The King and the Deer

There was once a king who very much enjoyed hunting. He spent many days in the forests and wilderness of his kingdom. On one occasion, he spotted a particularly large and beautiful deer. His heart was dead set on conquering the creature and mounting its incredible head in his dining hall. The king raced after the deer, urging his horse faster and faster beyond his companions and guards. At the last possible moment, the king saw a chasm ahead and yanked the reins. He and his horse skidded to a halt just before falling over the cliff. The deer had not been so lucky and laid at the bottom, still alive but gravely injured.

The king looked down at the creature he had been determined to kill, and his heart broke. He could clearly see the pain and fear in its eyes, even from far away. He could not kill the animal now that it had been wounded. It wouldn’t be proper sport since he had an unfair advantage. But, he also couldn’t leave the animal to die there. So, he called for his men who had lagged behind. Together, they climbed down into the ravine and pulled the deer out. It had a few gashes on its body and a broken leg or two, but it would live. The king had the deer brought back to his palace where it was cared for by the gentlest hands and watched over by the king himself.

Each day, the king would sit and read under a tree in the gardens where the deer was kept. Over time, the deer became more trusting and would approach the king and sit beside him. It seemed that they were both content to have the company of one another. Sometimes the king would quietly read aloud from his book and the deer’s ear would perk up and point in his direction.

Eventually, the deer was well enough to return to the wild and the king said his goodbyes and shed a tear. The next day, he did not know what to do with himself after lunchtime. For months, he had spent this time with the healing deer, reading. So, he took a book to sit under the tree alone. Moments later, he heard leaves rustling and looked up to find the deer waiting outside the gates of the garden. The king opened the gate and his deer friend sat beside him while he read. And when he was done, the deer returned to the forest. The two continued this routine for years until the deer was old and slow. Then, one day, the deer took a nap beside the reading king, but did not ever wake. The king had the deer buried beneath the tree where they'd spent so much time together. He continued long after that to read beside the deer's grave. The king never hunted an animal again, because he could not bring himself to hurt another creature after seeing the life and personality present in his deer friend.

Author's Note:

In the original story, a king is hunting a deer and they come upon a chasm. The deer is able to jump over the rift, but the king falls in and is injured. The deer climbs down and helps the king out. The king, of course, is very thankful and offers the deer anything he wants. The deer asks that neither the king nor his subjects hunt in the forest any longer. He agrees to this request and everyone lives happily ever after.

I wanted to switch the roles here so that the king saves the deer. I incorporated the reading to the deer to show the trust and relationship between the man and deer without the deer having to talk. I wanted this to be slightly more realistic than the original. I was hoping the king and deer could grow old together, but apparently the deer lifespan is not that long :( I did keep the concept of the king ending the hunting, but I wanted it to be his own decision and not something he owed or did as a favor. I'm considering mentioning the deer's offspring coming to the gardens as well so that the legacy might be carried on. Let me know if this is cheesy or if it makes the ending a little less bittersweet.

Bibliography:

"The Sarabha" from Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat

Image Information:

Forest, Source: Pexels

Deer, Source: Pixabay