A deer, a crow, a mouse, and a turtle were the best of friends. One day the deer was caught in a hunter's net and called out in fear.
At once the friends came to help. The sharp-toothed mouse gnawed through the net, the crow kept watch, and the deer leapt free. But the slow turtle, who had come to help, was caught by the hunter instead.
So the deer pretended to lie injured to distract the hunter, the crow flapped about, and as the man set down his catch, the mouse freed the turtle too. Together, all four escaped.