The fawn and the lion cub

The docile fawn ran merrily along the green grass with a bright smile , thrilled to see the glowing rays of sunlight follow it  amidst the canopy of trees. “ Slow down dear, you will trip yourself again. You nearly broke your leg the last time, when you tried to jump across that huge fallen log” , shouted her mother who was eyeing the fawn with a mixture of worry and amusement. “ I will be fine mother. Little bruises here and there do not bother me at all.”, said the fawn, jumping gleefully as she chased the colourful butterflies near the little stream. She loved the mornings when it was bright and sunny as she could run about wherever she liked, her swift legs guiding her along to many new, exciting places across the huge forest that was her home.

The fawn was a sweet little thing, with a smile for everyone and the first one to rush to help whenever any of her fellow fawns got into trouble. She loved to make friends across the many parts of the forest that she bounded off to. She also had a habit of regaling her deer friends with spectacular stories about the intriguing characters she had acquainted herself with during her daily adventures in the forest. The thirty foot long snake which could not unwind itself from the clutches of the giant oak tree, the friendly skunk which greeted her with a fragrant flower each day so that she would not be affected by the stench, the chameleon which travelled on her back everyday changing its color to match with hers .. Her friends were equally awed and frightened and some shook their heads in astonishment at the brave fawn who soon  became a celebrity of sorts among the young ones.

One day, the fawn came rushing back to the little clearing where the other fawns gathered everyday,  with such unstoppable energy that she kicked up a mini dust storm when she finally came to a breathless halt. “ You will never believe the friend I made today by the big river near the rocks.” As the other fawns circled around her with open admiration, waiting to hear her latest adventure, one of them spoke up, rather fearfully “ Did you really go near the rocks? But, isn’t that where the lions gather?” The fawn nodded excitedly and said, “ Yes Yes!  I met this lion cub today who loves adventures as much as I do. He has told me all about the marshlands that lie beyond the rocks which are dark, wet places swarming with mystical creatures. We chatted for hours about all the exciting places we have been to in the forest and I have promised to visit him again tomorrow”. She was obviously happy and thrilled to have met a friend who had the same thirst for adventure as she did but as she looked around at her friends, the smile quickly turned into a frown.

They were all staring at her speechlessly with fear and only one of them managed to get out the words, “ How could you go to such a dangerous place? What if something had happened to you?” The fawn couldn’t find the words to form a suitable reply as she knew that her friends were right, but still she had trusted the friendly lion cub who had assured her that she was in no danger from him. She ran away swiftly , her mind whirling with a hundred questions and she accidentally bumped into her father who had come in search of her as it was getting dark. He knew from her crestfallen expression that something was wrong and he gently coaxed it out of her and she recounted the entire story to him. As she finished, the fawn stared at him nervously expecting a terrible scolding at her apparent carelessness.

Her father looked thoughtfully at her and said in a gentle tone, “ Making friends everywhere you go is  a wonderful thing and I have always encouraged your daily adventures into the forest. You must understand that sometimes, even though we find someone who is very friendly and thinks like us in certain ways, we must not ignore the fundamental differences. Take your new friend for instance. The lion cub shares your passion for adventures and seems friendly enough to you for now but he is bound to hurt you someday. It is in his very nature to hurt animals like you and he is not in a position to prevent himself from doing that. This friendship will only cause pain to both of you in the long run. We must walk away in the beginning before it gets any further”. The little fawn understood what he was trying to say and realised sadly that even friendships need a basic compatibility to last in the long run.

  

 Girl in a daze