The Story of the Leopard, the Squirrel, and the Tortoise

Once upon a time, in a land where animals talked, there was a terrible drought. The plants stopped growing, and the animals started getting very hungry. The leopard, who loved to eat meat, didn't mind too much, though.

Seeing that the other animals were struggling, the leopard called a meeting. He was powerful, and he knew it. He declared that each animal should bring their grandmothers, and then their mothers, for him to eat. He warned them that if they didn't, he would eat the younger ones. Of course, the young animals didn't want to be eaten, so they agreed.

One by one, the animals brought their old grandmothers for the leopard to eat. First, the squirrel, then a bush cat, and then a bush buck. The leopard found their offerings unsatisfactory, but it kept him from being hungry.

Then it was the tortoise's turn, but he was clever. He said his grandmother was already dead, so the leopard let him be. Once all the grandmothers were eaten, it was time for the mothers.

Many young animals loved their mothers and didn't want them to be eaten. Among these were the squirrel and the tortoise. The tortoise, with his smart thinking, told his mother to hide up in a palm tree, and he would send food up to her in a basket every day. And so, she did.

One day, the squirrel noticed the tortoise's actions and became suspicious. The leopard had eaten his mother, but the tortoise had not given up either his grandmother or mother. He followed the tortoise one morning and discovered the secret. He saw the tortoise send food up to his mother in the tree.

The squirrel, feeling jealous, went to the leopard and told him about the tortoise's trick. He said, "The tortoise has hidden his mother in a tree, and it's his turn to give you food."

The leopard, very upset, made the squirrel take him to the tortoise's tree. The next morning, he tried to use the basket to get pulled up the tree, but the old tortoise couldn't lift him. So, the leopard climbed the tree and found the tortoise's mother. However, her shell was so hard that he didn't think she would taste good, so in his anger, he threw her down from the tree and left.

When the tortoise arrived later and found his mother's broken shell, he knew what had happened. He decided that he would stay away from the other animals from then on.