117. The
Jackal in The Lion's Family
Once a lion and a
lioness lived in the forest with their twin cubs. One day, the lion went to
hunt for food but he didn't get anything. After wandering too long he found a
jackal cub and brought him home. The lion said, “Today our cubs will eat the
jackal cub as meal.” Then the lioness disagreed to be so cruel and decided to
bring it up as their son. So it came to be that the baby jackal stayed with the
lion's family and grew into a young and healthy jackal. One day when out for their
hunt the three encountered a mad elephant. The lion cubs, fearless as they
were, approached the wild beast to kill it but the jackal said to them, “No
brothers, do not go near him, for elephants are our enemy. You will be killed.”
Hearing this the valiant lion cubs lost courage and shrank back. At home they
narrated the incident to the lioness who said, “You are still a jackal. Go away
and join other jackals before it's too late.”
Moral:
A jackal remains a jackal.
TAGS: language development in children, Inspirational Moral Stories, very short stories with morals, stories to read for kids.