The Lion and the Clever Rabbit

A mighty lion lived in a jungle. It used to wander fearlessly through the jungle and kill any animal it saw. All the other animals were distraught. One day, they assembled before the lion.

"You are our king," they said. We don't want you to roam about hunting. Every day, we will send an animal for you to eat. 

The lion agreed. "Remember: every day at lunchtime, one animal must come to my cave, or else I will kill all of you," he warned.

After this, there was peace in the jungle. One day, it was the turn of an ingenious little rabbit. It decided that it would somehow save its own life. It set out toward the lion's cave. On the way, it found a deep well and, in the clear water of the well, saw its reflection. An idea occurred to the rabbit. By then, the lion had come out of the cave. Seeing the rabbit, he started to roar.

"Oh, king, sorry for the delay," began the rabbit. "Neither myself nor the other animals are responsible for it. The animals sent four other rabbits and me for your meal, but we encountered a powerful lion on the way. It stopped us and started inquiring about our destination. When we told him everything, he was furious. He started saying that he was the real king of the jungle and that you were a false king. He caught the other four rabbits, ate them, and sent me to you."

"Who is this false king who wants my place?" asked the lion angrily. "Take me to him now." 

The rabbit took the lion to the well. 

"Look inside," said the rabbit. "You will see the other lion in the well." 

The lion saw his own reflection in the well and thought it was the other lion. He roared angrily, jumped into the well, and drowned. The clever rabbit managed to save its life after all.

Many times, intelligence can help us checkmate a stronger opponent.