One day, Piggy Roly, Lamb Curl, and Bunny Snowy were on their way home from school when they met Snowy’s mother.
Bunny Mom was holding a strange-looking thing in her hand.
Snowy asked, “Mom, what is that?”
Bunny Mom smiled and said, “This is a durian, the king of fruits! It’s delicious. Piggy and Lamb, why don’t you both come to our house and try it?”
Hearing this, the three little animals were excited. They had heard of durian before but had never seen or tasted it.
However, hiding behind a tree nearby, Big Bad Wolf Dot and Tiger King overheard Bunny Mom’s words.
The wolf said, “Big bro, did you hear that? There’s something tasty to eat!”
The tiger said, “Then what are we waiting for?”
They jumped out from behind the tree and blocked the way.
Seeing the tiger and the wolf, Bunny Mom and the little animals were so scared that their legs trembled.
Bunny Mom stammered, “Y-you… don’t do anything reckless! The elephant police are nearby. If you eat us, you won’t escape….”
The tiger scoffed, “Who said we want to eat you? Everyone calls durian the king of fruits, and I am the king of the forest. Only I deserve to eat it! Hand over the durian!”
Bunny Mom protested, “But… but that’s robbery!”
The tiger hesitated—if word got out that he resorted to robbery, where would his dignity as the king of the forest go?
So, he threw some money at Bunny Mom and said, “I’m paying, so it’s not robbery!”
Although Bunny Mom was unwilling, she had no choice but to leave the durian behind and hurry away with the little animals.
The tiger and the wolf surrounded the durian, looking at it curiously from all angles, unsure how to eat it.
Like the piggy, they had only heard of durian but had never seen or tasted it before.
The tiger frowned. “How do we eat this thing?”
The wolf guessed, “The shell looks tough. We probably have to crack it open first. Let’s go find a knife!”
The tiger snorted, “A knife? I’m the mighty Tiger King! I don’t need a knife!”
Before the wolf could stop him, the tiger slammed his paw down on the durian.
Smack!
The durian split open, but the tiger’s paw was now bleeding, and he howled in pain.
The wolf scolded, “Big bro, how could you be so careless? Didn’t you see the spikes all over it? But at least it’s open now.”
As the wolf pulled apart the fruit, a strong, pungent smell filled the air.
The tiger and the wolf nearly fainted from the stench.
They turned and ran as fast as they could, only stopping when they were far, far away.
Panting, the tiger fumed, “The rabbit tricked us! This durian is rotten! I wasted my money and got hurt for nothing!”
What the tiger and the wolf didn’t know was that, at that very moment, Bunny Mom and the little animals were happily enjoying the durian.
Bunny Mom chuckled, “I was worried that opening the durian would be difficult, but thanks to the tiger, it’s all done for us!”
Snowy exclaimed, “The shell is so hard and spiky, but the flesh inside is so soft and sweet!”
Lamb Curl added, “No wonder they call it the king of fruits—it’s amazing!”
Piggy Roly asked, “Auntie Bunny, if durian is so delicious, why did the tiger and the wolf say it smelled bad?”
Bunny Mom explained, “Well, some people think durian smells sweet and fragrant, but others find it stinky. It’s truly a unique fruit!”
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