This story takes place in a beautiful, dense forest. Right in the middle of this forest, there was a massive lake. On one side of the lake, a flock of flamingo birds lived together. On the other side, a pack of crocodiles lived as a group. Crols was the leader of that crocodile pack.
Flo was a newborn among these flamingo birds. However, from the very day Flo was born, her mother completely ignored her. Flo never received any love or affection from her mother. In fact, she didn't even get food. Flo was constantly wilting from hunger. Even when Flo's mother brought food, she would only feed Flo's older brother and give nothing to Flo. Flo only knew what that food smelled like, but she never actually got to eat it, leaving her fading away in hunger.
Crols had been observing all of this closely. Over time, Crols developed an inexplicable affection for Flo. She decided that, somehow, she had to reunite this little Flo with her mother.
Suddenly, Crols went with her crocodile pack and started attacking the flamingo birds. It was a great hunt for all the crocodiles because the attack was so sudden. But Crols approached Flo very gently. Flo was in a daze from severe hunger, completely unaware and unable to understand what was happening around her. Meanwhile, Flo's mother didn't care about her at all; she picked up Flo's older brother and flew away.
Seeing this, Crols could not bear it. Knowing that Flo was starving, Crols opened her mouth wide. Since Flo already knew what food smelled like, she began to pick out and eat the meat pieces stuck between Crols' teeth. Her intense hunger started to ease. Combined with her exhaustion from hunger, Flo fell fast asleep right inside Crols' mouth.
Seeing this, all the other crocodiles were highly astonished. They started talking among themselves:
"We had a great hunt today, and our bellies are completely full! But why is our leader keeping a tiny flamingo in her mouth? Instead of eating it, she is letting it eat and just watching. Maybe she is letting it eat well so it becomes plump and juicy, and plans to eat it later? Maybe it will taste better that way!"
Another crocodile chimed in, "Yeah, yeah! We can also catch flamingos, feed them well until they are plump, and then eat them... wait, before that, they will just fly away! Then how will you eat?"
"Oh, that's true, right? Flamingos will fly away. But we just can't understand what our leader is doing," they pondered.
Later, Crols reached the shore, and Flo was still fast asleep in Crols' mouth. After a little while, Flo woke up and felt hungry again. She completely finished eating all the meat pieces stuck in Crols' teeth. Even after that, her hunger was not satisfied. Understanding this, Crols called another crocodile over and told it to open its mouth. As soon as the smell of food came from that crocodile's mouth, Flo went to its mouth and started eating all the food stuck between its teeth.
After that, Crols spoke to her crocodile pack:
"This is Flo. Her mother showed no affection or love toward her, and didn't even give her food. Therefore, we are going to take care of this Flo. All of you must support this."
The crocodiles firmly replied, "Alright Leader, just as you said, we will also take care of Flo."
From that day on, the crocodile pack became Flo's family. They protected her, gave her food, and Flo began to grow quite plump and healthy.
However, as Flo grew bigger, her arrogance grew too. She started bossing around the other crocodiles.
"You must bring me food whenever I want," she demanded.
She was very strict, saying, "No matter when I ask, you must bring it."
After a while, whether she was hungry or not—even just for fun—she constantly troubled the crocodiles by making them fetch food for her.
Because of this, some crocodiles became very frustrated. They complained:
"We are the ones who fed and raised her. But now, she is bossing us around like this. All the time it's 'food, food', and she keeps making us work. We don't get a single moment of rest! She has grown so plump and big now, right? She can just fly away and search for her own food. Why is she troubling us like this?”
Sensing this friction growing among her pack, Crols called Flo over.
"Flo, you have grown well now. You can fly perfectly fine. You can search for your own food too. Therefore, you cannot stay here anymore. You may go to your own home. Go and join your own species. Search for food, search for relationships, and live happily," Crols said.
Hearing these words, Flo could not take it.
"I was with you all this time. You were the ones who gave me food and raised me. Now you are suddenly telling me to leave from here. How can I do that?" Flo asked.
"What you say is right, but we are the crocodile species, and you are the flamingo species. A species must live with its own kind. You need a relationship and a family of your own. For that to happen, it is right for you to separate and leave from here now. We are all going to be right here in this same forest anyway. We can meet whenever we want. So, you leave right now," Crols said firmly.
Hearing this, Flo froze. However, composing herself, she said, "You raised me all this time, you are my family. I will come and go here whenever I want. You must not stop that."
To this, Crols replied, "You can come and go whenever you want, but you cannot live here anymore, that's all."
Hearing that, Flo happily said goodbye to everyone and left the place.
However, the flamingo birds did not accept Flo as one of their own family. Everyone started isolating her and refused to talk to her. Whenever Flo came near, they flew away. This was very painful for Flo.
Then, one flamingo spoke up:
"You lived and grew up with crocodiles all this time, and suddenly you come to us? How can we trust you? How can we add you to our flock? Who knows, maybe you are planning to deceive us and turn us into food for those crocodiles!"
Hearing this, Flo could not bear the pain. She felt deeply sad and worried about everything happening there.
But what could she do?
Since she couldn't go back to Crols either, she started learning how to hunt. She began watching the other birds.
Soon, she attempted to hunt on her own.
Within a few days of trying, Flo caught a very big fish.
Carrying the big fish, Flo flew straight to Crols.
"Look, Crols! See how big of a fish I have hunted! Come, let's eat together," Flo said.
Hearing this, Crols said, "This is your first hunt. You should be the one to eat it."
"No, no. All of you are the ones who gave me food and raised me. Now, for the first time, I have searched and brought food. Therefore, we should all share and eat it," Flo insisted.
After that, Flo shared her fish with Crols and the other crocodiles, and they ate happily.
The flamingo birds who saw all of this only felt angry.
They started talking among themselves:
"She hunted such a big fish, but instead of giving it to us to share and eat, she took it to the crocodile pack and ate it with them. That means what that flamingo said before is absolutely right! She is just pretending to be friends with us to deceive us and turn us into prey for those crocodiles. She has planned this all along. If she had given this fish to us, she would have gained our friendship. But since she gave it to the crocodiles instead of us, her true nature is understood. We must be very careful from now on."
This gossip reached Flo's ears as well.
Hearing it, Flo could not tolerate it.
She went to the flamingo birds in anger and said:
"The ones who gave me food and raised me are that crocodile pack. If it weren't for them, I don't even know if I would be alive today. I shared my success with them; what is wrong with that? How can you even think that I would deceive you, take you there, and make you their food? I don't understand your thinking. You are my species. If danger comes to you, it comes to me too. How could I ever do such a thing? However, one day you will understand this truth. Until then, I will wait."
Flo said this, felt very sad, and came back to Crols crying. She explained everything that happened.
Hearing this, Crols comfortingly said, "Don't be sad about this. Because you grew up with us, it is natural for them to have this doubt. But it is our duty to clear this doubt. Wait for a few days. Surely, the right situation will come, and you will handle it perfectly."
Seeing Flo so sad and hurting, a few crocodiles said, "Flo is suffering a lot. Why don't we just let her stay with us permanently?”
"We cannot keep her like that. Flo needs a family of her own, have you forgotten that?" Crols asked.
"Oh yes, yes, we forgot," everyone became quiet.
Then a few crocodiles suggested, "Leader, why don't you go and talk to the flamingo flock yourself? Speak to them and ask them to accept Flo."
"Ah, the idea you suggest is right. I can go and talk to the flamingo flock, and they might even agree to accept her. But they will lay down a condition for that. If they do, what kind of condition do you think they will set? They will say, 'From now on, you must never hunt us.' Are you all okay with that condition?" Crols asked.
"Oh no! We cannot live without food! When we eat flamingos, they are so delicious, how can we miss out on that? Leader, please do not go for any peace talks, and do not say okay to any such conditions. We cannot tolerate the hunger!" the crocodiles started protesting.
"I know all about you. Therefore, be patient. We are not going to hold peace talks with anyone. But what needs to happen will happen on its own at the right time. Be patient," Crols concluded.
Then Crols reassured Flo, saying, "Be brave, everything will be alright," and sent her off. Flo also left.
Several days passed like this.
One early morning, the flamingo birds were gathered on one side, and the crocodiles were on the other side. Flo was searching for her own food in the lake.
Suddenly, a crocodile noticed a hyena lurking behind Flo, getting ready to attack her.
Immediately, that crocodile started wagging its tail violently to make a warning sound.
Sensing this, the other crocodiles also caught on and started making loud noises.
Understanding that this noise was a warning signal, Flo immediately took flight.
Only then did she realize that a hyena had been ready to attack her.
As she flew higher, she looked down and saw an entire pack of hyenas hiding here and there, waiting in ambush.
"Oh no! Danger has come to my species! I must save all the flamingos!" Flo thought.
She immediately started screaming out in alarm.
Hearing her warning cries, all the other flamingos alerted themselves and began flying up into the sky.
The hyenas, left with no food, were completely disappointed and turned back toward the forest.
While flying high in the air, all the flamingo birds looked at Flo with immense joy and gratitude.
They hugged and embraced her, saying:
"The crocodiles saved you, and you saved all of us! Today, you proved that you are truly one of us. All these days we misunderstood you, and we feel deeply sorry for that today. From now on, you are a part of our family."
Flo felt extremely happy.
Down below, the hyenas, frustrated at getting no food, glared angrily at the crocodiles as they walked back into the forest.
However, the leader of the hyena pack, Heena, looked at Crols, smiled, nodded her head knowingly, and walked away.
All the crocodiles witnessed this.
"We completely don't understand what is going on here!" saying this, all the crocodiles went to meet Crols.
At that time, Crols was looking up at the sky, feeling immensely happy seeing Flo flying joyfully with her flock.
The other crocodiles also watched that sight and felt happy.
One crocodile said, "Finally, Flo has joined her species," and everyone rejoiced.
Then another crocodile asked, "But Leader, the hyenas glared at us as they left, but their leader Heena looked at you, smiled, and nodded. What exactly is happening here?"
"Oh, it's nice to see you are noticing these small details," Crols remarked. "But if you noticed so much, how did the hyenas manage to go and hide in those spots bypassing all of us? Why did you fail to notice that?" Crols questioned.
"Oh Leader, honestly we didn't know! If we had known that the hyenas were sneaking past us to hide, would we have ever allowed it?" all the crocodiles started protesting.
"Alright, alright, everyone quiet down. All of this was my plan," Crols revealed.
"Your plan?!" they gasped.
"If the hyenas managed to hide bypassing all of you, did none of you think that it couldn't have happened without my help?" Crols asked.
"Oh wow! How did you achieve this? How did you manage to do this?" all the crocodiles bombarded her with questions.
Crols explained:
"I was constantly worried seeing Flo's miserable state. I also noticed that you all were worried about Flo too. While I was lost in these thoughts, Heena, the leader of the hyena pack, met me and inquired about what the problem was. I told her everything that happened. I explained that if I went to hold peace talks with the flamingo flock, they would set conditions, which is why I was staying quiet.
Hearing this, Heena said, 'Why should you go and negotiate with them? Tell me what you need, I am ready to help you. I have no conditions and no expectations, this is purely for our friendship.'
Right then, an idea struck me. According to that plan—since I already know exactly where you all stay and where you don't—I marked certain spots and told the hyenas to go and hide there. At the same time, I had told one hyena to specifically pretend to attack Flo. Everything happened today according to that plan."
"But Leader, having the hyenas there was fine, but why did you make a hyena attack Flo? You shouldn't have done that; Flo must have been so terrified, right?" a crocodile asked.
"It's true, she would have been terrified. But when danger comes to her, she must learn to protect herself. We cannot be by her side to support her all the time, can we? But today, I am incredibly proud of Flo for one thing. Today, she didn't just save herself; she saved her entire species too. That is why she got her family back," Crols said proudly.
"Yes, yes, Leader! Whatever you do will always be right," everyone agreed and rejoiced.
Flo lived happily on one side with her flock of flamingo birds. Seeing this, the crocodiles and Crols also lived happily.
Moral of the Story
From this story, we can learn three important things from Flo:
1. We should never take advantage of or trouble the people who support and stand by us. If we trouble them, we will only be left with their resentment.
2. No matter how much others isolate or hate us, we must remain patient.
3. When a danger arises, we should develop the mindset to save not just ourselves, but also the people around us.
Next, we learn from Crols:
• When the other crocodiles urged Crols to go and negotiate with the flamingos, Crols remained patient and refused to go. She stayed firm. As a leader, it was her duty to analyze whether they could fulfill the conditions that the flamingos might impose. She proved what a true leader's responsibility looks like.
Finally, we learn from Heena, the hyena leader:
• Helping others purely out of friendship, without any expectations or conditions, is the sign of the truest and most noble friendship.