Deep in a big, green forest, where the trees whispered secrets to the wind, lived a very old lion. He wasn't as spry as he used to be. Chasing speedy zebras? Too much work! Catching quick monkeys? Nope, too tricky!

So, this old lion had an idea. A sneaky, clever idea. He decided to pretend he was very, very sick. "Oh, my poor old bones!" he'd groan, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm so weak, I can barely lift my paw!"

He sent out a message: "Come visit your poor, sick king in his cave. Bring me some cheer!"

One by one, kind animals heard his sad moans. A fluffy rabbit hopped in. A chatty squirrel scampered in. Even a slow, steady tortoise plodded in. And guess what? None of them ever came out.

Now, a graceful deer with big, watchful eyes also heard the lion's groans. She thought, "Hmm, the king is sick? I should go see him."

As she got closer to the lion's dark cave, she looked carefully at the soft dirt around the entrance. She saw lots and lots of footprints. Rabbit prints, squirrel prints, tortoise prints... all going INTO the cave.

But then she looked even closer. "Wait a minute," she whispered to herself. "I see many footprints going in, but I don't see any footprints coming out!"

The deer took a step back. Then another.

From inside the cave, the lion called out in a weak voice, "Oh, dear Deer, is that you? Come in, come in! Tell me some happy news."

The deer stayed right where she was. "Thank you, King Lion," she called back, "but I think I'll stay out here. I see many tracks leading into your home, but none leading out. I hope you feel better soon!"

The old lion grumbled. His sneaky plan hadn't worked on this clever deer. And the wise deer trotted away, happy to be safe and sound, because she knew it's always smart to look for signs before you leap!

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