一場犀牛跟彩虹動物的戰爭即將展開, 最終勝利將會是哪一方？
很久以前，遠方的一座森林裡，住了一群和平相處的動物們；牠們不僅都會說話，而且有著彩虹顏色的身體。在彩虹國度的南方，卻住了一群凶惡的犀牛；犀牛們經常侵犯彩虹國度的邊界、騷擾彩虹動物們。有一天，犀牛們又把松鼠們準備過冬的堅果搶走了，獅子召集大家開會，準備反擊犀牛國。體型大的動物們興奮地交談著，體型小的動物們則是害怕得有些喘不過氣來。鬣蜥蜴叫著牠才不要被犀牛踩扁呢，大象哼著說鬣蜥蜴整天只想躺著曬太陽。兩人忙著鬥嘴，直到大熊吼聲：夠了吧！
A long time ago, deep in a beautiful forest beyond the horizon, there lived many animals called the Rainbow Animals. The Rainbow Animals looked ordinary, as you see anywhere in our land; the difference was that their fur was in rainbow colors. Also, they could talk.
The animals lived peacefully in Rainbow Country, but to the south there was a country that did not wish for peace. This was Rhino Country, and it was populated by some of the meanest rhinos you could ever find. They constantly sent raiding parties over the border.
After the latest raid had robbed several squirrels of the hard-earned nuts they had been storing for winter, a lion called for a meeting. All the Rainbow Animals gathered in a glade.
“These attacks can’t go on much longer,” said the lion. “It’s time we fought back against Rhino Country.”
The larger animals chattered excitedly. The smaller ones looked at each other and gulped.
“I don’t want to be trampled by rhinos!” squeaked an iguana. “I’d be scared to death, too!”
“That’s the trouble with iguanas,” snorted an elephant. “They just want to lie around and bask in the sun all day.”
“At least we don’t make the ground shake when we walk,” said the iguana. “The other day, I almost fell off my favorite rock because of you!”
The elephant beamed proudly.
“Enough!” roared a bear.
貘貘的主意是要大夥兒搬家，可是豬隻抗議說若是搬離了彩虹國度，大家的彩虹體色就會消失不見。動物們意見紛紛、說個不停，連年幼的河馬和羔羊都吵著說想在犀牛王的鼻子上打他一拳。最後，狐狸認為應該先讓松鼠斥候們去偵探一下犀牛群才對。兩隻松鼠匆匆地離去，獅子站起來要大家準備。
A tapir stepped forward. “At this rate, we’ll never finish the meeting. Animals like you should listen to me!” he declared.
“What do you suggest we do?” asked an eagle.
“We could move to the other side of the horizon,” said the tapir matter-of-factly.
A nearby pig stopped rolling in the mud long enough to protest, “But then we’ll lose our beautiful rainbow colors!”
No one bothered to mention that the pig was usually caked in a muddy brown.
“I think we should go on the offensive,” said an armadillo.
“And we’re all in this together,” added the lion.
“We need a good army,” squawked a parrot. “Which of us would be good for the army?”
“Skunks!” chorused a dozen voices.
“My goodness!” said a dog. “If we used skunks, all of us would have to fight with one paw pinching our nose!”
“I get to punch the rhino chief in the nose!” declared a baby hippo.
“No! That is reserved for me!” called a baby lamb.
“Youngsters are not to be fighting,” the lion said sternly.
“Oldsters can’t fight…”
“I think we should see what the rhinos are doing,” said a fox. “Are our squirrel scouts up to the task?”
Two squirrels in the group nodded and scurried from the meeting.
The lion stood. “Make ready…”
在彩虹動物們開會的時候，犀牛王也正在犀牛堡內和牠的副官們圍著一張石桌開會。犀牛王拍著桌子說應該要儘快地征服彩虹國度、以求一勞永逸，副官們都同意。一群犀牛走到堡外去製造各式各樣的武器，卻不知附近坡上正有兩對眼睛在偷看呢！兩隻松鼠斥候在天黑前趕著回到彩虹國度報告情形；長頸鹿問：大家真能和這樣的強敵打仗嗎？貘貘說牠早就講過大夥需要搬家，老鷹說每人應該盡己之力作戰，猴子在旁附和著。
“...To get trampled on,” finished the iguana.
The animals groaned.
“Make ready to move out,” said the lion.
While the Rainbow Animals were holding their meeting, the rhinos were also busy making plans. The rhino chief and his lieutenants were gathered around a stone table in their castle.
“We should conquer Rainbow Country and be done with it!” thundered the chief, slamming the table for emphasis.
“When?” asked another rhino.
“The sooner the better!”
“We should make weapons,” said the other rhino. “Heh heh, the Rainbow Animals are sure in for a surprise!”
They trooped outside and got to work making swords, cannons, cannonballs, shields, bows, and arrows. And if they looked very closely, they might have noticed two pairs of eyes at the top of a hill nearby peering down at all the commotion.
“It looks like they’re getting ready to attack soon,” whispered the first squirrel (whose name was Whisk).
The second squirrel (whose name was Flight) nodded.
The scouts turned and hurried back to Rainbow Country. When they arrived near dusk, all the animals gathered around to listen.
“Can we really fight against such a force?” asked a giraffe.
“I told you we had to move,” said the tapir.
“We have to fight the best we can,” said the eagle.
“Hear, hear!” said a monkey.
鬣蜥蜴喊著牠才不想四處躲閃犀牛腳呢，引起其他動物們七嘴八舌地發表意見。獅子做了最後決定，準備第二天一早就開戰，免得犀牛們太過強大。大夥兒一陣歡呼；只有貘貘在嘆氣沒人聽牠的話，而鬣蜥蜴在低聲抱怨自己會被踩扁。第二天，彩虹動物們終於在太陽高照時來到一個花崗岩的石坡上。坡下山谷有一座牠們前所未見的大城堡，周圍繞著護城河，城堡前面是一隊正在準備侵略彩虹國度的犀牛兵們。
“I’m not dodging rhino feet!” squeaked the iguana. “I may never see my favorite rock again!”
There was a pause.
“There!” said Flight. “I knew we had to flatten him out. If he’s flat then he wouldn’t need to worry about getting trampled on.”
“Hear, hear!” said the monkey, this time much more enthusiastically.
“Is that all you say?” asked the pig.
“Yes,” said the monkey.
“No,” said the pig.
“We must attack early tomorrow,” decided the lion. “If we wait longer, the rhinos will grow too powerful.”
“No one listens to me,” sighed the tapir amidst all the cheering.
The iguana was running in circles and mumbling, “I shall get trampled on! Oh, oh, oh!”
The animals woke early the next morning while it was still dark. It was so early they could still see the stars. The moon hung low over the horizon, bright and full. They started their journey to Rhino Country.
Slowly, the stars began to fade. The sky lightened to a rosy pink. They crossed one river after another. The ground started to turn rocky.
The sun crept higher, shining brightly down a cloudless sky. At last, the animals reached the top of a granite hill. It was very hot. They stared down wordlessly, and then with amazement.
Below in the valley, there stood a great castle filled with many towers and surrounded by a moat. The animals had never seen anything like it before. Assembled in front of the castle was an entire field of rhinos. It was the invasion force preparing to march!
“Well,” said the lion, “It looks like they haven’t seen us yet. Shall we attack?”
The tapir grunted. “It’s now or never.”
獅子一聲令下：攻啊！臭鼬們高舉著尾巴、勇敢地衝下石坡，可是其他彩虹動物們卻都忙著用手擋著鼻子以免被臭鼬們的臭屁薰昏。終於，大家都下了山坡和犀牛群作戰。彩虹動物們到底打不過犀牛群，除了嚇破了膽、躲在石頭底下的鬣蜥蜴之外，通通被抓進了犀牛堡內、關進地牢。犀牛們準備著盛大的慶功宴，回堡吊橋慢慢升起。鬣蜥蜴心想自己這麼膽小，人生又有什麼趣味？牠快步爬向吊橋，眼看吊橋升起一半，絕望了！沒想到吊橋出了毛病，轟隆一聲掉下來，把個鬣蜥蜴壓成跟隻小蟲一樣地薄。
“They’ll just follow us to our homes if we ran,” the dog agreed.
The iguana was busy eyeing all the rhino feet and did not reply.
The lion opened its jaws wide. “Charge!” he roared.
He blinked.
Everyone was holding back. That is, everyone but the skunks. The brave creatures raced down the hill with their tails raised and shot straight into the rhino camp. Before the rhinos could collect their wits, they were choking in a most unwelcome and disgusting smell.
A skunk turned around and looked up the hill. All the animals were staring back with their paws covering their noses.
“A little help, please?” she asked exasperatedly.
The rest charged down the hill. The Rainbow Animals fought bravely, but by now it was sheer pandemonium. More and more rhino reinforcements rushed into battle, swarming like angry ants. There must have been a thousand of them. The tide soon turned.
Frightened, the iguana hid under a rock. The rest of the Rainbow Animals were hauled away and thrown into the rhinos’ dungeon.
“Ha ha ha, to think the Rainbow Animals came to us!” hooted the rhino chief. “The fools!”
The rhinos trooped back into their castle to celebrate with a gigantic feast. The drawbridge began to rise.
The iguana peeked out from under his rock and said to himself, “Who cares if I get trampled on? Why, if I was so scared, I might as well have not been born at all.”
He summoned his courage and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him toward the castle. As he got to the moat, the iguana lost hope. The drawbridge was now more than halfway up. He couldn’t jump that high. Just then, there was the sound of something breaking. Down, down, down the drawbridge fell! It landed right on top of the iguana. Now he was as flat as a bug.
“I knew it would happen,” the iguana muttered.
鬣蜥蜴來到犀牛堡內，走道裡空無一人，因為犀牛們都在慶功宴上。鬣蜥蜴嗅著夥伴的氣味一路追尋，終於來到一道石門口，還不知該怎麼進去時，正巧有兩隻犀牛從裡邊推門走出，這一來真是把鬣蜥蜴壓得像紙一樣薄了。鬣蜥蜴從關起的門下爬了進去，階梯下方是座監牢，彩虹動物們都關在裡面。大夥看到鬣蜥蜴來救他們，精神為之一振。鬣蜥蜴拿到牆上掛著的鑰匙；此時外邊卻傳來腳步聲和犀牛的叫聲：午餐囉！大家都僵住了，獅子叫鬣蜥蜴趕緊躲進牢內。
He entered the castle and followed the smell of his friends down one hallway after another. The hallways were deserted; everyone was at the banquet. He could hear laughter and the clinking of glasses coming from far away.
The iguana inched down a spiraling staircase and came to a heavy stone door. It was too heavy for him to move. “Don’t worry,” he said to himself. “You’ll think of something.”
“Ouch! Yikes! Yow!” he cried. For the door had flown open, flattening him even more. Now he was as flat as paper.
Two rhinos stepped out. “Did you hear something?” asked one.
“No,” mumbled the frightened iguana.
“It must be the wind,” said the other. “Let’s go eat!”
The door closed with a thud and the rhinos stomped up the staircase.
The iguana discovered that by now he could easily slide under the door. He found himself inside a dimly lit room and gasped.
The far wall was sculpted into the shape of a gigantic rhino head. Flames burned from its eyes. Its mouth was as large as a house and covered by closely set bars. It was the rhino prison.
All the Rainbow Animals were crammed inside, and all were looking extremely grumpy. They brightened up when they saw their new visitor.
“Everyone, look!” yelled the armadillo when he saw the iguana. “The iguana has come to save us all!”
“Be quiet!” said the dog. “He might get caught!”
The iguana found the keys hanging on a wall and snatched them. Then there came the sound of footsteps. All the animals froze.
“Lunchtime!” hollered a rhino from the passageway.
“Quick!” said the lion. “Crawl in before he sees you!”
來的是犀牛王，牠丟進一點食物，並且趾高氣揚地說犀牛群即將搬往彩虹國度。等到犀牛王離開，鬣蜥蜴爬出監牢，用鑰匙打開了牢門。大家一陣歡呼，被犀牛王聽到走回。大熊高聲呼喊：大夥兒衝啊！彩虹動物們衝出去，把犀牛王直衝上台階、撞上一面牆。其他的犀牛們趕來，都被彩虹動物們撞得人仰馬翻。動物們拼命地衝出了犀牛堡，身後轟隆巨響，當初設計欠佳的犀牛堡被撞倒的諸多犀牛們撞壞了、整個塌了下來。狐狸發表意見說犀牛群準要頭痛半天了！臭鼬問：鬣蜥蜴還是扁扁的，怎麼辦呢？回到森林裡，獅子拿出空氣幫浦把鬣蜥蜴灌得成為世界上最大的一隻鬣蜥蜴，牠是鬣蜥蜴王。彩虹動物們從此過著快樂的日子。
The iguana slipped through the bars of the prison just in time. The door opened and in stepped the rhino chief with a sneer. He chuckled, not noticing the flat new member of the prison.
“Here’s your lunch,” he said. “I don’t think you’ll like it. Ha ha ha!”
Then he threw in a few apple cores, a moldy piece of cheese, and a few crumbs of bread. The mice squeaked excitedly. The rest looked on in disgust.
“Enjoy your last meal!” he laughed. “We’re getting ready to move into your homes. Rainbow Country will soon be ours!”
He left without noticing the keys were gone. The iguana slid back out, unlocked the prison gates, and threw them wide open.
“Oh, hooray!” cried all the animals.
They forgot to keep their voices down. The door to the dungeon room flew open and there stood the rhino chief, gaping at them.
“Let’s go!” shouted the bear.
They all pushed out of the door, bouncing the rhino chief up the stairs and sending him sailing into a wall. More rhinos rushed to investigate the commotion and paled when they saw the Rainbow Animals charging straight at them.
“Phew! Escaping could be a lot worse,” panted the armadillo after they had bowled their eighth rhino out of their way.
Suddenly three guards stepped into their path, leveling their spears at them.
“Brake!” yelped a dog, but they couldn’t stop in time. They slid right under the guards’ legs and sent them flying. The animals turned right, then left, then right again, and stampeded out the castle.
They were just in time. From behind them came a thunderous clap. The animals spun around, jaws dropping in amazement. The fortress was crumbling before their eyes. Towers fell upon each other, and the earth trembled.
What the animals didn’t know is that when they sent the rhinos flying like bowling pins, the rhinos knocked their heads on the ceiling of their castle. Then the castle began crumbling because the rhinos knocked their heads so hard that pieces of the ceiling fell out. Also the castle was very badly designed.
“The rhinos are going to have a huge headache after that,” commented the fox, not knowing the rhinos were already seeing stars.
“I didn’t really care about the rhinos, but I did like that castle,” sighed the tapir.
“Well, I didn’t like that drawbridge,” sniffed the iguana.
“You don’t like anything,” laughed the bear.
“Wait!” said the skunk. “The iguana is still flat! What should we do?”
“I know,” said the lion. “I’ve got an idea that just might work.”
When the animals returned to their forest, the lion got an air pump and pumped the iguana right up. Now he was the biggest iguana in the world, and so he became King Iguana, king of all the animals.
And the Rainbow Animals lived happily ever after.
