The Lion and the Mouse

Moral of the story: Even the strong sometimes need the friendship of the weak.

As the Lion sat on the hard, cold bench in his cell, he could not help but heave a heavy sigh of forlorn hope. He was normally a leader, confident and proud, but sitting alone in a prison could take it's toll on a lion!

Not a moment too soon, there was a familiar scurrying of feet on the floor, and the Lion looked up in time to see the Mouse arrive, in his typical ratty clothing, his maroon hat atop his head.

The Mouse curled a silver key in his long tail, sliding it into the lock, and twisting. A small click signaled that the gate was opened and the Mouse pushed his small paw against one of the metal bars, pushing the door to freedom ajar. The Lion could only stare in disbelief.

As the Lion watched, the Mouse lifted one paw and beckoned, his mouth curling into a smile. "You've saved my furry bum once before - did ya think I'd not save yours?" he asked in his somewhat squeaky voice. His smile was warm.

After just one moment of thought, the Lion felt his heart swell with gratitude and a large grin began to cover his face as he stood from the bench. He held out his paw, letting the Mouse jump into it and scurry up his arm to sit on his shoulder.

"I knew you would come in handy someday, partner," the Lion murmured as they left the jail cell and escaped from the terrible prison.

The two thieves ran off into the night, their laughter echoing through the empty streets, just as an alarm at the old jailhouse signaled an escape.

~

omahjesus long XD sorry about that, guys, and yes, i'm not a writer :33 but it's the best i could do

=KattoTang and i did this together for the anthro collab contest! i'm sorry for posting katto, i was just too excited xD

katto came up with the idea to modernize The Lion and the Mouse story and she came up with this, which is like... the best thing ever ;; i really love this whole idea and i absolutely loved the lineart

hope everyone likes it, too, i had a ton of fun coloring it! download for full size (beware the outside-the-lines coloring!)

lineart ©
coloring © me
contest here: [link]