The Lion Providers
There was a time when the animals of the forest concluded that although the forest was bountiful, the manner in which each creature struggled to find food was chaotic and led to unpredictable results. There was also the matter of scarce food during times of cold or famine. And so they looked to the lions, those natural kings of the forest, to administrate the matter of feeding. With such abundance surrounding them, surely their leaders knew best how to provide!
And so the next day, the lions delivered grass to the snake, mice to the deer and acorns to the foxes.
“But this is not the food we like to eat!” protested the animals. To which the lions replied, “We are all in this together. If you eat the food provided, life will be better for every animal and there will be enough food for everyone. It is only the selfish who put their own welfare above the welfare of all.”
“But this is not our natural food!” cried the animals. To which the lions replied: “It is foolish to claim that the natural is necessarily good. Famine is natural, starvation is natural. Work through your discomfort to achieve a better world.”
And yet it escaped none of the animal’s notice that the lions had just dined on their preferred prey.
Medieval Bestiary, source unknown.