In a big, green forest, where the trees whispered secrets to the wind, lived a very proud Tiger. He had stripy fur, sharp claws, and a ROAR that could shake the leaves off the trees. All the animals knew he was strong.

One sunny afternoon, the Tiger was feeling a bit peckish. As he padded softly through the bushes, he spotted a little Fox. "Aha!" thought the Tiger, "Lunch!"

With a mighty pounce, the Tiger landed right in front of the Fox. The Fox’s heart went thump-thump-thump! He was very scared, but he was also very clever.

"Wait, Mr. Tiger!" squeaked the Fox, trying to sound brave. "You can't eat me!"

The Tiger blinked. "And why not, little snack?" he rumbled.

"Because," said the Fox, puffing out his chest, "I have been chosen by the Great Spirit of the Mountain to be the King of all animals in this forest! If you eat me, you will make the Great Spirit very, very angry."

The Tiger looked surprised. "You? King?" He had never heard of such a thing.

"Yes, me!" said the Fox. "If you don't believe me, just walk behind me. You'll see how all the other animals are afraid of me."

The Tiger was curious. He was also a little bit worried about this Great Spirit. "Alright, little Fox," he said. "Show me."

So, the Fox started to walk proudly through the forest. And right behind him, very close, walked the big, stripy Tiger.

Soon, a little Rabbit munching on clover looked up. It saw the Fox, and then it saw the huge Tiger right behind him! "Eek!" squeaked the Rabbit, and it hopped away as fast as its legs could carry it.

Next, they passed a Deer drinking from a stream. The Deer saw the Fox, and then its eyes grew wide when it saw the Tiger. With a flick of its white tail, the Deer bounded off into the trees.

Even a family of Monkeys, chattering high up in a tree, saw the Fox and the Tiger. They stopped chattering, grabbed their babies, and scrambled even higher, peering down with frightened faces.

The Tiger watched all of this. He saw every animal run away. "My, my," he thought. "They really ARE scared of this little Fox! He must be the King after all."

The Tiger was so impressed (and still a little worried about the Great Spirit) that he bowed his head to the Fox. "I'm sorry, King Fox," he said. "I didn't know. You can go."

The clever Fox just nodded wisely, trying not to giggle. Then, he quickly scampered away before the Tiger could change his mind, leaving the Tiger wondering about the powerful little King of the Forest. The Tiger never guessed that the animals were not scared of the Fox at all, but of the mighty Tiger walking behind him!

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