Herd Mortality

There was once a herd of sheep grazing in a field near a cliff. They saw a group of dark figures heading toward them.

One sheep cried, "Monsters, Wolves!” As usual, the herd panicked, and being sheep, they ran in the opposite direction, toward the cliff. They reached the edge, stood there waiting for their inevitable demise. All of a sudden, the sheep heard a mighty roar in the distance. Frightened by the roar, dark figures retreated immediately.

As they rejoiced, a Tiger strolled casually toward the herd.

“You saved us?” asked the sheep.

“No, I did not save you. It was the Holy Tiger who lives in the moon."

The sheep began dancing around, all the while praising the Holy Tiger. They begged the Tiger to escort them to a nearby field, he agreed.

Next morning, the Tiger gathered the sheep together.

“Last night, the Holy Tiger appeared to me in a dream. He saved your lives, in return, he demands a sacrifice. We must go back to the cliff upon which you were liberated and offer three of your lives,”

The sheep were frightened but they were grateful to the Holy Tiger that they agreed. He led them to the cliff once more, and three sheep stepped forward.

Tiger - “Do not be afraid, you will go to be with the Holy Tiger forever.”

Tiger took the three sheep and led them to the edge of the cliff. The others watched while the Tiger began conducting the rite, preparing them for the sacrifice.

As they watched, a hungry pack of hyenas advanced toward them. The sheep were so busy praising the Holy Tiger that they didn’t notice. They flanked the group, and gobbled up the sheep one by one. The others were oblivious to what was going on, and the hyenas continued until there were none left.

Hyena Leader - “You were right. Sneaking in undetected proved to be much more fruitful than charging in and eating only the slowest. It was a great setup. How did you do it?”

“I told them they had been saved by the ‘Holy Tiger’. They were so thankful that they would do anything I told them to do.”

The pack broke into laughter at this, and the Tiger laughed heartily with them. “The oldest trick in the book. As we agreed, this entire domain is yours,” said the leader. “I hope we can do business again.”

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