In a dense jungle, a lion and a lioness lived together. They loved each other deeply. Every day, they would go hunting together, and after a successful hunt, they would share the prey equally. The trust and bond between them were strong. After some time, the lion and lioness became parents to two cubs.
When the lioness gave birth to the cubs, the lion said, “From now on, don’t go for hunting. Stay at home and take care of yourself and the cubs. I will go hunting alone for all of us.” The lioness agreed to the lion’s request, and from that day onwards, the lion went for hunting alone. The lioness stayed at home, taking care of the cubs.
Unfortunately, one day the lion returned home without any prey. Tired and hungry, he was making his way home when he encountered a fox cub wandering alone. Thinking that he had no food for the lioness and cubs, he decided to make the fox cub his prey. The lion caught the fox cub, but it was too small, and he couldn’t bring himself to kill it. Instead, he took the cub alive back to his den.
Upon reaching home, the lion told the lioness about his unsuccessful hunt and how he found the fox cub. He suggested that they could eat the cub. The lioness, however, refused, saying, “If you couldn’t bring yourself to kill it, I cannot eat it either. I will raise it just like our cubs, and it will be our third child.”
From that day onwards, the lioness and the lion treated the fox cub as their own. They were happy with their extended family. As the three cubs grew older, they played together and roamed the jungle. One day, they encountered an elephant. The lion’s cubs, inspired by their lion heritage, decided to chase the elephant for a hunt, while the fox cub, in fear, ran back home.
Later, when the lioness and lion returned home, the fox cub informed them about the lion cubs chasing the elephant. Angrily, the fox cub said that the lion cubs were boasting about their bravery and that it could knock them to the ground if it wanted to.
Hearing this, the lioness took the fox cub aside and explained that the lion cubs were not lying. They were from the lion’s lineage and were naturally inclined to chase and hunt. On the other hand, the fox cub belonged to the fox family, and running away from the elephant was a sensible decision.
Realizing the truth, the fox cub became scared and, at the first opportunity, sneaked away from the jungle to save itself.
The moral of the story is that courage and bravery are inherent qualities, and one cannot adopt them by associating with those who possess them naturally. It also emphasizes the importance of understanding one’s own identity and capabilities rather than boasting or pretending to be something one is not.
