Once upon a time a tiger cub came to be.
He was as lovely as a little child.
And his mum and dad were proud as could be,
Not knowing what he'd grow up to be, wild.
And the tiger cub grew, he loved to play tricks,
And he was always ready to joke with his mates.
And so one day this young one decided to fix
A prank on his friend Leo—let's see what awaits.
He brought a big box and said, 'Mate, take this here!'
And Leo looked at it, then raised his head with care.
Leo got up, took it, opened it without fear, and cried out loud.
Inside was a cactus that pricked him, and Leo squealed right proud.
The tiger cub laughed, holding his belly tight, while Leo looked on sadly.
'Why'd you do that? It hurts me!' But his mate just laughed madly.
Leo put down the box and took the cactus away.
He walked off into the distance, hurt and dismayed.
The tiger cub stood up and saw the lion walking near the hill.
He ran after him, caught up, and stood before him still.
His mate had tears running down his cheeks, the cub could see.
He hugged the lion and said, 'Forgive me, I'm sorry, truly!'
From that day on the tiger cub became a different sort,
He still joked, but more kindly, as he ought.
He and Leo became such a mate,
And life became brighter—what a wonderful fate.
