“Southern Gray Style requires mastery of opposing elements, young male.” The elder monkey knuckle-walked languidly around her new student. “Solid earth forms the base, while each movement shows the fluidity of water.”
The young male tried to keep his eyes straight, to maintain discipline. But he found his gaze drawn to the older female’s muscular arms, and to the silver edging her fur. Both intimidated him, heightening his anxiety. It had taken him months to gain an introduction to this master who practiced a rare form of mimicry. He yearned to make a strong first impression, and so fought to focus on her words.
“The mimicry of Southern Gray, therefore,” the elder continued, “will teach you how to form a body that can harness both earth and water.”
Effortlessly, the monkey female altered her movements, rounding her back and dropping her arms low. Now she swayed into each step, too. Her new student gasped to see a huge outline overlay the teacher’s figure. Conjured by her mimicry, the transparent shape of another, massive animal began mirroring her actions.
As the elder’s mimicry progressed, the transparent outline filled in. Soon, wrinkly, gray flesh appeared to encase her slender monkey limbs. Her swaying head sprouted massive ears that flopped as she walked. How had she done that? Surely, he thought, hand gestures had created that curling trunk! How many hands did she have?
Quickly, the remarkable transformation reached completion.
“Physical mastery, however, is nothing,” said his teacher’s voice from a wide pachyderm mouth. “Mindset is what transforms mimicry from stylish pantomime into natural action.”
Suddenly, the huge form swayed into him, unbalancing the male with a push to the chest, while the trunk wrapped around to yank his legs out from under him. The young monkey crashed to the ground. The big, gray shape of his teacher towered over him.
“That is your first lesson, young male,” the older female trumpeted. “Elephants never forewarn.”