Once, a quail lived in a nest with its siblings. Now, this quail was different from its siblings. Unlike the other quails, it never ate worms or insects. It relied only on twigs. As a result, it became weak. One day, while the other quails were away looking for food, a fierce fire broke out in the jungle. One by one, all the animals ran from the forest but the quail could not fly as it was very weak. Slowly, the fire closed in on the quail’s nest. The quail said to the fire-god, “O Lord! I am too weak to fly. All my brothers are away. I can offer you nothing but my weak body.” Hearing the quail’s emotional words, the fire-god took pity on it and retreated without harming the nest.
The Fire-God and the Quail
