The Pangolin and the Mountain Cat
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Once upon a time, there was a wild cat and a pangolin. They lived on top of the Dabajian Mountain. As the wild cat had a beautiful golden coat, he was very vain and arrogant and loved to pick on other small animals. The pangolin was good at burrowing, and he loved to eat ants. As he was good-tempered, the wild cat liked to pick on him the most.
One day, wild cat saw a pangolin taking a nap under a tree. He jumped onto the tree and shook it hard. Many leaves fell on top of the pangolin. Then, he stomped hard on the tree branches. The branches snapped, and the loud noise woke the pangolin. The pangolin got up and prepared to go somewhere else to take a nap. Suddenly, an ant nest fell from the tree. Pangolin was thrilled to see the nest. But as he prepared to feast on the ants, wild cat jumped down from the tree and kicked the nest into a clump of bushes. He told the pangolin, “You must thank me before you eat, because I was the one who knocked the ant nest from the tree.” Pangolin ignored the wild cat, and crawled slowly toward the bushes.
Wild cat was furious for being ignored, so, he set a fire around the bushes to teach the pangolin a lesson. The fire grew larger, and the billowing smoke made the wild cat cough. He thought to himself, “Surely, the pangolin will be roasted alive!” To his surprise, the pangolin emerged smiling from the fire. He told the wild cat, “Thank you so much! I was standing by some rocks and didn't get burned. I even saw a beautiful sight! Red flames against the white clouds and blue sky! It was so beautiful! Too bad you couldn't see it.” The wild cat opened his eyes in surprise and said, “Really? Are you serious? If the place near the rocks is safe from the fire, I must go in and see for myself.” The pangolin replied, “I am all right, am I not? You should go in while the fire is raging. There are also some of your favorite foods inside, like frogs and snakes, all deliciously roasted and crispy!”
The wild cat couldn't take it anymore and jumped straight into the fire. Suddenly, there was a loud yelp, and a grayish-black wild cat jumped out of the fire. The fire had burned away all of his golden fur. Thereafter, the wild cat started to hide and stopped being vain and arrogant.
