The Four Friends

Once, in a deep forest, four unusual friends—a deer, a crow, a mole, and a tortoise—met every afternoon under a shady banyan tree to chat for hours.

One day, the deer didn’t arrive on time, and the mole, tortoise, and crow grew worried. The mole suggested, “Crow, you should fly around to find out where the deer is.” The crow agreed and took off.

She didn’t have to search far before spotting the deer, who was trapped in a hunter’s net. “Friend deer! What happened?” the crow called out.

The deer sighed, “I’m usually careful, but this net was well-hidden. I’m stuck, and the hunter will be here soon.”

“I’ll get help!” the crow replied and quickly flew back to the banyan tree to inform her friends.

“Stay here, tortoise,” said the mole. “I’ll go with the crow to cut the net with my sharp teeth.”

The crow carried the mole in her beak, and they flew to where the deer was trapped. Seeing his friends, the deer felt relieved. The mole began to bite through the net. After a lot of effort, the deer was finally free. “Thank you, mole!” the deer exclaimed as he stepped out.

“Looks like our friend is free!” came the slow voice of the tortoise, who had just arrived.

Just then, the hunter appeared. The deer darted away, the crow soared into the sky, and the mole dug quickly into the ground to hide. But the tortoise was too slow.

As the hunter noticed the cut net, his gaze fell on the tortoise moving along. “I lost the deer, but this tortoise will make a fine soup,” he thought, capturing the tortoise with a rope.

“Oh no! We’ve lost our friend!” the crow cried.

“No, there’s still hope,” the mole reassured them, whispering a plan.

With the tortoise tied up, the hunter walked back to the village, passing a lake where he saw a deer’s body lying on the grass, with a crow pecking at its eyes.

“First I lost a deer, but now I have another!” he said excitedly.

Meanwhile, the tortoise smiled, knowing his friends were coming to rescue him.

The hunter left the tortoise on the ground and rushed toward the deer. The mole dashed out of the bushes and quickly freed the tortoise. “Friend tortoise, run!” the mole urged.

For a tortoise, he moved surprisingly fast toward the lake.

As the hunter neared the deer, the crow spotted the tortoise safe in the water. “Caw! Caw!” she called out, signaling the deer.

That was the cue! The deer leaped to his feet and bolted away, leaving the hunter with no chance of catching him. When the hunter turned back, the tortoise was gone too!

The four friends reunited under the banyan tree. “Thank you for saving my life!” the tortoise said gratefully.

“No thanks needed,” the deer smiled. “As long as we help each other, we’ll always be safe!”