Week 7 Story: The Dragonfly and the Baobab Tree

Prelude: I highly recommend listening to this song, La Libellule et le Baobab, whose name and sound gave me the inspiration for this story. No really, I promise it improves the story. 

A Great Baobab Tree

At the center of a great, seemingly unending plain, there was a large lake at which many different animals came together to drink. Against the strain of the food chain, the animals here did not fight - the watering hole was not just an oasis against the elements, but against violence as well. No matter the day, no matter the rain, no matter the famine, no one dared to break the peace of the watering hole, lest they become the victim of its inhabitants in retaliation.
Just a hair north of the lake was a great baobab tree, thousands of years older than any of the animals there. This baobab was no ordinary tree, but a spirit of unknowable wisdom and age. It was the symbol of peace at the lake, and told tales from eons before any of the lake's inhabitants were born. All respected the baobab, and the baobab loved all.
Atop the baobab lived a mischievous dragonfly. The dragonfly was young, but it knew that it was not meant for as much time in the world as the enormous elephants or skittish zebra. Every night, after a day's work, the dragonfly would listen to the stories of the tree with much interest and wonder, hearing stories like the Lion and the Wolf, or the Monkey's Paw. It learned the peace of the lake, the places where rain brought water, and much more.
A long drought came over the plain, sweeping like a plague over the terrain. The lake began to dry, and tensions ran hot as the wind as survival became difficult. Every creature was affected - from the humble fly, to the ferocious tiger. The dragonfly, reliant on the gnats that filled rain puddles, found itself desperate for food - still unwilling to break the peace of the lake. As the famine continued, it found itself succumbing to hunger and desperation more and more each day, reduced by half in size. Finally, it asked the baobab what to do - if it had a solution to such a strong famine. The old one offered no response.
That night, the baobab tree felt quite different - as though something had changed about it. By the time the morning rose, the change was apparent: mites had swarmed over its broad leaves and fruit. At once, the dragonflies got to work cleaning it of the parasites, eating a feast greater than they had ever seen. By dusk, the Old One was clean as stone, and began to thank its tiny friends. To them, it said "With age like mine, it can be hard to know a month from a day. When the mischievous dragonfly told me of the drought, I had hardly thought it more than a day dry, but I knew that I could never let my wee friends hurt."
"But how could you bring such a parasite upon yourself, just for our sake?"
"By choice of course!" laughed the baobab heartily amongst the insects. "A few mites could never hurt me more than a tickle, not with my age. Besides, I never brought the mites - I merely allowed their arrival, which could never have been done had dragonflies hunted over the lake. They would have been scared silly!" The baobab laughed, but the dragonflies were stunned in his wisdom, and each renewed their quiet vow of the Peace of the Lake.
Author's Note: This story is completely original, short of the inspiration for the name and tone. I wanted to try and write a happy fable, where the moral is that sticking to your principles and your word can be your saving grace in the toughest of times. I think it's decently applicable to the modern day, and isn't