The Fairest of them all
 
An eagle once promised an owl in return for a favour, that he would never ever harm the owl’s chicks.
“But do you know what my chicks look like?” asked the mother owl doubtfully. “How can I be sure that you won’t mistake them for some other bird’s?”
“Well,” said the eagle. “Describe them to me, so that I can recognise them.”
“Actually, they cannot be mistaken for any other bird’s,” said the owl, her chest puffing up with pride. “They are soft, fluffy, and by far the prettiest young ones you could ever see.”
One evening, the eagle came upon a nest filled with screeching fledglings, their red mouths agape. He paused, then thought, “Surely these are not the owl’s chicks. She said they are very beautiful, but these chicks look hideous.” And he swooped down without a second thought and ate them all.
Returning to her nest, the mother owl found it empty save for a few bloodied feathers.
“How could the eagle have forgotten his promise?”she wailed. “I told him my chicks were the most beautiful in the world!”

Moral: Every mother thinks that her own children are the best.
(Adapted from a fable by the 17th-century French writer, Jean de la Fontaine)

Donkey who didn't help
 
A dog and a donkey were going to the market with their master. It was a very long walk across a mountainous path. At noon, the master ate the little food he had brought along, unloaded the donkey, and settled down under a tree for a nap. The donkey began to eat the grass growing there, but there was nothing for the dog to eat.
“There are some loaves among the load you were carrying,” said the dog to the donkey. “Let’s take one and share it between ourselves.”
“Wait till the master gets up!” said the donkey, tersely. “He’ll feed you then.”
Just then a ravenous wolf came into view.
“Help me, help me, dog!” pleaded the donkey, quavering in fear.
“I’m so hungry I don’t have the strength to do anything,” replied the dog. “Wait till the master gets up. He’ll certainly help you.”
—Jean de La Fontaine

 
Wrinkled Winner
 
A goat, an ass and a camel were walking down a road when they came upon a bundle of hay that had fallen from a cart.
“This hay looks delicious,” said the goat, “but it’s not enough for all three of us. Let the oldest among us have it.”
“Then it should go to me,” said the ass. “Do you know, I was in Delhi, when Nadir Shah entered it in triumph in 1739...that makes me at least 250 years old.”
“A child compared to me,” snorted the goat. “I was one of the animals that was driven from Delhi to Daulatabad when that madman, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq shifted his capital....”
They suddenly noticed that the camel was calmly nibbling at the straw.
“What are you doing!” shouted the goat.
“Why, didn’t you say the oldest should have it?” said the camel. “The two of you may be centuries old but look at me...look at my knobby joints and wrinkled skin.....could either of you be older than me?”
And before the other two could think of a reply, the camel picked up the bundle of hay and walked away.

The Fire Specialists
 
There was an enormous haystack near a village and several small animals had made their homes in it. Among these were a tortoise, a cobra, a mongoose and a jackal.
One day as these four were enjoying an afternoon chat, the other residents came running to them in a state of panic.
"Our haystack is on fire!" they screamed.
"A fire, is it?" said the tortoise. "Please stay calm. I know a hundred thousand ways of dealing with a fire."
"And I know a thousand ways," said the cobra, modestly.
"As for me, I know only a hundred," said the mongoose,"but they're all tried and trusted methods."
"And you, Sir," said the residents to the jackal. "How many do you know?"
"Only one," said the jackal, sniffing the smoke-laden air. "When the fire is this close there's only one thing to do: run!" And with that he jumped from the haystack and bounded away.
"Stupid creature," sneered the tortoise. "He ran away because he has not studied fire like I or my friends here have. Listen to the first method of escaping a fire..."
But he never got beyond that. A tongue of flame leapt out from the centre of the haystack and consumed him and his two knowledgeable friends. The other animals leapt from the haystack like they had seen the 'stupid' jackal do and ran for their lives.