The scorching heat of the afternoon had finally given way to a stifling, warm evening. A magnificent male lion emerged slowly from the cool shade of his den, his heavy mane matted with sweat and dust. A deep, hollow ache in his stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten a proper meal in two days; he was utterly famished.
After a long stretch and a mighty, silent yawn, the Lion began his quiet prowl through the dry savanna. His paws fell soundlessly on the parched earth as his sharp, amber eyes scanned the tall, brittle grass. Soon, a flash of brown caught his attention: a small hare named Pipkin, innocently nibbling on a patch of late-season clover.
The Lion cornered the terrified little hare easily, ending his short chase more quickly than expected. He stood over the hare, who trembled uncontrollably. He nudged the hare with his nose, a sigh escaping his throat. “This tiny morsel can barely line my stomach,” he thought with a grumble. “It’s hardly worth the effort of the chase.” Despite his hunger, he hesitated, feeling a pang of disappointment at the meager offering.
It was in that moment of hesitation that the ground began to tremble slightly. A shadow moved swiftly at the edge of the clearing. A huge, muscular deer, suddenly charged past, startled by a noise deeper in the woods.
Instantly, a surge of greed, a sudden, sharp hunger for more coursed through the Lion. His focus snapped away from the trembling hare.
“Instead of this tiny hare,” the powerful thought roared in his mind, “let me devour that majestic, gigantic deer! That will feed me for days!”
With a dismissive flick of his great tail, the Lion entirely forgot the hare. The tiny animal, seeing its chance, darted away and vanished into a thicket. The lion paid it no mind; his eyes were fixed only on the larger prize.
The Lion launched himself into a powerful, earth-shaking sprint, chasing the fleet-footed deer. He ran hard, leaping over logs and tearing through the brush, driven by the image of the massive feast. But the deer was faster than he anticipated and far more agile in the dense thickets it now entered. The great deer, already in a panic, disappeared completely into the darkening woods, leaving the Lion behind, panting and exhausted.
The Lion slowed to a disappointed walk. He searched for several agonizing minutes, but the deer was gone. As the sounds of the night began to rise, the famished lion sat alone, his stomach aching even worse than before. He felt a terrible pang of regret, a bitterness far worse than hunger. He had let the easy meal go for the impossible one, and now he was left with nothing. He felt awful about letting the little hare run free, realizing that his own greed had left him completely empty-handed.
Moral of the Story:A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. (Be satisfied with what you have rather than risking it all for something better that you may not get.)
