What’s something you believe everyone should know.
A Bengal fox roamed about in a forest situated along the Himalayan foothills. Something felt and smelt different, there was a silence in the jungle but not the fearful kind it was used to.
The fox saw a red panda running on the branch of a tree.
“What seems to be the reason behind the silence?” asked the fox
The red panda stopped and looked down and then spoke, “A human, a violent one, like the ones that carry swords and ride on horses.”
“Only one?”
“Yes, one. Now, I must leave. It is never a good idea to be near them,” said the red panda before running off the branch and leaping towards another.
The fox straightened its ears and moved ahead with curiosity; it had caught the distinct scent.
It found what it was out looking for after walking some distance and from a safe hiding spot it saw the man in a clearing. The man was asleep, he wore padded garments and a round shield lay beside him along with a curved sword. The blood-soaked pieces of cloth indicated injury. Nearby on the ground was a lifeless body of a Himalayan wolf, the mark on its body was clearly made by the sword.
The man woke up to find the fox sitting in the front at a safe distance. He quickly got up and picked up the sword and fell down.
‘That is quite an injury it has on its leg. It was lucky that the poor wolf was old or he would have torn this human to shreds,’ thought the fox
The man slowly placed his back against the bark of a tree, but didn’t let go of the sword.
The man looked at the fox and spoke, “Don’t even think of attacking or this sword will be your end”. Then the man pointed to the body of the wolf to make the fox understand what he just said.
‘It feels threatened from me? That’s odd,’ thought the fox
The man continued to speak, “My target is a tiger and not you. The head of a tiger will get me the glory and respect I once had.”
‘So, this one wants to kill a tiger for some form of glory he has lost,’ thought the fox and laughed, ‘it will be fun to watch.’
The fox got up and left so that the man could be at ease.
Another day of rest and the man was ready for his journey ahead. He limped but his face showed determination. The fox quietly followed from behind.
The man walked till the afternoon and rested and then he walked for some time more before ending his day. He had failed to find any signs of a tiger.
‘It has no idea how to find a tiger, it might take a long time before he comes across one,’ thought the fox
The next morning the man woke late and ate some of the fruits he had brought. Suddenly the fox appeared and gave a high-pitched bark.
The man became startled and at once reached for his sword. The fox disappeared behind the trees but not before stopping and giving a brief glance to the man.
‘That ought to do it,’ thought the fox, ‘as intelligent as they may be, most of them leap to conclusion even at the slightest illusion of certainty.’
The fox was right, the man decided to continue his find in the direction the fox went. He had taken the strange behaviour of the fox to be a sign to where he should go. Thus, the limping man hurried and when the Sun was in the southeastern part of the sky, the man reached a stream of water.
He was rejoiced for two reasons, first for finding drinkable water and secondly there were marks of paws nearby.
“Found it! So, this is where you come,” the man screamed in rejoice. He drank water and washed his hands and face and cleaned his wound. Then he found a place to sit with his sword in one hand and the shield in another.
Meanwhile the fox watched on from behind a tree. The red panda appeared on one of its branches.
“Looks like the human is preparing to fight someone,” said the red panda
“I thought you had decided to keep distance,” said the fox
“I followed your sound this morning, then I followed you while you followed the human,” said the red panda
“The human wants to kill a tiger,” said the fox
The red panda was startled, “I have heard of them doing so in groups, but alone? Can it really do it?”
“It believes it can”
“.. and so, you led him straight here”
“Stay quiet and watch, we might learn something about them,” said the fox
Thus waited, the three of them and in the late afternoon the sound of the golden langurs could be heard nearby.
“The tiger is coming,” said the read panda in a low shivering voice
“Yes, it is coming,” said the fox with all senses in its body telling it to run away.
The man had caught on to the indication as well and he stood up brave and determined and whispered a little prayer.
The tiger had stopped its approach upon sensing the presence of the man and it would not have moved out if it was not for a musk deer that appeared. The tiger had failed to secure a hunt earlier that day and this might be the moment.
The tiger leapt out at full speed towards the deer and the man ran towards the tiger with his sword high, screaming at the highest pitch of his voice. The fox and the red panda watched with their eyes wide to see what would happen next. The man did believe he could do it and the fox wanted to see if truly something would happen different from the obvious.
Everything fell silent rather very quickly. The fox had observed the man believing in his own victory till the last moment before the tiger got hold of him.
“I don’t think it got time to feel the full extent of the fear that followed the end of its belief against the very obvious,” the fox said while the red panda remained silent.
Written by Anuran Chatterji
Early Morning Memories 
2 responses to “Crumbling Belief”
Wow. This is a really cool article. I’m a fan. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you so much
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