After five rainy seasons, the time had come for the savannah’s new king or queen to be chosen. The chameleon, who had ruled for five seasons, gathered the animals to her palace. “In two weeks, the lily by the spring will choose a new king or queen with its sweet nectar,” the chameleon king said. “This time, the king or queen will have wings,” she added.

All the animals gathered around the peacock, believing he would be chosen. “Surely, the lily will choose you,” the frog said.
“You’re the most handsome,” the cheetah agreed.
“No feathers are more beautiful than yours,” the eagle declared.
The peacock proudly spread out his magnificent tail, showing off his dazzling feathers. The vibrant blues, greens, and golds shimmered in the sunlight, captivating everyone. “I will be the most handsome king ever,” he boasted.

When Mona, the bee, returned to her mother who was the wise bee who tended to the water lily, she told her mom how handsome the new king-to-be was. “The peacock will make a handsome king,” she said.
“I will tell this to you and only to you,” Mona’s mother said. “The peacock will not be the new king. The lily whispered to me that the new king will be chosen from the caterpillars,” she added.
“The caterpillars? But they don’t have wings,” Mona said, frowning.
“Yes, they don’t,” Mona’s mother said thoughtfully.
“They crawl on their bellies,” Mona said, tilting her head.
“That much I have seen,” Mona’s mother said with a chuckle.

Later that day, the peacock started making fun of the other winged creatures. “If only your stripes weren’t so dull, maybe the lily would choose you instead of me,” he said to Mona.
The peacock’s words hurt Mona, so she blurted out the secret her mother had told her, “The lily whispered to my mother that a caterpillar will become our new king and not you.” All the animals were shocked.
“The lily has never been wrong, so it must be true,” the lion said.
The peacock was determined to still be crowned king, so he whispered a little lie to some of the animals. “On the last night of her reign, the chameleon queen will feast on all the caterpillars left in the savannah,” he said.

This lie spread, and the caterpillars believed it. “Let’s leave before the chameleon queen makes us her supper,” the caterpillars told each other. They packed up their belongings and decided to journey to far savannahs where the chameleon queen wouldn’t find them. Amongst the caterpillars leaving was a mother and father who had just had a baby. He was the most handsome caterpillar ever. His parents feared that the journey would be too dangerous for him.
“We don’t know where we’re going and how far the journey is going to be. Let’s hide Milo where no one will find him. After the chameleon queen’s reign ends, we will return and be with him again,” the baby’s father said. Milo’s mommy and daddy took him to the lily at the spring. Under the lily’s leaves, they found a comfortable spot to hide him. Milo’s mommy sang him to sleep and wove a silky blanket, which she called a cocoon, to wrap him in and keep him safe.

Inside Milo’s cozy cocoon, a wonderful change took place. For two weeks, Milo stayed snug and safe inside. Slowly, his body transformed. His legs and tummy changed shape.

At the end of the two weeks, all the animals gathered before the lily at the spring. Each winged creature was asked to appear before the lily and bow. The creature upon whose forehead the lily’s sweet nectar fell would be crowned the new king or queen of all the animals. One by one, the winged creatures came, but the sweet nectar did not fall upon any of them. The peacock strutted before the lily and bowed with all his beautiful feathers on display. He waited for the sweet nectar to fall. He waited some more, but it did not. The other animals watched in shock as the peacock returned to his place in shame.

“None of you are the chosen,” Mona’s mother told the winged creatures.
“Then who is?” the zebra asked.
“Who will be our king?” the elephant asked.

Suddenly, Milo’s cocoon began to crack open. Out came Milo from under the lily’s leaves, but he wasn’t a caterpillar anymore. He was now a handsome creature with colourful wings that shimmered in the sunlight! The animals marvelled at the sight of this new winged creature.
“Certainly, this must be our new king,” the frog said. Just then, sweet nectar fell from the lily upon Milo’s head.
“He most certainly is our new king,” the giraffe exclaimed.
“Peaceful may his reign be!” the lion roared.

Milo stretched his new wings and flew for the very first time, feeling the gentle breeze carry him through the sky. He visited flowers, sipped sweet nectar, and danced happily among the blossoms.

“What shall we call this new creature?” the animals asked Mona’s mother.
“A flutterby? No! A butterfly! This new creature shall be called a butterfly!” she declared with excitement.

When the other caterpillars heard that Milo had become the new king, they all returned to the kingdom. They wove silky blankets for themselves and cocooned too, wanting to transform into butterflies like Milo.

And so, the baby caterpillar named Milo became a beautiful butterfly, leading all the other caterpillars in a magical transformation. The savannah was now filled with butterflies, ready for new adventures in the big, wide world.