Spotty the stag was grazing by the river when he looked up to check on the rest of the chital (spotted deer) in his herd. He thought he sensed a movement at the edge of the forest. All appeared fine . “Never mind,” he thought, shaking his antlered head, “The monkeys will send out a loud warning alarm if there is a predator nearby.” and resumed feeding on the lush grass.
Suddenly, a fierce looking brown fish owl — with its hornlike ear tufts — swooped down from the sky towards the herd. The startled deer scampered away into a thicket nearby. Before he sprinted away, Spotty noticed a large crab speedily side-stepping towards a big boulder. The eagle-eyed bird had the crab in its sights and hurtled towards it with talons extended, but the crab managed to squeeze itself into a small gap under the rock in the nick of time.
The fish owl tried sticking its beak into the crack but the courageous crab snapped its claws menacingly at the fish owl’s face. Crawling deeper into the crevice, it took a swipe at the bird’s foot with its pincers, managing to give the bird a sharp nip. The fish owl shrieked indignantly. Deciding wisely that catching the crab was a lost cause, the golden-eyed bird took to the skies in search of easier prey.
Crabby the crab, peered out to see if the coast was clear. He tried to ease himself out of the crevice but found that he couldn’t move. It felt like he had the weight of the whole world on him. Pinned under the heavy boulder, Crabby felt he was literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. What was he to do?
After a while, the deer wandered back to graze. Spotty spied the crab waving its clawed appendages at him and inched closer to investigate. Crabby cried out, “I’m stuck. Please can you help me.” Spotty tried nudging the boulder but it wouldn’t budge. Then he had a brainwave. He lowered his head so his antler could slip into the crack and then with huge effort he raised his head, using his antlers like a lever to lift the rock a wee bit.
That was enough for Crabby to slide out from under the rock. “Thank you, my friend,” said Crabby. As Spotty lowered the rock, they both heard a loud crack as if something had snapped. A piece of Spotty’s antler had broken off and was jutting out from under the boulder. Crabby looked as distressed as Spotty. “I’m so sorry. I feel as if I were to blame,” he apologised. “Don’t worry,” said Spotty. We stags shed our antlers once a year and new ones grow back in a couple of weeks. I’ll soon have a new pair to replace these broken ones. Glad I could help.”
Crabby said, “You’ve got a friend in me.
If ever you’re in trouble, just call and I’ll
come to your aid.
Today your help I sought,
To get out of a tight spot.
I hope someday, I too,
Can come to your rescue.”
Weeks passed and one day, when Spotty had shed his antlers and was grazing by the river, a tiger was lurking, behind the tall grass and reeds, eyeing the chital herd. Suddenly the wind shifted and the deer got the scent of the tiger and scattered in different directions. The tiger sprang out from his hiding place and raced towards the panicked herd. Spotty put himself in front of his family, giving them time to
sprint away.
Just as the tiger lunged at him, Spotty leaped into the water and tried to swim to the other bank, but the tiger was a powerful swimmer too and caught up with Spotty, grabbing his hind leg. Spotty thought this was the end and dived headlong into the water. “If I’m going under, I’ll take the tiger with me,” he thought. The next thing he felt was the tiger’s grip on his leg loosening and then he was free. He swam back to the bank.
He saw the tiger thrashing away in the water. True to his word, his friend Crabby had come to his aid. He’d grabbed and latched onto the tiger’s leg with his strong claws. Roaring in pain, the tiger had opened his mouth enabling Spotty to slip away before Crabby released his grip and buried himself under the sand of the riverbed. By the time the angry tiger emerged from the water, Spotty had disappeared into the safety of the forest.
“Oh deer, dear. I lost my prey,” was all that the tiger could say.
Crabby had saved the day.
His debt to Spotty he did repay.
Forever friends they did stay.