The lion had decided to go into the battle against the insects. So, he called all his troops.
“We must plan this carefully,” said the lion, “I will lead the attack, but you all must know the battle plan.” The kudu, the jackal and the oryx came for his advice, while others like the elephant waited for orders.
“We are large, much larger than the insects, but they have huge swarms,” said the lion, dropping his voice so that everything may be done secretly, “They will bite and sting. But we must be fierce in our attack!”
“You and your soldiers must watch me all the time,” he said, “If my tail is up in the air, go on fighting. But if you see me drop my tail, forget about the battle and just run for your life!”
All the animals got ready for the battle and told their army about the plan. The lion smiled proudly.
But he did not know that a small bee had been hiding in the undergrowth listening to every word of his secret plan! As soon as his generals had gone, the bee took off to meet the General in the military camp of the insects.
He whispered all the details to the Insect General. They prepared a plan, and awaited the attack of the big animals.
The elephant trumpeted and the lion roared as the animals charged at the insect armies. In the beginning both the armies were seen to be fighting evenly. But soon, it became clear that the big animals would win the war.
The Insect General looked at the little bee who was hovering close to him during the battle.
“I think it’s high time!” said the General.
The bee nodded, understanding everything quickly. He flew to where the lion was leading the battle, roaring, with his tail in the air. The lion was so engrossed in the battle that he did not notice the little bee behind him.
“Bee-ware from Bee-hind!” yelled the bee. But his voice went unheard in the uproar of the battle. The bee stung him hard on his tail. The lion yelped in pain, his tail swinging downwards.
The animals were watching him as they had been ordered. As soon as they saw his tail go down, there was panic among the animals. The battle was lost! They ran helter-skelter in all directions, away from the battlefield. And the insects won the war bee-cause of a bee that was bee-hind the enemy lines even bee-fore the battle bee-gan!
