Why the Cat Kills the Chicken

In a village, a Cat and a Hen lived as neighbours. A kite (a bird of prey) was stealing the Hen's chicks one by one. The Hen was distraught. The Cat, who was a skillful hunter, saw her sorrow and said, "For a price, I will protect your children." The Hen asked the price. "You must give me one of your chicks as payment when they are grown," said the Cat. The Hen tearfully agreed. The next time the kite attacked, the Cat leaped into the air and fought it off, saving the remaining chicks. The chicks grew up strong under the Cat's protection. When the time came for payment, the Hen did not want to give up any of her children. "I have changed my mind," she told the Cat. "It was your duty as a neighbour to help." The Cat was furious at the broken promise. "A debt is a debt," the Cat declared. "If you will not give me what is mine, I will take it." From that day forward, the Cat, who had once been the protector, became the predator, hunting the chickens to collect on the ancient, unpaid debt.