The Hyena and the Lion

Once upon a time, in a vast savanna, two kingdoms lay side by side.
The Lion ruled with pride and power, his mane shining like gold. His roars echoed across the land, and all creatures bowed before him.
In the Hyena kingdom, things were different. They laughed, they shared, they squabbled, but every hyena ate. No one went hungry, and no one was above the rules of the hunt.

One day, the Lion called the Hyena to his den.
“You have no order,” said the Lion. “No crown, no throne, no paw to strike down the wicked. Let me rule your lands, and I shall bring you greatness.”

The Hyena tilted his head and laughed.
“In your kingdom, you feast while the jackals starve. You wear gold while the antelope’s bones bleach under the sun. In mine, the weak still eat, and the strong are watched.”

The Lion snarled. “You dare mock a king?”

The Hyena grinned wider. “I mock the hunger your rule brings.”

The Lion roared, but none came to his call. The animals had been watching. And they saw that in the Hyena’s land, there was chaos, but there was justice. While in the Lion’s, there was order, but only for the few.

And so the Lion turned, tail low, to rule what little was left of his shrinking pride.


Moral:

Better a chorus of laughter with full bellies, than silence under a golden crown.