was also the pastor of the worship center, was the one who conducted Jorad's funeral. Sy's family and son-in-law were also present, including his son, Hiraldo, who is a close friend of Moze, being only a year older in age. The worship center had no piano and organ, but they did have an old harmonium (portable pump style organ).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAiELn2Intk
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On that old harmonium, a very beautiful a song was played for Jorad's farewell as those animals chosen to be Jorad's pallbearers carried out the homemade, wood crate casket, adorned with wildflowers, containing his body.
https://youtu.be/lBXiRX4yaaA?t=52
The six pallbearers who shoulder carried Jorad's casket were Jorad's dad Bron, his granddad Zeth (who never dreamed he'd someday help carry his grandson's casket), older brother Moze, friend of the family Sanchez Genet, Sanchez's son Sefu, and Jorad's Uncle Amos from his mom's side of the family.
When Jorad's casket was being lowered into the grave, several gunshots could be heard in a far off distance to the northwest...That meant fighting somewhere going on. It was hoped that during Jorad's burial that everyone would not have to run to the cars and grab up their guns, but fortunately, no further gunshots were heard and no UNITA rebels had showed up.
Along with the family members and friends attending Jorad's funeral was also, then 13 year old, Jorad's female meerkat friend, Kalila, in as much mourning as the family was. Most of the family, including Kalila's family, never really caught on to it, but Bron and Lacara had for some time speculated, as well as Moze already knowing, that Kalila and their late son Jorad may have been a bit closer than "just friends"...There are a lot of things someone misses out on in this life when someone dies as a 12 year old cub. But for Jorad, at least the experience of having sex was not one missed out on in his life of only 12 years, thus Jorad's parents held no feelings of disrespect for Kalila, considering...After all, Bron and Lacara remembered 16 years earlier that they themselves were adolescents who were not yet married at the time they were expecting their first cub, Moze.