The Indigo Jackal

Once in a dense jungle, there lived a group of jackals. They usually survived by eating leftovers from the lions’ hunts. Among them was an old jackal. The younger jackals bullied him and never let him share the food.

Tired and hungry, the old jackal thought,
“If I stay here, I’ll starve. I must find food on my own.”

He left the jungle and wandered for days, but no one shared food with him. Wherever he went, animals chased him away.

One evening, desperate and weak, he crept into a nearby village. The moment he stepped onto the streets, a group of dogs spotted him and started barking. Terrified, the jackal ran. With dogs close behind, he jumped into the nearest open house and fell—splash!—into a large vat filled with a smelly blue liquid. It was indigo dye from the washerman’s workshop.

Soaked and stinking, he climbed out and peered outside. Strangely, the dogs had run away in fear. Confused but grateful, he slipped back into the forest.

At dawn, the jackal went to a waterhole for a drink. But as he approached, all the animals there scattered in fear. Surprised, he looked around—nothing seemed wrong.

When he bent to drink, he froze.
In the water, he saw a creature with bright blue fur staring back.
“What is that?!”
Then he realized: it was his own reflection.
The indigo dye had turned him into a strange, colorful creature.

A clever idea popped into his mind.

He stood tall and said,
“Don’t be afraid. I’m a special being sent by the gods to protect this forest.”

The animals, still trembling, believed him.
They bowed and made him their king.

From that day on, life was easy. He had no need to hunt or beg. The animals brought him food, cared for him, and followed his every word.

But pride made him lazy and careless.

One full moon night, he heard jackals in the distance howling at the sky. A deep longing stirred in his heart. He couldn’t resist.

“Awoooooo!”
He howled loudly, forgetting everything.

The forest animals were shocked.
“Did you hear that?” said the deer.
“That’s not a divine creature—that's a jackal!” cried the bear.

“He tricked us!”
“Let’s punish him!”

Furious, all the animals turned on the jackal. He tried to run, but they caught him and gave him a good beating.

From that day on, the jackal never lied again—and he certainly stayed far away from indigo dye.

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