It happened a long time ago. In a beautiful, lush green forest, four friends lived together. One of them was a mouse, the second a crow, the third a deer, and the fourth a tortoise. Despite belonging to different species, they shared a deep bond of intimacy. The four of them were devoted to one another; they lived in perfect harmony, conversing freely and playing together. Within the forest lay a lake of crystal-clear water, where the tortoise made his home. Near the banks of this lake stood a large Jamun tree. The crow lived in his nest built upon this very tree. The mouse lived in a burrow dug into the ground beneath the tree, while the deer's abode lay nearby amidst the dense thickets. During the day, the tortoise would bask in the sand on the banks or take dips in the water. The other three friends would set out in search of food, wandering far and wide before returning at sunset. The four friends would then gather together—embracing one another, playing, and frolicking about with high spirits.
One evening, the mouse and the crow returned, but the deer did not. The three friends sat waiting anxiously for his return. They did not even feel like playing. With a voice choked with emotion, the tortoise spoke: "He usually returns even before the two of you do. I wonder what has happened today that he hasn't shown up yet. My heart is sinking with dread."
The mouse said in a worried tone: "Yes, this is indeed a serious matter. He must surely have fallen into some trouble. What shall we do now?" Looking upward, the crow opened his beak and said: "Friends, I would gladly fly over to the area where he usually goes to graze and check on him, but darkness has already begun to descend. I won't be able to see anything down below. We must wait until morning. As soon as dawn breaks, I will fly out, gather some news about him, and bring it back to you."
The tortoise nodded his head: "How can we possibly sleep tonight without knowing our friend's well-being? How can our hearts find any peace?" "I shall set off in that direction right now; my pace is quite slow, after all. You two can come along in the morning." The mouse spoke up, "I, too, cannot simply sit idly by. I will set off along with Brother Tortoise. Brother Crow, you should set out the moment dawn breaks."
And so, the tortoise and the mouse set off. The crow spent the entire night wide awake. As soon as dawn broke, the crow took flight, scanning his surroundings as he flew. Ahead, at a certain spot, he spotted the tortoise and the mouse making their way forward. The crow cawed loudly to signal to them that he had sighted them and was flying ahead to continue the search. Now, the crow began calling out to the deer as well: "Friend Deer, where are you? Call out to me, friend!"
Just then, he heard the sound of someone weeping. The voice sounded just like that of his friend, the deer. Flying in the direction of the sound, he arrived directly at the spot where the deer lay thrashing about, ensnared in a hunter's net. Weeping, the deer explained how a ruthless hunter had laid a trap there. Unfortunately, he had failed to spot the net and had become trapped. The deer sobbed, "The hunter must be on his way; he will capture me and take me away—consider my story finished. Friend Crow! Please convey my final farewells to the mouse and the tortoise as well."
The crow replied, "Friend, we will rescue you, even if it means risking our very lives." The deer expressed his despair, "But how could you possibly do that?" The crow flapped his wings and said, "Listen: I will carry my friend the mouse here on my back. With his sharp teeth, he will gnaw through the net." A ray of hope appeared before the deer. His eyes lit up with renewed spirit: "Then, my friend, bring Brother Mouse here at once!"
The crow took flight and swiftly reached the spot where the tortoise and the mouse had by now arrived. Without wasting a single moment, the crow announced, "Friends, our companion, the deer, is trapped in the net of a wicked hunter!" "Our friend's life is at stake! If we don't rescue him before the hunter arrives, he will surely perish." The tortoise stammered, "What must we do to save him? Tell us quickly!" The mouse, with his sharp intellect, instantly grasped the crow's signal. "Do not panic. Brother Crow, carry me upon your back and fly me over to the deer."
It did not take the mouse long to gnaw through the net and set the deer free. The moment he was liberated, the deer embraced his friends and, with a voice choked with emotion, expressed his gratitude. Just then, the tortoise also arrived at the scene and joined in the joyous celebration. The deer remarked, "My friend, you have arrived as well! I am truly fortunate to have found such loyal companions."
Overcome with emotion, the four friends began to dance for joy. Suddenly, the deer started and warned his companions, "Brothers, look! That cruel hunter is approaching. Hide yourselves immediately!" The mouse instantly scurried into a nearby burrow. The crow took flight and perched upon a high branch of a tree. With a single bound, the deer plunged into a nearby thicket and vanished from sight. However, the slow-moving tortoise had barely managed to take two steps when the hunter burst onto the scene. Upon seeing his net severed, he slapped his forehead in frustration. "What was caught in this net, and who has cut it open?" He was still glancing around, searching for tracks and clues to answer this question, when his eyes fell upon the tortoise slowly crawling away. His eyes lit up with delight. "Aha! Something is better than nothing! This tortoise will now serve as the meal for my family today."
With that, he scooped up the tortoise, dropped him into his sack, rolled up his net, and began to walk away. The crow immediately called out to the deer and the mouse, saying, "Friends! The hunter is carrying our friend, the tortoise, away in his sack!" The mouse replied, "We must rescue our friend. But how?"
This time, it was the deer who proposed a solution to the problem: "Friends, we must devise a clever stratagem." "I will limp right in front of the hunter. Seeing me limp, he will drop the sack containing the tortoise and chase after me in an attempt to catch me. I will lead him far away and then outwit him. In the meantime, Brother Mouse will gnaw through the sack and set the tortoise free. That's it."
The plan was sound. Upon seeing the limping deer, the hunter's face lit up with delight. He flung the sack aside and sprinted after the deer. Feigning a limp, the deer lured him toward the dense forest; then, bounding away at full speed, it vanished in a flash. The hunter was left grinding his teeth in frustration. Deciding to make do with the tortoise instead, he returned only to find the sack empty. It had a hole in it. With a crestfallen look and empty hands, the hunter headed home.