The Elephant and the Bush Fowl's Nest

An Elephant was crashing through the forest when he came upon the nest of a mother Bush Fowl. "Out of my way, small thing!" the Elephant trumpeted. "I am the king of this forest, and I walk where I please." The mother Bush Fowl stood her ground. "You may be king," she chirped, "but my children are in this nest, and I will not move." The Elephant, amused by her courage, decided to humor her. "If you can perform a task that I cannot, I will spare your nest and never walk this path again." The Bush Fowl agreed. "The task is this," she said. "Let us see who can leap over this nest without touching a single twig." The Elephant went first. He took a great run and leaped, but his massive feet came down and crushed half the nest. Then it was the Bush Fowl's turn. She simply took a small hop from one side of the nest to the other, landing gently without disturbing anything. She had fulfilled the condition perfectly. The Elephant, humbled by the small bird's wisdom, acknowledged his defeat and turned to find a new path through the forest.