Hunter and Pigeons
There was a flock of pigoens which lived on a banyan tree. One day, the pigeons were flying in search of food. They saw plenty of grains strewn around on the ground. All of them came down on the ground to pick up grains. But it was a trap laid by a hunter. All the pigeons were trapped in the net which the hunter had spread on the ground.
Flying with Net
The pigeons were very sad and feeling dejected because they knew that their end was near. The leader of the pigeons asked them not to lose courage. He said that if all of them made a joint effort they would be able to fly away with the net. The leader was a wise pigeon and knew the power of unity. All the pigeons tried in unison and finally were able to fly along with the net. The hunter could do nothing but repent at seeing the pigeons flying away.
Help from Friend
After flying for a long time, they reached a place where an old friend of the pigeon king lived. It was a rat. The pigeon king called for his friend and then the rat came out of his hole. Once he understood the whole story, he called his folks. All the rats worked on the net and were able to cut it to set the pigeons free.
The moral of the story is, "Unity is strength and one should not lose hope and courage even in extreme difficulty."