The Frog Prince and the Tiger

Once upon a time, by a beautiful pond surrounded by lush greenery, there lived a cheerful little frog. Every sunny day, the little frog’s favorite pastime was to bask on a lily pad or leap into the clear water for a refreshing swim.

One day, the peace of the pond was disrupted. A massive tiger, with an empty stomach growling loudly, emerged from the forest. It was clear the tiger hadn’t eaten for days and was desperately searching for food.

The tiger's heavy footsteps and piercing gaze frightened all the small animals by the pond, and they quickly hid. All except the little frog, who remained seated on his lily pad, unaware of the danger. The frog had never seen a tiger before and had no idea what this enormous creature was.

The tiger approached the pond and growled deeply, “Who are you? Why aren’t you running away?”

The little frog blinked innocently and replied fearlessly, “I am the king of this pond, the Frog Prince! And who might you be?”

The tiger was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter. “You? A Frog Prince? Don’t be ridiculous! I am the king of the forest, the Tiger!”

The frog puffed out his chest and declared confidently, “You don’t believe me? Let’s have a contest to see who’s truly the greatest!”

Amused by the boldness of the tiny frog, the tiger agreed to the challenge.

“Let’s have a jumping contest,” suggested the frog. “Whoever jumps the farthest wins.”

The tiger thought this was an easy victory. He crouched low, then leapt powerfully, soaring across the pond to the other side. Unbeknownst to him, the clever little frog had bitten onto the tiger’s tail and was carried along for the ride.

When the tiger landed, he turned back and called, “Your turn, frog! Let’s see you jump!”

The frog let go of the tiger’s tail and hopped onto a nearby rock, laughing. “I’m already here! See? I’ve jumped farther than you!”

The tiger was shocked. He couldn’t understand how the little frog had outperformed him and began to feel nervous.

The frog then opened his mouth and spit out a few tiger hairs. “Ah, just some leftovers from the tiger I ate yesterday,” he said, pretending to be nonchalant.

Terrified, the tiger believed the frog’s claim and fled the pond in a panic. He ran so fast he didn’t look back, fearing the Frog Prince might chase after him.

Along the way, the tiger encountered a cunning fox. The fox noticed the tiger’s frantic state and asked, “What’s wrong, Tiger? Why are you running like that?”

Gasping for breath, the tiger replied, “Don’t ask! There’s a frog by the pond that calls itself the Frog Prince. It said it ate a tiger yesterday, and I almost became its snack!”

The fox chuckled. “You’ve been fooled! A frog can’t eat a tiger. Come on, let’s go back and teach that frog a lesson.”

The tiger hesitated. “But… what if the frog really is powerful?”

The fox puffed out his chest. “With me by your side, what’s there to fear?”

The tiger reluctantly agreed but voiced his concern. “What if you leave me behind?”

“Then we’ll tie our tails together,” the fox suggested. “That way, I won’t run off without you.”

Feeling slightly reassured, the tiger agreed, and they tied their tails together tightly before heading back to the pond.

When the frog saw the tiger and fox approaching, he chuckled to himself but kept a serious expression. Turning to the fox, he said, “Fox, I’ve been waiting! Didn’t I ask you to bring me a tiger for a snack? Why are you so late? Now, hand over the tiger—I’m starving!”

The tiger’s face turned pale. He was convinced the fox had conspired with the Frog Prince to serve him as a meal. Without a second thought, he bolted, dragging the fox behind him.

“Tiger! Stop! Untie our tails!” the fox shouted as he was pulled along.

But the tiger, too frightened to listen, kept running faster and faster. Eventually, the fox was dragged to his death.

From that day on, the tiger never dared to go near the pond again. Meanwhile, the clever little frog continued living a carefree life, occasionally entertaining his friends with the tale of how he outwitted the mighty tiger.