A Short Story : A Wise Deer and A Cowardly Tiger

There was a dense forest on the sides of a mountain. Many kinds of animals lived in the forest. A deer was eating grass and leaves with her two young ones. The young ones wandered happily here and there. The deer followed her fawns. The young ones entered a cave. The deer was frightened. It was a tiger’s cave. There were bones of dead animals all over the cave. Fortunately, the tiger was not inside the cave at the time.

The deer was trying to lead her young ones out of the cave. AT that time she heard a loud roar. She saw the tiger at a distance. The tiger was coming towards the cave. It was dangerous to go out of the cave now. She thought of a plan. The tiger had come closer to the cave. The deer raised her voice and shouted, “My deer young children do not weep. I shall capture a tiger for you to eat. You can have a good dinner.”

The tiger heard these words. He was disturbed. He said to himself, “Whose is that strange voice from the cave? A dangerous animal is staying inside to capture me. I shall run away to escape death.”

So saying, the tiger began to run away from there as fast as possible.

A jackal saw the running tiger. “Why are you running in great fear?” the jackal asked. The tiger said, “My friend, a powerful and fierce animal has come to stay in my cave. The young ones are crying for a tiger to eat. The mother is promising to capture a tiger for them. So, I am running away in great fear.”

The cunning jackal was now sure. The tiger was a coward. It said to the tiger. “Do not be afraid. No animal is fiercer or stronger than a tiger. Let us go together to find out.”

But the tiger said, “I do not want to take a chance. You may run away. I will be left alone to die. So, I will not come with you.”

The jackal said, “Trust me. Let us knot our tails together. Then I will not be able to leave you.”

The tiger agreed unwillingly to this proposal. The jackal tied their tails in a knot. Now they walked towards the cave together.

The deer saw the jackal and the tiger coming together. She again raised her voice. She shouted towards her children standing inside the cave, “My dear children, I had requested her friend, the clever jackal, to capture a tiger for us. Now look the jackal has captured a tiger for us. He has tied the tiger’s tail to his tail. This is to prevent the tiger from escaping. You will soon have the tiger for our dinner.”

The tiger heard this. He was shocked. He was sure now. The jackal cheated him. So, the tiger decided to escape from the terrible animal standing inside his cave. He started running. He forgot about the jackal. He dragged the jackal over rocks and thorns. In the mad escape the jackal was caught between two rocks. The tiger pulled with all his might. His tail got cut. The jackal was killed in this incident. The tail-less tiger ran away to another part of the forest.

The deer and her young ones left the tiger’s cave. They joined their herd safely.