Bear The Protector

Once upon a time, in a bright green meadow, lived a clever cow named Clara. Clara loved munching on sweet grass and enjoying the quiet day. But this afternoon, the meadow wasn't quiet at all.

Out of the bushes stumbled a very strange-looking creature. It looked like a bear, but it was acting incredibly jumpy.

Clara stopped chewing, her big eyes going wide. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked.

The bear startled, his eyes popping out in surprise. He quickly tried to look professional, smoothing down his furry chest. "Oh! Um, hello! I am just checking whether you guys need my service," the bear said, puffing himself up.

Clara blinked. "What kind of service do you offer?"

"I protect cows from tigers!" the bear said with a confident thump of his paw. "I am the strongest, bravest bear around. I can fight them right out of your place! So... will you hire me?"

Even though he sounded brave, the bear looked very anxious, tapping his feet and waiting for an answer.

Clara looked past the bear. A few yards away, hanging from a low tree branch, was a long blanket with black and orange stripes. The farmer’s wife had washed it, and it was just hanging there to dry in the breeze. Clara smiled a secret, mischievous smile.

"Sure, you are hired!" Clara said cheerfully. "Start your job right away!"

She pointed her hoof directly at the striped blanket. "Look! A tiger is hiding right over there!"

The bear turned around. When he saw the stripes moving in the wind, his confidence evaporated into thin air. His jaw dropped, his eyes grew as big as saucers, and he let out a frantic squeak.

“T-T-TIGER?!” the bear gasped.

Before the "tiger" could even move an inch, the terrified protector spun around and flew from that place as fast as his legs could carry him, kicking up a cloud of dust!

Clara burst out laughing, her bell jingling loudly. "Good luck fighting the laundry!" she shouted happily, going right back to eating her sweet green grass.