The Hare's Bargain with the Lion and Hyena

The Hare, the Hyena, and the Lion were all hungry during a great drought. The Hare, being clever, found a hidden well that still had water. He went to the Lion and the Hyena and said, "I have found water, but it belongs to the spirits. To drink, we must give something of ourselves." He showed them a sharp stone. "The spirits demand we pare off a piece of our ear." The Hare pretended to cut his own ear, but he had already dipped it in berry juice to make it look like he was bleeding. The foolish Hyena and the proud Lion, not wanting to seem like cowards, each sliced off a piece of their own ear. The pain was great. While they were tending their wounds, the Hare drank his fill. The next day, the Hare said, "The spirits are still not satisfied. Now we must pull out one of our front teeth." Again, he faked it, while the Hyena and the Lion painfully pulled out a tooth. This continued, with the Hare demanding more and more sacrifices, until the Lion and Hyena were too weak and wounded to even walk to the well, leaving it all for the clever Hare who had not harmed himself at all.