Story | The Cunning Jackal

There was a clever jackal named Grad who lived in a jungle. Every day, he and his friends hunted for food together. One day, Grad had a thought. He felt tired of working hard every day to catch animals, only to share the food with the other members of the pack. He thought if he went to the nearby village across the river, he could find delicious fruits and plump hens just for himself. He could eat them in the village and then return to the jungle. That way, he wouldn't have to share his food anymore.

The next morning, Grad woke up early and crossed the river to the village. As he wandered around, he spotted a fat hen near a poultry farm. The thought of biting into the hen's juicy flesh made his mouth water. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the street dogs that had gathered at the end of the lane. They saw Grad and started barking and growling at him.

Frightened, Grad turned around and ran to save his life. He dashed into a house that had an open door. Unluckily, it was a dyer's house, and Grad accidentally fell into a tub filled with blue dye. He quickly got out of the house and hurried back to the jungle.

When he returned to the jungle, all the animals looked at him with fear and surprise. Grad saw his reflection in a nearby pond and realized he was dyed blue. He came up with a plan. He called out to the other animals, saying, "Jungle dwellers, I am the Indigo King, sent by the Lord to rule over you and take care of your well-being. I have been chosen as the king and caretaker of the jungle. Bow down to me and serve me faithfully, and I will protect you from any harm."

The animals didn't understand why Grad looked strange and had a different color, but they saw his confidence and believed him. Grad now had tigers, lions, elephants, deer, hares, and leopards at his command. However, he banished his fellow jackals to the far side of the jungle.

Grad enjoyed his role as a king, and the stronger animals served him by hunting for his food and obeying his commands. But one night, he heard the howling of his brother jackals. They were howling at the full moon. Grad tried to ignore their call, but he couldn't resist it any longer. He ended up howling too.

The tiger who guarded Grad's cave heard the howl and realized that the so-called Indigo King was actually the jackal from their own jungle. The tiger gathered all the other animals and said, "Listen, my friends, to the cunning jackal's howl. He is a deceitful trickster, not a real king. Let's teach him a lesson and banish him from the jungle, just as he banished his own brethren."

All the animals then attacked Grad, and he ran away to save his life. Soon, he realized that he was being punished for mistreating his friends.

The moral of the story is: Value and cherish your friends, or you will suffer the consequences.