The Lion and the Hare
Once upon a time, in a forest, there lived animals. They lived well and in harmony. But there was one problem—the king of the beasts, the Lion, did not let them live in peace. Every day, he would attack one of them and devour it. Day and night, the animals trembled in fear, not knowing who the Lion would tear apart the next day.The animals grew tired of constantly trembling for their lives. They gathered together and held a council. What could they do to avoid living in constant fear? After all, you only die once, but you wait for death every hour!
They deliberated and decided: they would establish a tribute for the Lion and send him one animal each day, taking turns.
They presented their decision to the Lion. The king of the beasts agreed, but with one condition:
"If you are even a little late, blame yourselves—I will tear you all apart!" So, the animals began to bring the Lion his tribute every day.
Then, it was the hare's turn to go.
"I will go," said the hare, "but I won't let him eat me. And I will free all of you from this insatiable ruler!"
The animals laughed:
"Look at how this cowardly little hare is boasting and acting brave!" But they laughed in vain.
The hare did not appear before the Lion on time. The Lion grew hungry and was about to rush into the forest to tear all the animals apart, when suddenly the hare appeared.
"Where have you been, you scoundrel?" roared the Lion.
"Mighty ruler," the hare began humbly, "I was leading a wolf to you, but on the way, we encountered another lion. He grabbed the wolf and dragged him into a pit."
"What pit? Show it to me!"
The hare led the Lion to a deep pit filled with water and said:
"This is where your offender jumped!"
The Lion grabbed the hare to prevent him from escaping and leaned over the pit.
The Lion saw that the hare had not lied. In the dark depths, there was indeed another lion. It glared at him fiercely, its eyes flashing, and it held the hare in its paws!
Enraged, the Lion roared and jumped into the pit to tear apart the offender, and there he remained forever.
Meanwhile, the clever hare raced back to the forest to share the joyful news with the other animals.
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