fables folktales · Ages 9-12

The Rabbit Who Made a Lion Fear His Own Reflection

A small rabbit defeats a tyrant by turning the lion's pride against him, proving that courage can be quiet and strategic.

The whole story

1. At sunrise, a small rabbit named Rowan carried a blue cloth satchel along the forest path. He was taking berries and roots to the animals who had been ordered to feed the lion.

2. Near the lion's boulder, Rowan found every basket empty. The lion had eaten the food meant for the whole forest, then demanded a second meal before noon.

3. The lion lowered his head until his whiskers brushed Rowan's ears. Rowan did not run. He set down the satchel and said, “I know where another lion is hiding.”

4. The lion followed at once. He wanted to meet this rival, he said, because no creature in the forest had the right to boast louder than he did.

5. At the well, Rowan stopped beside the mossy stones. “He is inside,” he whispered. “He copies every roar, but he never comes out.”

6. The lion bent over the well and saw a golden mane, bright eyes, and a scar above one eyebrow. His own face stared back without blinking.

7. The lion roared. The well roared back. He bared his teeth, and the lion below bared its teeth too.

8. The lion lifted one paw. The stranger lifted one paw. He stepped back, but the stranger stepped back first, as if daring him to follow.

9. Rowan said nothing. He only waited, because pride was doing the work for him.

10. At last, the lion backed away from the well. He would not challenge the creature below, he announced. Then he hurried into the trees without taking another bite.

11. The animals gathered around Rowan's satchel. No one cheered loudly. They simply began to eat, and the forest seemed to breathe more freely.

12. Rowan looked into the well once more. The water held no monster, only the sky—and the courage of a small rabbit who had chosen where a proud lion would look.

Make a story like this →