
Once upon a time, deep in the jungle, there lived a tiger named Stripes. Stripes was very, very powerful, and he knew it! He wanted everyone else to know it too, but he didn't know how to be a good friend.
Wherever Stripes went, he just wanted to prove he was the strongest animal of all. He would stomp his paws and growl, starting arguments and unnecessary fights with other animals like the brave lions, the huge elephants, and the fuzzy bears.
Because Stripes was so mighty, the other animals often got hurt and suffered a lot in these fights. Stripes never lost, and soon, he became very haughty and boastful. He thought nothing could ever hurt him!
One sunny afternoon, Stripes went down to the river to drink some cool water. He dipped his head down, taking a big gulp.
Suddenly, he felt a strong, sneaky tug on his tail!
"Ouch!" cried Stripes. He whipped his head around and saw a huge, scaly, green crocodile lurking right behind him! The crocodile had big teeth and was trying to pull Stripes into the water for a snack! The tiger was struggling and crying out in pain and fear.
Just when it seemed like the crocodile might win, a shadow fell over the water. It was a giant, gray elephant! The elephant, whose name was Trunk, had heard Stripes' loud cries.
Trunk immediately stepped into the water. With a mighty splash and a powerful swing of his trunk, he picked up the mean old crocodile and tossed him far away onto the riverbank!
Stripes scrambled out of the water, shaking and wet. He looked at the kind elephant with wide eyes. He was safe, all thanks to the animal he had always tried to pick a fight with.
"Thank you, Trunk," whispered Stripes. He learned a big lesson that day: being powerful is not as important as being caring and kind. And sometimes, the animals you need most are the ones you treat the least well.
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