The Four Friends, the Deer and the Hunter (from Kalila wa Dimna)

The book of Kalila and Dimna tells that three friends lived near a clear pond in a green forest: a wise crow who could see everything from the treetops, a small, clever rat with sharp teeth, and a kind tortoise who moved slowly but was patient and loving. Every day they met at the pond, talking and sharing food and stories.

Their friendship had begun long ago, when the crow helped the rat escape from a fox, and the tortoise helped them both cross the river on her back. Since then they had been inseparable. Each of them had a job in their little group: the crow kept watch from above, the rat gathered food, and the tortoise kept the water and the place clean and gave them advice, because she was the oldest.

One day, as they sat together, they heard the sound of running feet. A beautiful deer came leaping between the trees, panting with fear. The tortoise hid in the water, the rat went into his burrow, and the crow flew to the top of the tree. Then the crow looked around, and seeing no one chasing the deer, he flew down and said, "Don't worry, my friends. There's no danger here."

The tortoise went up to the deer and said kindly, "What's wrong, Deer? Why are you afraid? Drink some water and rest." The deer drank and said, "I used to live on a faraway plain, but the hunters started chasing me there, so I ran until I came here." The tortoise said, "Stay with us. This place is safe, and we are friends who help one another." The deer was delighted and became the fourth friend among them.

At first the deer was a little shy. He was afraid of every sound and jumped whenever a leaf moved. But the friends were patient with him. The crow taught him to tell the sound of the wind from the sound of footsteps, the rat taught him where to find the tastiest grass, and the tortoise taught him to drink from the water calmly without being afraid. Little by little, the deer became calm and happy.

Happy days went by. The deer told them about the wide plains, the crow told them what he saw from above, the rat gathered seeds, and the tortoise organized their gatherings. They agreed to meet every morning at the pond, and if one of them was missing, the others would go looking for him.

The deer repaid his friends' kindness. He carried the rat on his back to show him the faraway fields, brought the tortoise tender grass from meadows she couldn't reach, and warned the crow about hawks, because he could see them from far away with his wide eyes. They would say, "Now we are four, and now we are stronger."

One morning, the deer was late and didn't come. The friends were worried, and the tortoise said, "Crow, fly and look for him." The crow flew over the forest until he saw the deer caught in a hunter's net, trying to free himself and unable to. The crow hurried back and said, "The deer is in the hunter's net! We must help him before the hunter comes back!"

"I can cut the net with my teeth," said the rat, "but I'm slow at walking." "Ride on my back," said the crow, "and I'll fly you to him." So the rat climbed onto the crow's back, and they flew until they reached the deer. The rat began gnawing the threads quickly, thread after thread, while the deer waited patiently.

The deer tried not to move much so the net wouldn't tangle more, because the tortoise had taught him: "If you get caught in something, don't struggle, because struggling makes the problem worse." When he saw the rat working, he said, "Thank you, my friend. I knew you would come." The rat said as he gnawed, "We agreed to look for each other, and a promise is a promise."

While the rat was working, the tortoise arrived, panting, for she had walked the whole way to be with her friend. The deer said to her, "My friend, why did you come? You're slow, and if the hunter comes, you won't be able to escape!" The tortoise said, "I couldn't stay away while my friend was in danger."

As soon as the rat cut the last thread, the hunter appeared in the distance. The deer leapt away, the rat ducked into a nearby burrow, and the crow flew up into the tree. But the tortoise couldn't hurry. The hunter arrived to find the net cut and was angry. Then he saw the tortoise, picked her up, put her in his sack, tied it shut, slung it over his shoulder, and walked off.

The deer stood among the faraway trees watching the hunter carry the sack with the tortoise in it. He felt terribly sad and said, "We can't leave her!" The crow landed beside him, and the rat hurried out of his burrow. They gathered behind a big rock and thought quickly, for they didn't have much time.

The three friends were very sad, and the deer said, "The tortoise came to help me, and now she's in danger because of me. We must save her!" The crow thought and said, "I have a plan. Deer, get ahead of the hunter and lie down in his path as if you're too tired to walk. I'll stand on your back as if I'm looking at you. When the hunter sees you, he'll put down the sack to catch you. Then the rat will come and gnaw open the sack."

"That's a wonderful plan," said the rat, "but it's dangerous for the deer." The deer said bravely, "I don't mind. The tortoise took a risk for me, and I'll take a risk for her. I'm faster than the hunter, and I'll run away at the right moment." "And I'll be above you," said the crow. "If he gets too close, I'll caw so you can jump up."

The friends carried out the plan. The deer ran fast and lay down at the side of the path, pretending to be exhausted. The crow stood on top of him. The hunter saw the deer and was pleased. "A tired deer! I'll catch him easily!" He put the sack on the ground and crept quietly toward the deer. At that moment, the rat hurried to the sack and gnawed through it with his teeth. The tortoise came out, slipped down into a nearby stream, and hid among the reeds.

Inside the sack, the tortoise had been frightened. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear the hunter's footsteps. Then she felt the sack being put down on the ground and heard the sound of little teeth gnawing the cloth, and she knew at once it was her friend the rat. "Zirak?" she whispered. "Be patient a little longer," he said. "I'm here." A few moments later, she saw sunlight through a hole in the sack and crept out quietly.

When the hunter got close to the deer, the deer suddenly leapt up and ran far away. The hunter ran after him a little way but couldn't catch him. So he went back to his sack and found it torn and empty! He was astonished and said, "How strange! It's as if these animals work together!" Then he went home disappointed and never came back to that forest.

The four friends gathered at the pond, laughing and hugging. The tortoise said, "Thank you, my friends. You saved me." The deer said, "No, you're the one who taught us that a friend never leaves a friend in danger." And the crow said, "Each of us helped in the way he could: I with my eyes, the rat with his teeth, the deer with his speed, and the tortoise with her loyal heart."

That night, the four friends held a little celebration by the pond. The rat gathered seeds, the deer brought tender grass, the crow brought mulberries, and the tortoise sat happily in the middle of them. They promised to stay friends forever, to meet every morning, and to look for each other if one of them was missing.

This fable from Kalila and Dimna teaches us that true friendship shows itself in hard times, and that each of us has a special gift that can help others. When different gifts come together with cooperation and love, friends become stronger than any danger. This is a lovely piece of wisdom we can always remember in our lives and teach to our friends and little brothers and sisters.