The Leopard and the Elephant's Dream

Leo the leopard was lounging in the tall grass when he spotted Ellie the baby elephant running by, kicking up dust.

"Hey, baby! Why are you in such a big hurry?" asked Leo, his tail twitching with curiosity.

Ellie paused, panting a little. "I had a dream! A super-duper good dream! In it, there was a mountain cliff, and it was full of the most delicious, leafy, yummy things to eat!" she explained, starting to run toward the tall mountain nearby.

"Whoa, hold on just a second," said Leo. "Tell you what, why don't you let me go first? I'm much faster, and I can check it out for us."

Leo sprinted ahead of Ellie and quickly reached the edge of the mountain cliff. He peered over. There was nothing there to eat—no yummy leaves, no delicious grass. Just a very steep drop.

"Phew!" Leo thought. If Ellie had run all the way here by herself, she would have tumbled right over the edge!

Leo trotted back to the baby elephant. "Ellie, listen to me," he said gently. "I went all the way up, and guess what? Your dream wasn't quite right. There's nothing to eat up there. Not all dreams come true in real life, especially if they put you in danger."

Ellie looked up at the cliff, then looked at Leo. Her ears drooped a little, but then she smiled. "You're right! Thank you, Leo, for checking and keeping me safe!"

Just then, Ellie's mother, a giant elephant named Mama Elara, arrived. She heard the whole story about Leo running ahead and stopping Ellie from going over the cliff.

Mama Elara nudged Leo gently with her trunk. "Thank you, wise leopard," she trumpeted kindly. "You saved my little one from a big trouble today."

Leo smiled, feeling proud. "Any time, Mama Elara. Let's find some real treats for Ellie, shall we?"

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