How Man and Dog Became Friends

There they were – two little pups crying for their mother. She had just been killed by Deer. They sobbed so much and for so long that they got tired and lay down for a while. It was then that they decided to take revenge on Deer for killing their mother. Once they had decided what they were going to do, they felt better.

Soon, they realised they were too small to be able to catch Deer. So they went to Elephant to ask for help. He promised to do so.

But, when the pups started barking at every little sound they heard at night, Elephant got angry and asked the pups to leave his house. He was afraid that Tiger would come to know about his secret home.

The pups decided to go to Tiger for help. They thought if Elephant was afraid of Tiger, then surely the majestic animal would be able to help them take revenge on Deer.

Like Elephant, Tiger too felt sorry for the pups and promised them help. But, as usual, when the pups started barking at every sound in the night, Tiger got angry. He turned them out of his lair. He was afraid Man would come to know of his secret den.

Finally the pups went to Man. He gave them food to eat and a place to sleep. And, at night, when they barked, he was pleased. This meant they could guard his place. From that day, Man and Dog became good friends.

Soon the pups grew into strong dogs. Then they told Man about their wish to take revenge on Deer, who killed their mother. No problem, said Man, and took them for a Deer hunt. They spotted a deer and chased it. As the deer passed by, Man killed it with his spear.

The dogs came out wagging their tails. They were overjoyed. They went to the deer and bit its right leg. Since that day, the right leg of the hunted animal has always been kept aside for the tracking dog. That is what the Angami Nagas say.

357 words | 3 minutes
Readability: Grade 4 (9-10 year old children)
Based on Flesch–Kincaid readability scores

Filed under: folktales
Tags: #tigers

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