The Bonfire Chronicles

..."Please help us," launched the rabbit. "This Leopard wants to eat me. But I saved his life. I found him under that stone there. The stone was resting on his paws and he couldn't free them. He promised to give me a gift. So I wrestled all alone and managed to free them from the rock. But being dim-witted, he fast forgot his promise and now he wants to eat me." "That's not right," the old man tortoise said scolding. "Leopard, you are ungrateful. Let the rabbit go." The leopard opened...
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..."Please help us," launched the rabbit. "This Leopard wants to eat me. But I saved his life. I found him under that stone there. The stone was resting on his paws and he couldn't free them. He promised to give me a gift. So I wrestled all alone and managed to free them from the rock. But being dim-witted, he fast forgot his promise and now he wants to eat me." "That's not right," the old man tortoise said scolding. "Leopard, you are ungrateful. Let the rabbit go." The leopard opened his mouth. He showed the old man his long, sharp canine teeth. "No," he said. "I won't let her go. Don't try to stop me, old man, or I'll eat you too. But as of now, a bird in hand ..." The old man tortoise looked frightened. "Please don't eat me," he said. "Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps you are right after all. I can't decide yet. First I must see the how a small rabbit did move that gigantic stone. I must understand everything. What happened exactly?" "Oh, that's calm enough," the leopard said. "Come with me. I'll show you." So the tortoise moved closer to the boulder with the leopard and the rabbit. "What were you doing?" he asked the leopard. "I was hunting a ground squirrel," the leopard narrated. "but, it ran into its hole, so while I was mining it out. That rock fell on to my paws." "Which rock?" said the tortoise. "This one," answered the Leopard. "And where were you?" asked the tortoise again. "I was here," the leopard said, as he lay prostrate on the ground to demonstrate the position he was found in by the rabbit. The tortoise looked at the rabbit and weighing it with his eyes...