The Big Brother
The following story was once narrated by a king to a man whom chance had made him the general of the royal army, although he had never been a soldier in his life: In a forest lived a lion couple. The lioness had given birth to two cubs. The lion roamed about in the forest and killed some small animals and brought it for the lioness to eat. This went on daily. One rainy day the lion brought home a fox cub. "I've brought it alive because I did not feel like killing such an innocent cub," he told the lioness. "And don't ask me to kill it either. Its mother must have lost her way or died. I will nurse it like my own cubs," said the lioness. Days passed. The three cubs grew up as brothers. The fox cub, being older than the lion cubs, often bossed over them. The lion cubs resigned because their mother had asked them no to be disobedient to their big brother! One day while the three cubs were playing near a brook, they saw an elephant appearing before them. The lion cubs roared. Although they were no match for the large creature, they staged mock attacks against him. But the fox cub got terrified at the elephant's sight. "Come on, let us get away!" he said. "Why? Let us fight him!" roared out the lion cubs. Angry at their disobedience, the fox cub slapped them and ordered them to follow him. Back at home, the lion cubs laughed and complained to their mother, "Our big brother is a coward, a poltroon!"
"Shut up!" yelled the fox cub and he raised a forepaw to slap them again. "Tut, tut!" the lioness tried to calm him down. "Should you be so rude to your little brothers?" "It seems they don't realize how strong and courageous I am. They laugh at my cost. They deserve to be punished!" exclaimed the fox cub, flexing his muscles. The lioness remained looking at him for a while. Then, asking her own cubs to leave the place for a moment, she told the fox cub, "It is high time I tell you the truth. You are only a fox cub, I am sorry to say. Once my sons are grown up enough to know this, they might avenge your rough treatment of them. Better make good your escape right now!" The fox cub slank back and then began running as fast as he could. The king, after narrating the story, advised the man to retire to his village immediately. "Once my soldiers know that you are commanding them without ever being a soldier yourself, they might endanger your life!" he said.
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