In the dense Gir Forest of Gujarat, there lived a mighty lion. He was the king of the jungle. All the animals were afraid of him.

One afternoon, the lion was sleeping under a big banyan tree. A little mouse was scurrying nearby, looking for food. By accident, the mouse ran right across the lion’s nose!

The lion woke up with a roar! He caught the tiny mouse in his huge paw.

“How dare you disturb my sleep!” growled the lion. “I will eat you for this!”

“Please, O King!” cried the little mouse. “Please let me go! I am too small to be your meal. And one day, I promise, I will help you!”

The lion laughed loudly. “YOU? Help ME? That is the funniest thing I have ever heard!” But the lion was feeling generous that day. “Go,” he said. “You are too small to eat anyway.”

The mouse ran away quickly. “Thank you, King! You will not regret this!” he squeaked.

Many weeks later, the lion was walking through the forest when he got trapped in a hunter’s net! The net was strong. The lion roared and struggled, but he could not break free.

The little mouse heard the lion’s roars. He ran to help! With his tiny but sharp teeth, the mouse began to bite through the ropes of the net. He chewed and chewed.

Slowly, the ropes broke one by one. Finally, the lion was free!

“Thank you, little friend!” said the lion gratefully. “I was wrong to laugh at you. You saved my life!”

“Even the smallest friend can be the greatest help,” said the mouse with a smile.

From that day on, the lion and the mouse became the best of friends.