The lion looked around to see what was available. All he could see was the forest wet with rain and his three followers. Chitrakarna was chewing some thorns near by. “What is available here?” asked the King Lion. “Chitrakarna,” whispered the crow, going close to him. The king was indignant. “I have given him shelter! And you are asking me to kill him when I have told him he will be safe here. How can I break my promise to him?” “My lord,” said the crow in a very sweet and humble voice, “suppose he offers himself to you? Then there can be no harm in your killing him, can there?” This made the lion think very hard. He was hungry, after all. And what use was a king if he starved to death? So by keeping silent, he agreed to do what the crow and his friends wanted.
Fooling the Lion
