The Cat, the Hedgehog, and The Crow

An original fable on forgiveness and compassion.

As promised, I’d write up this fable I alluded to a few months ago! (Which I made up on the spot as I was telling a bedtime story to my kids.)

Enjoy!

Cat, Hedgehog, and Crow

Once upon a winter's day, a cat lived on a small farm. The cat was a skilled hunter, and the farmer rewarded him with milk for every rat he caught. The cold winds blew, and snow covered the ground, but the cat continued to catch rats to keep the farm safe and earn his milk.

One frigid morning, the cat brought back a plump rat for the farmer, who gratefully filled a bowl with milk. However, the cat wasn't thirsty yet, so he left the bowl of milk and went for a stroll around the farm. While walking, he spotted a crow perched on a tree branch. They exchanged a nod and went their separate ways.

When the cat returned to his milk, he found it gone! He noticed small footprints leading away from the bowl, and, his curiosity piqued, he followed the trail. The prints led to a burrow beneath a snow-covered bush. There, the cat discovered a sickly hedgehog, its snout and paws covered in milk.

The hedgehog weakly asked the cat for help, explaining that the stolen milk had made him ill, as hedgehogs didn't digest milk well. He needed a special root to remedy his sickness, but the cat, bitter and angry at the theft, refused. The cat left the burrow, seeking another rat to catch in exchange for more milk. But as he roamed the farm, he couldn't shake the feeling that if he didn't help, the hedgehog might perish from the very milk he had stolen.

Unable to ignore his conscience, the cat returned to the burrow and found the hedgehog unconscious. Panicked, he raced out of the burrow, meowing for help with the intent to find the special root hedgehog had talked about earlier. The cunning crow heard his cries and flew to the cat, proposing a deal: he would help find the root, but only if the cat shared his milk with the crow for a week. Though hesitant, the cat agreed to the arrangement.

Together, the cat and the crow searched for the special root. Crow found it hidden beneath the snow, and the cat carried it back to the hedgehog's burrow. He gently placed a piece of the root in the hedgehog's mouth, and the hedgehog slowly regained consciousness.

The hedgehog thanked the cat for saving his life, but the cat remained angry about his stolen milk. The hedgehog apologized and explained that he had stolen the milk out of desperation. The rats had been stealing the food he gathered, leaving him weak and hungry. The cat considered this information and devised a plan. With the hedgehog's knowledge of the rats' hiding places, the cat could catch even more rats for the farmer.

In the following days, the cat caught twice as many rats as before, earning him twice as much milk. True to his word, he shared half of his milk with the crow who had helped save the hedgehog's life. Even after sharing his milk with the crow, the cat still had the same amount of milk he'd had in the beginning. Meanwhile, the farm flourished, safe from the rats that once plagued it.

And so, the cat, the crow, and the hedgehog lived harmoniously on the farm, each playing their part in keeping it safe and prosperous. The once-bitter cat learned the value of forgiveness and cooperation, and they all grew wiser and kinder from their experiences.

As the snow melted and winter gave way to spring, the sun shone brightly upon the farm, warming the hearts of its inhabitants, just as their newfound friendships had warmed their souls.

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Let me know if you enjoyed it!

Sincerely,

Jibran

PS. Here you can find more of my parables and narrations of others’ parables.

PPS. In case you were wondering, I made all the images in Midjourney V5 with prompt detailing the image I wanted + just adding “watercoloring” to the prompt. (And an aspect ratio of 3:1.)