Short Fable Story: Wild Tiger vs Big Elephant

Would a tiger or an elephant win a fight?

Day by day, month by month, year by year, wild life feel smaller. Temperature got higher. Forest shrink and green area become narrower. It was harder for animals and trees to live in. The forest was no longer peaceful. Some alpha animals fought for narrow territory.

Once day, not like another day, rain had been falling day by day. Trumpeting sound of big elephant and roaring of the tiger shocked another animals. Both of them were ready to fight.

“Hi, elephant! My forest is too small for bid creature like you. You take too much space in my limited forest. It’s my territory to hunt and live. I have no choice. I can’t share this forest with you. I am the only one strongest animal in this forest,” said the tiger.

“Hi, whiny tiger! I can’t live with monster like you. Your arrogance annoy and frighten the others. I have no choice, too. I should throw you away,” the elephant answered.

Elephant’s tusks were ready to gore while the tiger’s claws were ready to hit. Tiger sprang toward elephant. With his strong trunk, elephant smacked the tiger then throw him across distance. Tiger rolled on the ground. Then, tiger crouches low with his shoulders down to the ground. The tiger locked his eyes intensely on Elephant. His ears flatten against its head. His head is kept flat, aligning with the spine. He was ready to attack again.

A loud roaring, deep rumbling sound from the hill shocked them. All animals were screaming in fear when they saw rapid raging water the picked up heavy mud, rocks, and trees.

“Flash flood! Flash Flood!”

All animals were running in a rush with confusion and fear to escape danger. Rushing floodwater was sweeping the elephant and tiger away. They tried hard to swim. Elephant and tiger were swimming towards land.

Elephant was bigger and taller than tiger. He could walk on the flood zone bed although it was not easy for him to stand. Water stream was fast enough to force his balance. He saw that tiger was gasping while swimming was hard. Pale tiger’s face showed exhaustion.

“He needs help. I should help the weak one,” Elephant thought.

Elephant extended his trunk to reach tiger.

“Come on, get on my back,” said Elephant.

“But I am your enemy,” said Tiger in doubt.

“Forget it! We are in danger now. Safety comes first. We must survive,” said Elephant.

Then, tiger got on Elephant’s back. He was in resting position on Elephant’s back while the big animals was walking in the flood zone, carrying the tiger.

A flying green pigeon approached and said, “Come on, follow me and we’ll find the green land.”

They followed the green pigeon and then they saw the green forest.

“Welcome my friends!” said Orangutans, jumping up and down with excitement.

Elephant, Tiger and Green Pigeon arrived at riverbank. They hug each other. They felt safety and connection.

“We will live together.”

“Forests become smaller. Greedy people cut too many trees. They have cleared the land,” said Green Pigeon.

“Not enough food! Not enough forest! We will disappear. Human greed is slowly killing us. I don’t wanna be greedy like them. We should live together in this small forest. I will lose you. You will lose me,” said Tiger with sadness in his eyes.

“We will miss our togetherness. I don’t know how to tell people to stop their greed,” said Elephant.

Animals cannot speak human language. Human in greed cannot understand what animals need even if the need of harmony is everyone’s need.

The End

Written by YW Purnomosidhi, a man who loves fable story.