A lion and a lioness lived together in a dense forest. They both loved each other very much. Every day both went hunting together and killed the prey and ate it equally together. There was a lot of trust and confidence between the two. After some time the lion and the lioness also became the parents of two sons.
When the lioness gave birth to the cubs, the lion said to her, “From now on you don’t go hunting. Staying at home taking care of yourself and the kids. I alone will bring the prey for all of us. The lioness also obeyed the lion and from that day the lion started going for hunting alone. Whereas, the lioness would stay at home and take care of the kids.
Unfortunately, one day the lion could not find any prey. Exhausted, when he was going towards home empty-handed, he saw a fox cub roaming alone on the way. He thought that today he has no food for the lioness and the cubs, so he will make this fox child his prey. The lion caught the fox cub, but it was too small, due to which it could not kill it. He caught him alive and took him home.
Reaching the lioness, he told that today he did not have a single victim. If he saw this fox child on the way, he would kill it and eat it. After listening to the lion’s words, the lioness said – “When you could not kill this child, how can I kill it?” I can’t eat it. I will raise him like my two children and he will be our third son from now on.
From the same day the lioness and the lion started loving the fox’s son as their own sons. He was also very happy with the lion’s family. He started playing and growing up with them. All three children thought that they were all lions.
When all three of them grew up a bit more, they started going to the forest to play. One day he saw an elephant there. Both the children of the lion started hunting behind that elephant. At the same time, the fox child was refusing to do so out of fear. But, both the lion cubs did not listen to the fox cub and kept following the elephant and the fox cub came back home to the lioness mother.
After some time, when both the cubs of the lioness also came back, they told the matter of the jungle to their mother. He told that he went after the elephant, but his third brother ran back home in fear. The fox child got angry after hearing this. He angrily said that both of you who are calling yourself brave, I can throw you both on the ground.
After listening to the fox child, the lioness explained to him that he should not talk like this to his brothers. His brothers are not lying, rather they both are telling the truth.
The fox cubs didn’t like the talk of the lioness either. Angry he said, so do you also think that I am a coward and was scared to see the elephant?
Hearing this of the fox child, the lioness took him alone and told him the truth of his being a fox. We have brought you up like our two children, raised you along with them, but you are of fox lineage and because of your lineage, you got scared seeing a big animal like elephant and ran back home. At the same time, both of you brothers belong to the lineage of lions, due to which they ran after the elephant to hunt it.
Sherkani further said that till now both your brothers do not know that you are a fox. The day they come to know about this they can hunt you too. So, you better run away from here soon and save your life.
The fox cub got scared after hearing the truth about himself from the lioness, and as soon as he got a chance, he ran away hiding in the night.
Learning from the story –
The story of the third son of the lioness and the lion teaches us that even if the people of cowardly and timid descendants live among brave people, they cannot become brave. Their habits may reflect the thinking and efficiency of their descendants.
