In a green valley stood tall date palms. A stream sparkled in the sun. A flock of doves flew over the valley, looking for food. At the front flew the Ring-Dove. She had a dark ring around her neck. She was wise, and everyone listened to her. A crow sat in a tree. She tilted her head. “I wonder where they’re going,” she thought.
Then the doves spotted grain under a tree. “Breakfast!” they cooed, and down they flew. Peck, peck, peck. Suddenly something fell from above. A net! A hunter had hidden it there. The doves flapped wildly. Each one pulled a different way. One pulled left, one pulled right, one pulled back. But the net held them all fast.
Then the Ring-Dove called out, “Together!” And she said, “If we all fly at the same time, we can lift the net.” “One, two, three!” Everyone beat their wings at once. Flap, flap, flap! The net rose up into the sky. The hunter ran after them. Soon he stopped, puffing and panting. Then he went home with empty hands. But the crow flew after the doves, very curious.
Together: Count together: One, two, three! Then shout out loud: Together!
The Ring-Dove led the others to a hill. Her friend lived there, Zirak the mouse. His home had a hundred doors. Zirak poked his head out of door number forty-seven. Right away he began to nibble the Ring-Dove’s knot. “No,” said the dove. “My friends first, then me.” “Why?” asked Zirak. “So that no one gets left behind,” said the Ring-Dove.
Nibble, nibble, nibble. One knot after another came undone. Last of all, the Ring-Dove was free too. The doves cooed happily. Just then the crow landed in front of Zirak’s door. “Will you be my friend?” Zirak hopped quickly back into his hole. “Crows eat mice!” “I promise you,” said the crow. “I won’t hurt you.” Very slowly, Zirak came back out. And from that day on, they were friends.
Together: Nibble along with Zirak: Nibble, nibble, nibble!
The crow carried Zirak to a quiet pond. Her friend the tortoise lived there. The three of them sat on the bank and talked. Suddenly a gazelle came running. Her heart was pounding. “A hunter is after me!” she gasped. “You’re safe here,” said the tortoise. “Have some water.” The gazelle stayed. Now there were four friends at the pond.
One evening the gazelle didn’t come back. The friends waited and waited. “I’ll go and look,” said the crow, and off she flew. Soon she found the gazelle. She was caught in a net and couldn’t get away. The crow fetched Zirak. “Together!” she called. Zirak nibbled fast. Nibble, nibble! The net split open, and the gazelle leaped out.
But the tortoise had set off too. She wanted to help. But she was slow, very slow. Tap … tap … tap. Just as she finally arrived, the hunter came back. He saw his empty net. Then he saw the tortoise. He picked her up and put her in his sack. The tortoise pulled in her head. Her friends watched from the grass.
Together: What do you think? How can the friends rescue the tortoise?
“Together!” whispered the gazelle. The friends made a plan. The gazelle limped along in front of the hunter, as if she were tired. The crow sat on her back, as if she were about to peck. The hunter put down his sack and ran toward the gazelle. Quick as a wink, Zirak nibbled a hole in the sack. The tortoise slid out. Splash! Into the pond she went. And the gazelle? Hop, and she was gone. The hunter scratched his head and went home.
Night came to the valley. The stars twinkled above the water. Under a tree by the pond, the friends rested. The Ring-Dove sat on a branch, with the crow beside her. Zirak snuggled up against the tortoise. The gazelle lay in the soft grass. “Together!” whispered the Ring-Dove. Everyone smiled. Then, one by one, they fell asleep.
