Once upon a time, in a wide golden savanna with tall grass that whispered in the wind, a tiger, a cheetah, and a hyena decided they were tired of hunting alone.
One blazing afternoon they met a lion, resting on a rock ledge, his mane glowing like fire in the sunlight. His eyes were calm, but there was power in every twitch of his tail.
“Greetings, mighty Lion,” said the tiger, bowing his striped head.
“Greetings,” rumbled the lion, lifting his head slightly.
The cheetah spoke quickly, her tail flicking. “We’ve been thinking… perhaps we could hunt together. It’s easier to bring down big prey if we all work as partners.”
The hyena grinned. “And of course, we’ll share whatever we catch, fair and equal!”
The lion’s ears twitched as he thought. “Partners, you say? Sharing the food?”
“Yes,” said the tiger. “Four equal parts, one for each of us. That’s fair.”
The lion’s whiskers twitched in amusement. “Very well,” he said with a slow, toothy smile. “I agree.”
They set off together, moving like shadows through the grasslands. The tiger padded silently, his stripes melting into the shade. The cheetah darted ahead, her sharp eyes scanning for prey. The hyena sniffed the wind, chuckling softly to himself.
Then, all at once, they spotted a huge antelope grazing near the trees.
“Drive it this way!” growled the lion.
The tiger roared and lunged. The cheetah sped like an arrow to cut off its escape. The hyena laughed and snapped at its heels. And then, WHAM!, the lion leapt with a mighty bound and brought the antelope down in a single strike.
The three new partners gathered around, panting and licking their lips.
The cheetah smiled. “Time to divide it, yes? Four equal parts.”
“Indeed,” said the tiger. “We worked well together.”
The hyena chuckled greedily. “A fair share for all of us!”
But the lion, standing tall over the antelope, slowly shook his head.
“In fact,” he said in a deep voice, “I shall take the first share, because it is my right as the one who made the final kill.”
The tiger’s tail lashed. “Oh… well, I suppose—”
“And,” continued the lion, his golden eyes narrowing, “I shall also take the second share, because I am the strongest.”
The cheetah’s ears flattened. “But then—”
“And,” the lion growled, stepping forward, “I shall take the third share, because I am the King of Beasts.”
The hyena’s laugh caught in his throat. “Wait… but that only leaves—”
The lion bared his teeth. “And should any of you dare claim the rest, then I shall make a meal of you as well.”
The tiger, cheetah, and hyena all stepped back quickly, their dreams of partnership vanishing like smoke. “Of course, mighty Lion,” said the tiger, bowing deeply. And the cheetah and hyena had nothing else to add.
And so the lion ate his fill, while the others slunk off into the grass, wiser yet hungrier than before.
From that day on, they remembered: when you deal with someone far stronger than you, make sure the agreement is truly fair, or you might walk away with nothing but an empty belly!