“It seems the tables have turned,” said Lion as he stretched and bowed to the mouse. “And you have saved me this time, instead. I must say, I did not think that you could do it, but you did!” Lion was very, very surprised that Mouse could do something that he could not. Though Lion could not break the net with his strength, it was Mouse’s small size that allowed him to chew it up and break free.

And just then, the hunters that must have trapped Lion came running to check their net. They saw that Lion was not in the net and they looked very afraid, but Lion did not want to fight anyone. Instead, he picked up Mouse and stuck him atop Lion’s head. “I’ll take you home,” said Lion. “You deserve a break after all that chewing!”

Mouse smiled and got comfortable in Lion’s mane. It did not take long for Mouse to fall asleep, but from then on, Lion and Mouse lived together in that cave and they became very good friends that always helped each other, for no matter how big or how small you are, you can still help someone else, and Lion learned that lesson on that very day. Lion learned that he could rely on other people, even if they were smaller, and Mouse learned that he could make a very, very big difference if he wanted to, even if it was only little by little. They both knew that they could count on each other!

One morning, in the middle of Shady Woods, Felix the Fox was walking along. He was very hungry and still very angry about not being able to get the grapes that he had wanted. He was also very embarrassed because he could not catch some grapes off of the top of a tree. So, Felix the Fox was trying to hide from everyone in the forest. Of course, that made finding breakfast very, very difficult.

Felix searched far and wide for a bite to eat. He looked over by the river to try to catch some fish. He tried very hard to catch one of the big, silver fish, but they were too fast for him. He tried to get one of the little silver fish, but every time he snapped his jaws, all he got were globs of weeds that were growing at the bottom of the water. He spat out the weeds and growed. “Fm no bear, I guess,” he said and he kept on going throughout the woods. Maybe he’d be able to find something else god to eat, he told himself, so away he went.

Soon, he found a bush of berries, but when he took a bite, he found that they were very bitter and hard and that they tasted very, very bad. They made his tongue feel fuzzy and he did not think that it would be a very good thing to eat. So, Felix spat out the berries and kept on going with a groan.

Felix could smell something very yummy being cooked nearby, but he knew that meant that there were humans nearby, and humans should always be avoided. He did not want to get caught, after all! So, even though it smelled very good, he thought better of trying to go.

But soon, his tummy began to feel too empty. As Felix’s tummy grumbled, he groaned. “Fm so hungry,” he said as he rolled onto the ground. He rolled all the way over onto his back, so his feet were up in the sky, pointing at the clouds. It was a very clear day, and he could not see a single cloud in sight! There was a bit of smoke nearby, and Felix was certain that it belonged to the humans that he could smell.

“Maybe just a peek…” Felix decided and he rolled over and walked toward the smoke.

It did not take long for Felix to get to a tent that was built up in the woods. The tent was in front of a big fire, and there were no humans in sight. He could hear some sounds inside the tent, though, and he was sure that the humans were in there. But, he could see that the humans had left out a bit of food—they left a piece of cheese!

Felix loved cheese when he could get it. So, he licked his lips and crept forward. He got closer and closer to the table with the cheese on it near the fire. He walked very carefully, listening very closely to hear if the humans were going to come out of their tent. But, it seemed like they did not want to come out. They were shut away inside and seemed to not think that they would be coming out any time soon. So, Felix started to move a little quicker.

Then, Felix jumped up onto the table to get the cheese. It was so close that he could practically taste it! So, he ran over to get the cheese and opened his mouth. But, just before he could get it, a crow swept down and took it! It flew away, cawing and cackling at Felix.

Felix was shocked that a crow would be that rude! He hopped off of the table and chased the crow down. He was not about to let her take his cheese! So, off he went to get her to give it back.

The crow had decided to sit in a tree, just out of reach. She was sitting there with the piece of cheese held in her claws and picking at it, little by little, but crows’ beaks are not very big, and it took her a long time to eat the cheese.

Felix looked up at the crow and felt very angry and very frustrated. He had wanted to eat that cheese for breakfast! So, he went right up to the tree that she was sitting in and stood underneath it. The crow stopped to look at him as he did.

“What’s wrong?” asked the crow. “Are you jealous?”

The crow sounded very smug as she ate her cheese.

“Oh, no, of course not!” said Felix. He grinned up at her. “I’m just admiring the beauty!” He looked over the crow, who was eyeing him suspiciously. She did not trust Felix at all. But, he knew that he could do better. “I was just looking at how beautiful you are! You are the nicest thing I have seen all day!”

“Me or the cheese?” asked the crow.

Felix looked up at her in shock. “Why, you of course!” he announced back. “You are the most beautiful thing I have seen all week! Why, look at the way that your feathers glisten in the sunlight!”

Crow looked at her feathers. They sure were glossy! She took very good care of her feathers and worked very hard to preen herself as often as she could. There was no need for loose ends or feathers poking out! She wasn’t a child and she could take care of her appearance quite well, after all! She looked down at Felix expectantly.

“And look at the way that your beak curves! It is so perfectly straight! It looks so sharp, too, and strong!” And again the crow felt proud of herself and her appearance. She worked very hard to keep her beak clean and it showed! She straightened up on her perch.

“Oh, and look at your wings! How beautiful they look! I got a good look when you flew by, and how magnificent! They looked like they belonged on an angel!” Felix called out for the crow. The crow spread her wings and held them out to show them off and Felix grinned back up at her encouragingly. “You are just so beautiful! I just wish I could get a closer look at you!”

“Well, I think that could be arranged!” announced the crow. She picked up the chunk of cheese in her mouth and flew down closer to Fox, standing up tall and held her wings out for him to see.

“Oh, my! You are even more spectacular up close!” said Felix as he approached her. The crow was loving all of the attention and let him get as close as he wanted to take a good, long look.

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