The Panther & the Villagers ~ Aesop Fable #76

A panther foolishly happened to fall into a pit. The villagers saw her there and some of them attacked her with sticks and pelted her with stones. There were others who felt sorry for the creature since she seemed sure to die even though she had not done any harm, so they brought her bread to keep up her strength. Night fell and everyone went home, knowing they would find the panther dead when the next day dawned. However, as soon as she regained her strength, the panther escaped with a mighty leap and hurried home to her den. A few days later she descended upon the village, slaughtering the sheep and even killing the shepherds as she laid waste to everything around her. Even the people who had shown mercy to the beast began to fear what lay in store for them and they begged the panther to spare their lives. The panther said, “I am well aware of who pelted me with stones and who gave me bread, so put aside your fears. I have returned as an enemy only to those who wanted to hurt me.”