This is one of the best panchatantra story in english for kids to read, “The Fox Reared By The Lion“. Once upon a time, there lived a lion and his wife, lioness in a dense forest. The couple had two small cubs in a due course of time. The lion asked the lioness to stay at home and take care of the young ones.
One day, the lion found a little fox on his way back home. He took the baby fox home as a gift for his wife. “Hey, look! Whom I have brought today,” said the lion. “Oh! Cute little one. It’s a baby fox! What can we do with him?” asked the lioness. Also, read The Fox And The Goat Story.
The lion wanted the little fox to stay with them as the poor one had lost his way. The lioness agreed even though it was a baby fox and not a cub. The lioness brought up the fox kid with the same love as her own kids. The three young animals grew and played together.
One day, the children saw an elephant. The cubs wanted to fight the elephant but the young fox was very frightened. The young fox asked them to run away. So, they ran away and went to the mother lioness. “Mamma, we were asked to run away when we saw an elephant,” said the cubs. When the mother asked who told them to do so, they blamed little foxy. You may also like to read, The Lion And Mouse Story.
The lioness asked Foxy, “How can you say that? Aren’t you brave?” The foxy was still shivering at the sight of the gigantic elephant. The lioness laughed at the fox kid and said him a coward. “Why do you call me a coward?” asked the baby fox. The lioness said, “What’s wrong with killing an elephant? You feel afraid only because you are not a lion kid. You are a child of a fox. Your breed never faces elephants.”
The fox was sad but he could not carry on like this, facing elephants and other dangerous animals. “Dear child, if you cannot be bold, please go and live with your tribe!” said the Mamma Lioness. The fox kid did not want to live there any longer and left for the forest. The Mamma Lioness told her kids, “You should always be brave! You should face the challenges of life with courage!” The cubs agreed and the family lived happily in the forest.
A COWARD WILL REMAIN A COWARD EVEN IF HE IS IN COMPANY OF THE BRAVE.