Once upon a
time, a lioness
was looking for
a place to
settle down with
her offspring,
who would be
born at any
time. She found
an empty cave
and settled
there.
 |
Then her
beautiful babies
were born and
she cleaned them
with her tongue.
She was very
happy of the
family she now
had. And soon
they began to
feed, taking
from their
mother's teats
what they needed
to grow.
And that cave
was all joy.
|
One day, the
Lioness went out
for a walk with
her two cubs,
now older and
smarter, to look
for food but
when she
returned to the
cave, she found
another family
settled there:
it was a wolf.
Full of wrath,
the Lioness
began to howl,
threatening,
accompanied by
her cubs who had
started their
attempts to draw
attention from
other animals,
and when they
saw their
mother's
reaction, they
understood that
it was an enemy.
- What are you
doing here? This
is my house! -
roared the
Lioness,
fiercely.
Hearing this,
the Wolf, which
is an animal
that knows how
to defend itself
when in danger,
replied:
- I apologise,
Mrs Lioness, but
I did not know
that this cave
was already
occupied! - and
she started
crying and
moaning.
|
- I fell into a
trap and got
lost from my
pack! I'm tired
of walking
around and my
puppies are
about to be
born. It is time
for the rains to
start and I have
no home and
nowhere to go! I
need to find a
place to
stay!...
Then she stopped
talking and
howled as she
looked up:
- Ah! How sad!
Look, Mrs
Lioness, it will
rain
|
 |
|
soon and
then
everything
will be
wet here
in the
forest.
What
will I
do? ... |
The Lioness,
whose little
cubs were still
very young,
looked at them,
then at the
Wolf, and
remembered how
difficult it had
been to find
that cave. Then,
full of pity,
she agreed:
- Okay, Mrs
Wolf. You can
stay, but do not
bother me. The
cave is large
and each one of
us will be in
one side. So I
will not be
disturbed.
Agreed?
Very happy, the
Wolf replied:
- Agreed. I am
very grateful,
Mrs Lioness. You
are really very
generous. I will
be on any side
as long as I may
have my babies
alone.
Resolved this
issue, the Wolf
settled down.
Thus, both the
Lioness and the
Wolf tried to
get along, as
they had to live
under the same
roof.
Before long, Mrs
Wolf’s puppies
were born and
were greeted
with joy by the
Lioness, who
left to seek
food for the new
mother and her
five puppies.
When she came
back she
distributed the
food among all
until they were
satisfied.
But the Wolf, a
dangerous and
cunning animal,
decided she
would keep the
cave for herself
and her puppies
only. Thus,
feeling stronger
because of the
food the Lioness
was bringing
them, one day
she decided to
expel the
Lioness. And
although
smaller, she was
more aggressive
than the
Lioness, so she
expelled the
Lioness and her
the cubs from
the cave.
With nowhere to
go, the Lioness
was worried
because a storm
was coming and
the sky was
dark. She
climbed a huge
tree with her
family, settled
on a large
branch, seeking
shelter under
its leaves and
stayed there
with her
children close
to her body.
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Soon the storm
fell. Thunder
and lightning
frightened the
cubs who huddled
against their
mother’s body as
they trembled.
A few hours
later, when the
storm had
passed, and the
sun appeared
through the
clouds, the
Lioness
descended the
tree with her
kids who were
now cheerful and
playful.
|
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Walking through
the forest, the
Lioness and her
little ones
approached the
cave where they
lived before and
a little monkey
that passed by,
seeing them,
asked her:
- Mrs Lioness,
have you heard
what happened to
the wolf and her
cubs, who lived
in that cave
because of your
kindness?
- No, Monkey. I
have not heard!
- Well, Mrs
Lioness, the
cave was flooded
by the rain and
they had to
quickly get out
of there to
avoid drowning!
The Lioness
thanked the
monkey for the
information, and
considered:
- So the Wolf
did me a favour!
Because if I had
been there, I
might have died
along with my
babies. I am
sorry for her
and her family.
The Lioness
gathered her
cubs as she
thought about
their lucky
escape. The Wolf
wanted to harm
her but had
actually wronged
herself and her
family. And she
muttered under
her breath:
- My act of
kindness was
good because it
saved our life.
May the Lord
protect the Wolf
and her puppies
wherever they
are! And may she
learn this
lesson.
MEIMEI
(Psychographed
by Celia X. de
Camargo on
12/10/2015.)
