The Hare Who Wanted Horns
Once upon a time, in the heart of a lush forest where cool waters flowed gently, there lived a lovely rabbit. Running like the wind on his nimble legs, this rabbit had won the love and the admiration of all the animals in the forest. Yet deep inside he looked with envy at the majestic horns that the stags, the rams and the splendid bulls carried on their heads. "Ah, if only I had such enormous horns, everyone would be in awe of me and would greet me like a king," he would say. Every night, before falling into his sweet sleep, he sank into deep daydreams, imagining sharp horns rising above his head. One day, unable to bear it any longer, he decided to go to the wise kingdom of the forest and carry his wish to the great lion, the Lord of the Forests. Coming before the sublime lion and bowing low, he begged, "O most just of kings, grant me sharp horns too, like those of the stags."
The wise lion listened in astonishment to this strange desire of the rabbit and reminded him that nature gives a separate gift to every living creature. "Brother rabbit, your strength lies in your speed and in your lightness; heavy horns will never suit your nature," he warned him. But when the ambitious rabbit would not give up his insistence, the wise lion accepted his wish so that it might be a lesson to him. With a magic touch, two sharp horns, hard, long and quite heavy, suddenly appeared on the rabbit's head. Wild with joy, the rabbit proudly began to run towards the depths of the forest and to display his horns to everyone. "Look, now I too am one of the strongest and most majestic creatures of the forest," he cried, boasting. But shortly afterwards the growl of a merciless wolf was suddenly heard from among the bushes, and the alarm bells rang.
The rabbit tried to flee in panic, but because of the heavy horns on his head he had lost his old, tremendous speed. As he passed among the dense trees, his huge horns caught on the ivy and on the thick branches and left him utterly helpless. In that hard moment of struggle he understood the value of his strong legs and of his quickness, and realized the great mistake he had made. With one thrust he freed his horns from the branches, barely managed to escape and ran without stopping back to the wise lion. Weeping, he asked for the horns to be taken back and, making peace with his own true being, he gave thanks for the perfect balance of nature. To be discontented with one's own qualities and to envy others deprives a person of the most precious treasures that he possesses. Throwing the helve after the hatchet.