Translation by Matt Martin (original from Truyện Cổ Tích Việt Nam, collated by Hà Kim Sinh, Nhà Xuất Bản Hải Phòng) ● Edited by Rose Arnold ● Illustrations by Max Cooper.
Tiger wandered the world, puffed up with vanity, declaring himself ‘Supreme Lord of Mountain and Forest’. He boasted of his sharp claws, his daggered fangs, bragging how easily they tore through even the toughest of hundred-year-old elephant hide. His strength, he gloated, could snatch the life from any creature. His growl shook the earth and shifted sky, crumbled stone, uprooted ancient trees, broke the necks of hawks, and snapped the wings of eagles.
But Tiger wasn’t exactly known for his upstanding character. Ferocious, cunning, eyeing every type of bird and beast as potential meals. The jungle animals avoided him, when he came near they’d run to safer ground. So Tiger wandered alone. He often felt the sting of sadness and would’ve loved some company.
The Cat walked through the forest with graceful deliberation, her steps as soft as lullabies, the occasional skip executed without a sound. Her crouches and preying pounces were agile and quick. Cat only hunted rats and raptors. Rats were rice, corn, and potato thieves, and spread diseases to man. And raptors lived on the flesh of other birds.
One day, while feeling gloomy, Tiger ran into Cat. He’d heard rumours of Cat’s skills in sorcery and her powerful martial arts. Tiger desperately wished to make his first friend and to learn from Cat.
Cat listened as Tiger told her his troubles and laid out his hopes to study under Cat’s coaching. She happily agreed to help. But Tiger couldn’t help noticing Cat’s tempting plumpness, her velvety fur, and ugly thoughts flashed to mind. Seizing a moment when Cat’s guard seemed lowered, he attacked. Cat lightly leaped aside. Her glower dazzled as she scolded.
“So wicked! You’ve just professed your friendship and already we’re back at mean trickery. Know this: you’ll never get a rise out of me. I’m countless times greater than you despite my smaller size. My legs look dainty but my kicks could crack your neck. You better watch yourself.”
Tiger realised he was no match for Cat. Not yet. He poured forth sugared explanations and apologies in an attempt to hide his shame. “I only wanted to see whether your martial arts were as good as I’d heard! Truthfully, I didn’t intend any ill will. My offer of friendship’s heartfelt.”
Cat stayed sombre, whiskers twitching. “In days gone by your deviousness and dishonesty were legendary. Your tongue’s always honeyed but your belly’s stuffed with schemes and conspiracies. If you want to be my friend, then swear: you’ll give up this talking one way and acting another.”
Tiger saw the gravity behind Cat’s moderate words. He didn’t dare any further disrespect. “C’mon, Cat! I want our friendship to last! I’ve told you everything—you know no one can live contently by themselves! I still have to swear like that for you to be satisfied?”
In fairness, Cat thought, Tiger did deserve some pity, alone from one year to the next. “Ok,” she said. “We can be friends. But you have to swear you’ll never mess around with me, never regard me as meat. Break your oath and the heavens will punish you.”
The lessons began with Cat enthusiastic to teach and Tiger keen to learn. But fundamental stupidity and baser instincts made Tiger a slow learner. After almost one month of training, Tiger had only managed a fuzzy grasp of a few basics. Cat wanted to help her friend reach real competency but all the study was making Tiger’s blood boil. “We’ve been doing this for an entire cycle of the moon already,” he said. “How could I not know enough to use yet?”
Cat was proficient in 36 martial arts and 18 branches of sorcery. She’d only taught Tiger some of the basics, and it was obvious he hadn’t perfected even those. She could tell he was frustrated. Cat answered with a smile:
“You’ve got the hang of a handful of things, sure, but you’re no expert. If you’re fed up with all this study though, the little you’ve learned should be enough to help you hunt. Practice daily and I’m sure you’ll improve. And when you want to resume our lessons, just come and find me.”
Tiger was ecstatic. The tiny fragments of knowledge he’d picked up pleased him no end. But something inside him gave way and he found himself staring at Cat’s inviting chubbiness once more, he found himself giving in to the urges. Tiger threw himself at his coach…but fell short. Cat was a blur as she unleashed a savage stomp on Tiger’s exposed neck and smoothly sprang up a nearby tree. She lashed out at him from its peak.
“You ugly thing. Lucky I never shared all of my magic and martial arts. A brute like you doesn’t deserve my friendship.”
Tiger, his sprained neck stabbing with pain, couldn’t raise his head, but tried his best to sound natural. “I was practicing what we just went over! How dare you disparage me like that, demean my character, while I’m keeping my word. C’mon now—teach me how you’re able to climb such a towering tree.”
Cat’s eyes flashed and flared. “Ha! You cheat your teachers and betray your friends. If I wasn’t so skilled and alert you would’ve made me your latest tasty morsel. Scram. Disappear. Go live your lonely life. Hang around here any longer and I’ll finish you off for good.”
With his aching head slumped and his tail between his legs, Tiger trudged away. His sluggish steps carried him deep into the forest. And ever since then, Tiger’s bent neck and bowed head, his face to the ground, have spoken of Cat’s fierce stomp. The ‘Lord of Mountain and Forest’ was deposed.
