In a faraway African land, where animals live freely in nature, a story took place which I will now tell you about. It was a story about friendship and courage.
That day, it was a beautiful and warm afternoon in Africa. The sun was shining and there were no clouds far and wide in the sky. The wind was gently blowing, and a group of elephants was resting under the trees. Most of them were adult elephants, but several elephant calves were running among them as well. One of them was especially curious and often ran farther away from the group. First, he was interested in a butterfly flying past, then in the lizards which were sunning themselves on warm rocks. The little calf kept on wandering around and playing. And it didn’t even notice that a big lion was lying in wait nearby in the grass.
When the elephant calf was far enough from its herd of adult elephants, the lion slowly approached through the grass. He kept on skulking around, waiting for the calf to be the farthest from its group. For it to be alone and defenseless. That was when the lion would try and pounce on it. While the calf was trying to pick a flower with its trunk and wasn’t paying attention, the lion stepped out of the grass and slowly crawled over to the small elephant. The calf was immersed in playing and had no idea about the approaching danger.
Just then, one of the adult elephants noticed what was happening. “Quickly, hurry! A lion is getting close to the calf. Do you see it? We have to help him!” All the lions looked at the little calf where it was playing, unaware. When they saw the lion not far from him, they rushed to help him without a moment’s hesitation. All the adult elephants formed a circle around the calf, their backs to the calf and their heads facing the lion. The little elephant was barely visible in their midst. The elephants stood bravely around their little one. They were firm and courageous, even though they knew that the lion was strong too. Without fear and with courage, they saved the calf from their herd.
The lion slowly circled around the elephants. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to get to the calf. He tried to scare them with his roar, but the elephants didn’t even flinch. They had numbers on their side and stuck together. And that’s where their strength lay. They didn’t need claws or teeth, or a lion’s roar. All they needed was the knowledge that they had superior numbers and that they would stick together. The lion sensed that he’d lost. When he saw the courage of the elephants and their love for the small calf, he didn’t dare do anything. He tucked his tail between his legs and left in defeat. The elephants had won. When they saw the lion leave, they breathed a sigh of relief.
They knew that they had put themselves in danger. But their love, friendship, and courage were bigger than anything else. The small calf thanked everyone who had protected him. It also promised to be more careful and stay closer to the herd. He knew that it was only safe in its midst.
Elephants can serve as an example to us. Even though they can’t fight or have claws, they can show great courage. They can support one another, and they are clever. They know that they can win without having to attack.
