The three oxen and the lion

 

Once upon a time there were three oxen in the jungle of Somalia a red, a white and a black ox. Since there lived in a dangerous place, they used to defend themselves as a group and they were united to do so. Beasts used to eat other animals and the three oxen see every day animals being eaten because of their weakness. They learned to defend themselves as one; otherwise they will be humiliated and eaten by beasts.

 

The three oxen lived many years without fear and with freedom and they enjoyed life, but divisions and mistrust grew between them after a weak lion appeared. The weak lion came from a place far away, where draught and hunger had killed many animals. The three oxen welcomed the lion with the condition that if he tried to do anything wrong against them, they must kill him with their horns.

 

The lion used to hunt other animals and after some time, the lion became stronger and stronger. He wanted to eat the three oxen but he could not as long as they were united and defended themselves as a group. The lion started to divide the lions and put mistrust between them so that they couldn’t help each other and he succeeded by first eating the white ox by persuading the other two oxen that since it was dark night the white ox can be seen from far away, they must kill him to save their lives After that the lion killed the black ox by telling the red ox that the black can be seen from far away. And finally he ate the red ox, and before he began to eat, the lion asked the red ox his last words. The red ox said ‘’I have been your friend and I helped you eat my other friends. Why are you eating me?’’ And the lion replied "When you accepted me to eat your friends, that was when you accepted me to eat you." the lion laughed and ate the red ox.