The Antelope and the Woodpecker's Warning

An antelope, a woodpecker, and a tortoise became close friends in the forest, each contributing a different strength to their friendship — the antelope's speed to flee danger, the woodpecker's height and sharp eyes to spot it first, and the tortoise's patience and steady wisdom to plan around it.

One day, the woodpecker spotted a hunter setting a snare near their usual grazing spot and immediately warned the other two. They agreed on a plan: the antelope would deliberately spring the snare from a safe distance to reveal its exact location, and then all three would avoid that entire area for good.

But when the hunter returned to check his trap and found it sprung with no catch, he grew suspicious and stayed hidden nearby, eventually catching the antelope by surprise on a later visit. The woodpecker, spotting the danger just in time, flew ahead pretending to be caught in the hunter's hair to distract him, while the tortoise, arriving late, blocked the hunter's path just long enough for the antelope to break free and escape. All three survived only because each had trusted the others enough to play a part different from his own.