Four Friends and the Hunter

A deer, a crow, a turtle, and a mouse lived near a lake and had become the closest of friends, each helping the others whenever trouble came.

One day the deer wandered into a hunter's snare. The crow spotted it first and flew to fetch the mouse, who gnawed through the ropes strand by strand while the crow kept watch for the hunter's return. They freed the deer just in time — but the slow-moving turtle, who had come along to help, was too late to flee and was captured instead.

The deer had an idea. He limped in plain view near the hunter, playing wounded, and led him on a long chase deep into the forest. While the hunter was distracted, the mouse gnawed the turtle's cage open, and the whole group was reunited safely, the hunter left far behind and empty-handed.