There was a bad wolf in the forest. He was also very lazy. He was always looking out for someone who would hunt and feed him. He found a young lion and, with flattery and sweet words, he made friends with him.
The lion’s parents had warned him never to make friends with any wolf. They told him a wolf would certainly get him into trouble. But the lion would not obey them. He thought he knew best.
One day, the wolf wanted to eat horse-meat. The lion had never eaten horse-meat, but he was always ready to do whatever the wolf said. The wolf found a lake where ponies came to drink water every day. He drew the lion there. The lion lay in wait for the ponies to come and then he attacked one pony. Killing it, he dragged it away. That day, he and the wolf feasted on horse-meat.
When his parents heard about this, they were worried. They spoke to their son, “These ponies belong to the King. You are likely to get into a lot of trouble, son. That wolf is leading you into wrong things.”
But the young lion thought his parents were very simple. They did not know how clever the wolf was. And they did not know how tasty horse-meat was either! So, he kept going out with the wolf to hunt ponies.
The king learnt that a lion was attacking his ponies at the lake. So, he got a tank built in the city. There, he thought that the ponies could go for a drink of water without any risk.
The wolf heard of the tank. He flattered the lion to believe that he was very brave. So, he incited the lion to go into the city in order to attack the ponies. The lion crept into the city and attacked the ponies, dragging one pony away.
The lion’s parents again warned him, “The King has many archers, son. They will kill you. Please stay away from the ponies and from that wretched wolf.” But the lion was not in a mood to listen to the good advice his parents gave him.
The King asked his men to keep them in the stable. But the lion had become more and more foolhardy. He made his way stealthily into the stables and attacked the ponies there.
The King ordered his archer to kill the lion. The next night, when the lion came to the stable, the archer shot and killed him. The wolf was so scared that he ran away.
