An unlikely friendship

Illustration: Sonal Goyal A kind lion lived in a forest. He chose a fox, a leopard and a crow as his courtiers.“You are clever,” he told the fox. “You will be my chief adviser.”“You are strong, quick and alert,” he told the leopard. “You will be my bodyguard.”To the crow he said, “You can fly over the forest and see places I cannot reach. You will be my messenger and find food, water and shelter.”The three courtiers promised to be loyal. In return, the lion promised to feed and protect them. Whenever they wanted to eat, they would lead the lion to an animal and share the meal.One day, the crow said, “Your Majesty, have you ever tasted camel meat? I once ate it in the desert. It was delicious!”In the desertThe lion had never tasted camel meat, so he asked the crow to find a camel.“Camels live in the desert,” said the crow.The lion, fox and leopard followed him. The journey was difficult. The sun was blazing, and the sand was burning hot. Soon the lion’s paws hurt.“Let’s go back,” he said. “I don’t want camel meat.”But they had travelled too far. Their paws made walking difficult. The fox had a plan. He asked the crow to lead him to a camel.When he found one, he said, “The king is weak and cannot walk. Please carry him back to the forest. He will reward you for helping him.”The camel agreed. The lion climbed onto his back, followed by the fox and leopard. The camel carried them home.The lion was grateful. “You saved my life,” he told the camel. “From now on, you will live in my court, and I will protect you.”The courtiers were furious. They had hoped to eat the camel. A few days later, they made another plan. They pretended to offer themselves as food.The crow said, “I am small, but you can eat me.”The fox said, “No, I have more meat than the crow. Eat me instead.”The leopard said, “I am bigger than both of them. Eat me!”The camel believed them.“You should eat me,” he said. “I am the biggest, so everyone will have enough food.”Tricksters trickedThe courtiers moved towards him. But the lion had understood their trick.“Well,” he said. “I will eat you in the order you offered yourselves.”Before he could finish, the crow flew away. The fox and leopard ran into the forest.The lion laughed and turned to the camel. “You were loyal and honest. From now on, you are my friend.”The camel was delighted to have found a friend.Folktales are an oral tradition with stories being handed across generations. The stories are not necessarily true. Published - October 02, 2026 05:52 pm IST