It is said that way back, many seasons ago, the Kimeti had no tails. They had hooves to walk through the swamp mud, coats to keep out the damp, and keen eyes and ears to warn of danger, but not a single one had a tail.
In those times, just as now, the bugs in the springtime were thick as clouds, buzzing over the swamp in swirling hoards. They clung to the kimeti's thick coats, buzzed in their sensitive ears, and flew into the kimeti's eyes.
These bugs were a nuisance! Everyone knew it, but one spring, a young buck decided to do something about it. His name was Never Enough. Now, Never Enough wasn't especially handsome, and he wasn't particularly strong, but he was clever. After a little thought, he devised a cunning plan; a way to get rid of all the bugs without having to lift a hoof.
To each Kimeti in the swamp, he said, “Aren't the bugs just awful? They are a plague upon us all. Just think, with no trouble at all, Mother Swamp could make all the insects disappear in the space of a foal's wink.”
“In fact,” he continued, “If she cared for her children at all and wanted us to be happy, Mother Swamp would take all the buzzing bugs out of the swamp.”
“Yes,” the others said, “Mother could do that. She would do that for us, if she really wanted us to be happy.” Never Enough's clever words made the other Kimeti grumble, saying “Mother Swamp must not love us, if she plagues us with these horrible bugs!”
Mother Swamp heard her children's voices, and she decided to grant them their wish. After all, a lesson learned the hard way is not soon forgotten. In a flash, all the bugs vanished.
Never Enough felt very clever indeed, and the others were very pleased.... At least for a time.
Soon, the Kimeti started to notice that there were problems in the swamp. Without the bees to pollinate, the plants could not produce fruit. Without gnats to eat, the fish began to starve. Without the ants and beetles, waste and detritus began to build up on the ground. Without the songs of cicadas and crickets, the swamp fell strangely quiet and the foals could not sleep at night.
Never Enough saw these things, and he became afraid. This was all his fault! He began to tremble, and cried out to Mother Swamp, “Mother, bring back the insects, I see now how foolish I was.... Only please, bring us a wind, so that they are kept out of our eyes and can't buzz in our ears.”
Mother Swamp heard his voice, and decided once again to grant his wish. At once, the Swamp was filled with the sound of buzzing insects. The plants flourished, the fish and birds were nourished, and the beetles and ants went to work clearing up the mess. A strong wind arose, keeping the gnats from flying into the Kimetis' eyes and the mosquitoes from buzzing in their ears.
Never enough was much relieved at this, and very happy with his clever solution... At least for a time.
Soon, the Kimeti started to see new problems. They saw that the constant blowing of the wind was pulling the leaves off the plants, and making the mud dry up and crack. With so much wind, the birds could not fly, and the grasses were flattened to the ground, leaving no place to hide from the crocodile. At night, the wind was cold and made the foals shiver.
Never Enough saw these things, and he became worried. Now what had he done? This was far worse than having a few flies buzz in his ears! He quickly thought up yet another plan, and cried out to Mother Swamp, “Mother, this wind is terrible! I think I may have been wrong about the wind as well. Please make it stop! Only... Bring us some more birds, to eat up just some of the bugs...”
Mother was angered by Never Enough's discontent and folly. At once, the wind died down, and a long tail tipped with coarse hairs appeared on Never Enough's bottom. Tails also grew on every other Kimeti in the swamp.
“Foolish child!”, Mother Swamp answered, “If you are so bothered by the bugs, there! Now you can deal with them yourself!”
And this is why each Kimeti has a Tail, and why each Tail has a tuft on the end to whisk away flies.
