Mother Tiger teaching little tiger skills
It was a sunny day. Mother Tiger took little tiger Tom out into the wild to teach him some skills. “I caught up with you!” Tom shouted, playfully patting the tip of his mother’s tail. Pat, pat, pat.
“All right, Tom,” his mother laughed, “we need to go practice catching fish. Watch closely, listen carefully, and follow my every step.”
Tom nodded excitedly.
They soon arrived at the riverbank. After their paws got used to the cool water, they started catching fish. “When the fish come, remember to stay very, very quiet. Catch them when they’re not paying attention!” Mother Tiger whispered to Tom.
Tom practiced for a while, but instead of catching the fish, he started playing with them, splashing the water noisily. Mother Tiger said, “All right, Tom, it’s time to go.”
Tom reluctantly followed his mother away from the riverbank, still wanting to play.
As he looked up, he saw his mother’s tail again and reached out to pat it playfully.
They walked a little further and came to a crooked tree. Mother Tiger said, “Climb up. Remember to use your paws alternately and don’t look down.”
So much fun! He effortlessly climbed up to a branch. Just then, a little bird flew around Tom. Seeing the bird at this height made Tom very excited.
He waved to greet the bird. As a result…
With a thud, he fell to the grassy ground. Fortunately, he hadn’t climbed very high, and there were plenty of grass and leaves below.
“Be careful, Tom!” his mother hurried over to make sure her little baby wasn’t hurt.
Not only did Tom not cry, but he also burst into laughter.
“All right, let’s go.” Mother Tiger brushed the grass off him and pulled him up.
Tom followed his mother, continuing to walk under the blazing sun.
They reached a cool spot on the edge of the forest, where there were piles of thick leaves.
“I’ll teach you something fun!” Mother Tiger said. “We’ll practice sneaking. Look, crouch low like this and stay completely still.” “Then—pounce!” Tom immediately got into position, and with a whoosh, he sprang out.
After learning how to sneak, Tom eagerly looked for targets to sneak up on.
He snuck up on a little ladybug.
Then he snuck up on a line of ants.
For a greater challenge… he snuck up on a beautiful butterfly fluttering about.
The butterfly was light and nimble, flitting into the forest.
Wherever the butterfly flew, Tom followed.
Before he knew it, Tom had left his mother’s sight.
The butterfly disappeared behind a tree deep in the forest.
Tom kept chasing it, completely absorbed.
He looked around, then looked up at the tree, and then down at its base, even running behind it to look.
The butterfly was gone.
Only then did Tom realize he had ventured deep into the forest.
The leaves were dense, blocking out the sky.
He couldn’t see his mother or hear her voice.
There were only the sounds of unknown insects and occasional bird calls.
Tom started to feel anxious.
He ran back and forth, his heart pounding. No matter which way he went, he couldn’t see his mother.
He called out repeatedly, but there was no response.
Tom was so worried he was about to cry.
What to do? What to do? Mom! Mom!
At his most despairing moment, Tom suddenly saw a little chameleon high on a branch, about to sneak up on a bird.
He thought, “If I climb up a tree, maybe I’ll see Mom!”
So, Tom found a crooked tree and carefully climbed up. This time, he focused on looking into the distance.
He didn’t look down, nor did he greet any birds.
He clung tightly to a high branch, inching his way up.
Until he could see a small river on the edge of the forest.
He quickly climbed down and ran toward the river.
He thought, if he could get back to the river, he would surely find his mother.
Along the way, Tom ignored the twinkling fireflies and the jumping frogs.
He ran nonstop toward the river.
Now he only thought about finding his mother.
The rustling leaves sounded as he passed by.
When he reached the river, it was nearly dark.
The quiet water shimmered.
But there was still no sign of his mother.
Tom finally broke into tears. He cried and cried, and after a while, he suddenly heard footsteps nearby.
He couldn’t be sure if it was his mother’s footsteps.
He only heard chaotic footsteps and saw increasingly shaking leaves not far away.
Tom remembered what his mother taught him about sneaking, quickly wiped his tears, tensed his whole body, and got into a sneaking position.
The sound grew louder, closer to Tom.
The nearby leaves shook more and more.
With a whoosh… Tom tensed up again and pounced toward the sound of the footsteps.
What would happen next?
“Tom—” a familiar, warm voice called out.
The pouncing Tom couldn’t stop; he collided directly into his mother’s arms.
The excitement of this moment was beyond everything.
Tom hugged his mother tightly, and she kept comforting him.
His mother’s embrace was so warm; Tom never wanted to let go again.
What happened next? Did the story end here?
It didn’t seem so.
The next morning, Tom woke up early.
“Mom, we need to practice catching fish!” He patted his mother’s tail, eager for her to take him to learn.
“This time, I’ll do exactly as you taught me!” Tom said as he and his mother headed to the river.
Tom watched his mother’s demonstration carefully, listened to every word she said, and tried to do each step well.
Although, he did occasionally get distracted…
For Tom, having experienced the unforgettable moment of getting lost, he surely understood the importance of staying focused and not being distracted. Tom’s story is also the story of all children, reflecting their nature.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
