The lion was very strong.
He was the king of all the other animals.
One day the lion met a monkey.
"Good morning, Your Majesty!
Your mane looks wonderful today," said the monkey.
"Of course!" agreed the lion.
Suddenly the monkey held his nose, "Oh my!"
"Is something wrong, little monkey?" asked the lion.
"Uh, no, no. Nothing, sir."
"Then why did you make such a face?
Tell me the truth!" the lion commanded.
"Well, uh," the monkey trembled.
"Your breath smells bad. That's all."
"My breath smells bad?
Is that all?" repeated the lion.
"Oh yes! Yes, that's it.
That's all!" said the monkey.
"Okay, then you will never smell it again!"
And the lion ate the monkey up.
The lion was still angry.
So he stopped a rabbit passing by.
"You there! Stop!
Come here and smell my breath," he ordered.
"Me? Oh yes, my king." The rabbit was scared.
When the lion breathed, she groaned, "Ohh!"
"Does it smell good or bad?" the lion asked.
The rabbit knew that the lion ate the monkey.
So she lied to the lion.
"Oh, my king, your breath smells wonderful."
"Is that so?
How wonderful does it smell?" he asked.
"Umm, uh, your breath smells fruity like an apple," said the rabbit.
"You are lying to me!" growled the lion.
So he ate the rabbit up too.
The fox saw all of this from behind a tree.
He was so terrified that he tried to run away.
"You, little fox," called the lion. "Stop there!"
"Ah . . . oh, yes, my king!" answered the fox.
"Come here and smell my breath," said the lion.
The poor little fox had no choice but to smell the lion's breath.
The lion breathed.
"How was it? Was it good or bad?"
"Umm . . . what should I tell him?" thought the fox.
The lion's breath smelled really bad.
The fox could not lie to him.
But he could not tell the lion what it was really like either.
"Why don't you say something?" the lion asked.
"Do you think my breath smells bad?"
"Oh, no, my king, I, I, uh," said the fox, thinking quickly.
"I have a cold.
Yes, I have a cold!
So my nose is very stuffy.
I cannot smell anything very well," he said.
"I can only guess that your breath smells good.
What do you think?" he asked.
"Ahh, hmm. Yes, I am sure it smells good," said the lion.
"Sure!" agreed the fox.
And the satisfied lion let the fox live.