One day, a lion was walking along a mountainside when he encountered a wounded panther with his fur ripped from his skin. The lion asked the injured panther, “What has happened to you, brother panther?”

“Man did this to me,” the panther replied.

The confused lion had not heard of ‘Man’ before, so he asked the panther for an explanation. “No creature is as cunning as Man,” was the panther’s response. “Do not fall into the hands of Man, brother lion.”

The lion, great hunter, suddenly became angry. He immediately ran off to hunt ‘Man’. Shortly after his encounter with the panther, the lion saw a donkey with a bit in its mouth. “What has happened to you, brother donkey?” he asked.

“Man did this to me,” the donkey replied.

“Is Man more powerful than you?” asked the lion.

“Nothing is so cunning as Man,” the donkey replied. “I hope that you do not fall into the hands of Man, brother lion.”

The lion continued on his journey to find Man. As he traveled, he saw a horse with a bit in its mouth, an ox with its horns broken, and a cow with its nose pierced.

“Did Man do these things to you, brothers?” the lion asked them.

“There is no creature in the world so devious as Man, brother lion,” they all responded. “Be careful that you do not fall into his hands.”

“I am hunting Man now,” the lion said, “and I will make him pay for the harm he has done to my brothers.”

As he continued on his hunt for Man, the lion encountered a bear who had its claws torn out and its teeth broken.

“Surely Man is not as powerful as you!” exclaimed the lion.

“Man convinced me if I let him tear out my claws and break my teeth would make it easier for me to pick up food,” explained the bear.

“Do not worry,” the lion replied, “I will make Man pay for the injury he has caused you, brother bear.”

The bear cautioned the lion, saying, “Be careful, brother lion, for nothing is so deceitful as Man.”

As he continued his hunt for Man, the lion encountered another lion whose paw was stuck in a tree trunk.

“How did you get trapped?” the hunting lion asked the trapped lion.

“Man convinced me he could create a protective amulet for me from the trunk of this tree. As Man sawed the tree in half from top to bottom, he told me he needed help. He asked me to reach out my paw toward the split in the tree. When my paw was close enough, Man snapped the tree shut, trapping my paw in the tree. Man then threw sand in my face and ran away,” replied the trapped lion.

“If I capture Man, I shall make him suffer like he’s made the animals of the mountain suffer,” the free lion said to the trapped lion.

So the lion continued his search for Man. After a while, the lion encountered a mouse. He was about to eat the mouse, but the mouse begged for his life: “Let me live, and one day I will return the favor, brother lion.”

The lion roared with laughter, “Who do you think is strong enough to attack me? And what help could a puny mouse like you offer to a great hunter like me, brother mouse?”

The lion laughed and laughed at the helpless little mouse. He was so amused that when he finished laughing, he let the little mouse go free.

Then the lion continued on his hunt, but as he took a step, he fell into a deep pit dug by Man. Man ran over to view his catch, and threw a great net over the lion. He then tied the lion down with large straps of tough leather and left him tied down and helpless overnight.

When darkness came, the little mouse came back to the lion. “Brother lion! I told you I would help you in your time of need,” the mouse said. He then nibbled through the leather straps and the ropes of the net, setting the lion free from Man’s trap.

Brother mouse then climbed onto the brother lion’s mane and the two traveled up the mountain together.

Thanks to the mouse, the lion put aside his arrogance and stopped his quest for vengeance. He learned that even the lowliest and weakest of creatures can be helpful to the powerful in their times of need.