A hurt Lion banned all horned animals from his kingdom. A Hare saw his ears looked like horns in his shadow decided to leave, ending a long-term friendship.
Paranoia can change everything.
Aesop For Children (The Hare and His Ears)
The Lion had been badly hurt by the horns of a Goat, which he was eating. He was very angry to think that any animal that he chose for a meal, should be so brazen as to wear such dangerous things as horns to scratch him while he ate. So he commanded that all animals with horns should leave his domains within twenty-four hours.
The command struck terror among the beasts. All those who were so unfortunate as to have horns, began to pack up and move out. Even the Hare, who, as you know, has no horns and so had nothing to fear, passed a very restless night, dreaming awful dreams about the fearful Lion.
And when he came out of the warren in the early morning sunshine, and there saw the shadow cast by his long and pointed ears, a terrible fright seized him.
“Goodby, neighbor Cricket,” he called. “I’m off. He will certainly make out that my ears are horns, no matter what I say.”
Moral
Do not give your enemies the slightest reason to attack your reputation.
Your enemies will seize any excuse to attack you.
JBR Collection
The Lion being once badly hurt by the horns of a Goat, went into a great rage, and swore that every animal with horns should be banished from his kingdom. Goats, Bulls, Rams, Deer, and every living thing with horns had quickly to be off on pain of death. A Hare, seeing from his shadow how long his ears were, was in great fear lest they should be taken for horns. “Good-bye, my friend,” said he to a Cricket who, for many a long summer evening, had chirped to him where he lay dozing: “I must be off from here. My ears are too much like horns to allow me to be comfortable.” “Horns!” exclaimed the Cricket, “do you take me for a fool? You no more have horns than I have.” “Say what you please,” replied the Hare, “were my cars only half as long as they are, they would be quite long enough for any one to lay hold of who wished to make them out to be horns.”
