The Hyena and the Funeral

The Hyena heard that a rich man had died and there would be a great funeral feast. He wanted to go, but he knew he was a despised animal. He disguised himself by covering his body in a beautiful cloth and walking on his hind legs. He arrived at the feast and, in a disguised, high-pitched voice, began to weep and wail louder than anyone else, pretending to be a grieving relative. The family of the deceased was so impressed by his apparent grief that they gave him the largest portion of the funeral meat. The Hyena took the meat and was about to sneak away when he saw the funeral dancers. Overcome by his wild nature, he could not resist. He dropped the meat and joined the dance, but his movements were clumsy and wild, and his voice was a horrible cackle. The beautiful cloth fell off, revealing his true, mangy form. The mourners, realizing they had been mocked, chased him away with sticks, and he got nothing. The story is a humorous tale that warns that greed and a disrespectful nature cannot be hidden for long, even at a solemn event.