The peaceful afternoon in the troop suddenly shifted into an unsettling scene when baby Tinny Idris, the tiniest and most fragile of the youngsters, became the focus of Aaron’s unexpected and strange disciplining. Aaron, the dominant and often unpredictable elder, had been sitting high on a branch, scanning the group below. Idris, innocent and curious, had only been playing with a leaf when Aaron’s sharp eyes locked onto him.
In a moment that confused everyone, Aaron climbed down swiftly and approached the little one. The other mothers gathered their babies close, sensing tension. Idris froze, his tiny hands trembling as Aaron loomed over him. Without warning, Aaron gave a firm tug at Idris’s arm, pulling him closer. It wasn’t the usual gentle correction older males sometimes give the young — it was harsher, almost like he was trying to send a message to the whole troop.
Idris squeaked in pain, his small voice breaking the air, and looked desperately toward his mother. She rushed forward, her heart pounding, but Aaron blocked her path for a few tense seconds, towering between them. His stern gaze and strange, dominant posture made the moment even more bewildering. Why was he doing this to such a small, harmless baby?
Finally, after a long, heavy pause, Aaron released Idris. The poor baby stumbled backward into his mother’s arms, clutching her fur tightly. His tiny face was etched with fear, and his tail quivered against her side. She groomed him quickly, murmuring soft reassurance in monkey language, while Aaron climbed away as if nothing had happened.
The troop slowly returned to normal, but that moment lingered in everyone’s minds — the strange, harsh discipline of the smallest member, leaving an uneasy shadow over the day.
