The Lion and the Brave Mouse

Deep in a lush, green forest full of amazing colors, lived a lion named Leo who believed he was the king of all the animals. Leo was so proud of his strength that every morning, instead of saying hello, he liked to remind everyone just how powerful he was.

With the first rays of sunshine, he would take a deep breath and let out a mighty "ROOOOAR!" It was so loud that the leaves on the farthest trees would tremble. Shake, shake, shake! All the other animals would hear him and quickly hide in their homes.

But one of the tiniest animals in the forest, a mouse named Squeaky, wasn't scared of the roar at all. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, his tiny feet would go as he scurried about, looking for tasty seeds. Squeaky was small, but he was very brave.

One afternoon, while Leo was dozing under his favorite tree, Squeaky was rushing around in a hurry. He was so fast that, without even noticing, he zipped right over Leo’s giant paw.

Leo jumped awake from his nap. "GRRR! What was that?" he grumbled. When he opened his eyes, he saw tiny Squeaky standing there and looked down at him with a frown.

Leo slowly placed his giant paw over Squeaky. "You little rascal! How dare you wake up a king like me?" he boomed. Squeaky almost disappeared under the huge paw.

Even though he was trembling with fear, Squeaky gathered his courage. "Please let me go, King of the Forest! I'm just a little mouse. But I promise, if you are ever in trouble, I will help you!"

When Leo heard this, he let out a laugh so big it shook the ground. "HA HA HA! You? Help me? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!" Squeaky's bravery amused him so much that he lifted his paw and said, "Alright, run along then, little hero."

A few days later, as Leo was strolling through the forest, he got caught in a hunter's trap! SWOOSH! A thick rope net lifted him into the air! "Help! Somebody help me!" he roared, but this time his roar was full of fear.

Hearing Leo's helpless roar, Squeaky recognized the voice right away. "That's King Leo!" he thought. Without a second thought, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, he started running towards the sound.

Squeaky found Leo hanging between the trees. "Don't worry, King Leo! I'll save you!" he called out. Leo was very surprised; he never expected help from this tiny mouse.

Squeaky quickly climbed the tree and reached the thickest rope of the net. With his tiny but sharp teeth, he started to chew. NIBBLE, NIBBLE, NIBBLE! The sounds echoed through the forest.

Thanks to Squeaky's hard work, the ropes broke one by one. Finally, with a loud "SNAP!", the net tore open and Leo fell safely to the ground. THUMP! He shook off the ropes and was free.

Leo looked at tiny Squeaky with respect and gratitude. "Thank you, my brave friend. Please forgive me for being so arrogant. You may be small, but your heart is huge." From that day on, the strongest and the smallest in the forest became the best of friends. Their friendship was the best proof that even the little ones can achieve great things.