The Dog and the Leopard's Spots

The Dog and the Leopard were once plain, sandy-colored animals. They were both great hunters, but the Dog was a better tracker. The Leopard was jealous. He went to a diviner and asked for a charm to make him a better hunter. The diviner gave him a pot of magical black paint. "Paint this on yourself in a pattern," the diviner said, "and it will give you the power of stealth." The Leopard painted beautiful spots all over his body and found that he could now hide perfectly in the dappled light of the forest, making him the most effective predator of all. He went to the Dog and boasted about his new power. The Dog, also wanting to be a better hunter, asked if he could use the paint. The Leopard, in his arrogance, agreed but then deliberately knocked the pot over, so that the Dog was only splashed with a few random patches and blotches of the magic paint. This is why the Leopard has a perfect, beautiful pattern that gives it great stealth, while many dogs have random patches of color, a reminder of the day the Leopard's jealousy prevented them from receiving the full gift.