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Zodiac Tales: The Rat and the Tiger It was a hot and lazy day and the Tiger was feeling a little niggle of hunger deep in her stomach. She yawned and considered getting up to catch a snack. The hot air was pressing down on her and opening her eyes she found the sun over-bright and troublesome. She stretched out a paw and decided to think about it some more before doing anything about her hunger. She was more peckish then hungry, it could wait until the sun wasn't quite so high overhead. She closed her eyes and made herself a little more comfortable in the shade of a leafy bush. A short while later her ear twitched at a sound coming from the bush. Cracking open an eye she was amazed to see a Rat slowly creeping out of a hole just scant inches from her paw. The Tiger had been so still and her stripes had worked so well in making her look like a mass of sunlight and shade that he hadn't even noticed she was there. As soon as he was out of his hole the Tiger moved. In a flash she was sitting up and had the rat trapped under her massive paws. "How fortuitous. Here I was just thinking that I wanted a snack and then here you are." The Tiger smiled, "The Lord God does provide." "Eep!" The Rat gasped, he'd hardly had a chance to take in what had happened. "Surely the God didn't mean for you to eat *me*!" The Tiger wasn't in any great hurry to eat the Rat, being only a little hungry. A little conversation might even sweeten the meal. "Any why not? I am hungry, you are here... seems like it was meant to be to me." "Oh, please don't eat me!" The Rat begged. "If you let me go I'll get you sweet berries and roots, enough to make up two Rats like me!" The Tiger made a face. "Roots? Sweet berries? I've never liked sweets. No, thank you very much, but you'll do just fine, even if you are just a mouthful." "Please, Please!" The Rat begged, "I may be just a mouthful to you, but I have a wife! Children too!" The Rat looked at the large Tiger, "To them I am someone important, I am their provider. Without me they will suffer greatly. Surely that is worth more than a mouthful to you?" His eyes were huge and sincere. The Tiger sighed. I'm too kindhearted, she thought to herself. "Oh, very well." She took her paw off the rat. She closed her eyes and flopped back into the shade. "It's too hot to argue." She expected the Rat to run for it's precious life, but when she didn't hear him move she cracked her eye back open. The Rat stood bowing deeply to her. Noticing he had her attention he dipped his head even lower. "Thank you for sparing my life. I am in your debt. My family is in your debt. Call on us if you are ever in need." The Tiger let out a burst of air that ended in a chuckle. "I can't imagine that I'll ever need help from a little mouthful like you, but thanks anyway I suppose." She closed her eyes, "Now go away before I change my mind." It was such an insignificant event that the by the time the tiger woke in the cool of the night she'd forgotten all about it. It wasn't until another day far later in the season that she had any reason to think of it. It had started out a fine day, the sun was low in the sky and the day hadn't gotten hot or heavy yet. A few weeks ago the Tiger had lucked upon a lost cow of the humans at the edge of the jungle and had had a most marvelous meal. She'd never had a such a fat meal before, most jungle animals were much leaner. So she wandered around the edge of the jungle hoping for another happy encounter with a human sheltered animal. Instead she found herself suddenly wisked from off her feet and surrouned by a web of thick ropes. She roared in distress. The humans hadn't liked her taking their cow and had prepared for her return. Now she was stuck in one of their clever traps. She struggled but only managed to get herself more entwined. Now she couldn't even move her head to bite through the ropes. Her paws were stuck pinned to her body trapping her powerful claws. She roared again in frustration. "Sister!" The Tiger craned an eye to see the little Rat perched below her. "Come to laugh?" She asked bitterly, forgetting his pledge completely. "Like to see the mighty struck low?" "No," The Rat waved his paws. "I came tell you to calm yourself. Please wait here, I'll bring help!" With that he scampered off. The Tiger chuckled weakly. What did a little creature think that he could do? The day was early but the humans would be here soon and her life would be forfeit. She closed her eyes and resigned herself to the inevitable. Soon though she heard a great scrabbling noise all around her. She cracked an eye open and then both flew wide. The ropes were crawling with rats! They busily chewed through the thick constraints. "See, Sister." The Rat she saved said working on a rope above her head, "I told you I had family. These are my children, they are very greatful that you spared my life. We have come to repay the favor." Within minutes the rats had freed the Tiger, proving that no good deed, no matter how insignificant goes without reward. |
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