Mouse fable

Mr. Mouse was quite lost. He needed to go home but it seemed the more he searched, the more lost he became.

Frustrated he asked one of the forest animals for help and they said why not ask the Cat for he knows the forest through and through. Mouse knew this was true, but cat also had a habit of eating mice, but yet, he had to get home. Could he trust Cat? So Mouse went to see Owl and asked what he thought of his plan. Owl hooted plaintively, "you must choose your friends wisely not all who offer help have your best interest at heart. Cat likes to eat and although the winter hasn't started yet and there is plenty of food, what makes you think he won't be hungry after so long a journey." Mouse replied "but I must go home. I must be home by winter or surely I will die." Owl hooted, "let me bring you home. But mouse was not convinced as he knew Owl too liked to eat mice and so he says and why wouldn't you eat me?" Owl says "because you are my friend". "Cat says he is my friend as well." Owl hooted, "but I have wings and can carry you home. "

Very frustrated at his lack of options mouse sits by the lake and cries. Rabbit comes up and asks him why his is making more water for the lake. Mouse explains "I must rely on those that want to eat me to take me home, but if I don't accept their help I will die from the winter so far from home because i am a mouse." "What does a mouse have to do with you dieing." "Well because I don't have wings, to see the entire forest, or long legs that will take me over stretches of land in a short time, I don't even have claws to defend myself." "And now I must die." "Well says Rabbit if you are decided then just do it quickly and stop sobbing." "Mouse moans but don't you see I don't want to die." "Well then you can use your strengths to help you out of your situation." "Strengths?..." he utters "But i have none. Do you not listen?" "Rabbit sighs patiently everyone has something, take that poor rock over their, it's no rock its turtle and his shell hides and protects him." "Then what do I have?" "I can't tell you what you have" says rabbit exasperated. "You must know what you have. You are a silly mouse" and with that rabbit hops off.

Later Mouse comes back to Owl and says "I accept your help to bring me home. How about tomorrow?" Owl accepts and the next day they meet. Owl holds little mouse in his claws and off they go till mouse sees his village and instructs owl to go down, but owl doesn't go down . Mouse cries pitifully. "Please let me see my village one last time if you are to eat me. Render me this promise you have made."

So Owl lowers down to the village when without warning cat jumps on his back. Mouse leaps away and says "I have no claws, beak or wings to defend me but I am cunning. I asked Cat to follow us and promised in return he would have something bigger to eat then myself." And off mouse ran into the night as both Cat and Owl sat mesmerized on how such a small mouse had fooled them and how quickly his tiny shape could disappear under the shadow of the evening.