Ek dafa ka zikar hai ke ek chhoti si basti ke qareeb ek ghana jungle tha. Us jungle mai kai kisam ke janwar rehte the – sher, hiran, bandar, aur parinday. Unhi janwaron mai ek chhoti si family thi – paanch qaleel bakriyaan (goats) jo hamesha saath-saath charne jati thin.
Yeh bakriyaan bohot pyari aur masoom thin. Unke leader thi “Guriya”, sab se badi aur samajhdar bakri. Guriya hamesha
kehti, “Hum sab milkar rahenge to koi bhi shikar hamara kuch nahi bigaad sakta.”
Lekin jawan bakri “Chini” thodi ziddi thi. Usay lagta ke woh akeli bhi sab kuch kar sakti hai. Woh kehti,
> “Main chhoti hoon par tez hoon, mujhe kisi ke sahare ki zarurat nahi.”
Guriya muskura kar kehti,
> “Beta, jungle mai akelapan khatra hai. Ittihaad hi sab se bari taqat hai.”
Ek din sab bakriyaan jungle mai char rahi thin ke ek bhoooka bhediya (wolf) unhe door se dekh raha tha. Usay laga agar yeh sab mil kar chal rahi hain to mushkil hoga, lekin agar koi akeli mili to aasan shikar ho jaayega.
Bhediya chupke se unka peecha karne laga. Thodi dair baad, Chini ne alag raasta pakad liya kyunke usay laga wahan zyada hara chara hai. Baaki sab ne usay roka, par usne kaha,
> “Main jaldi wapas aa jaungi.”
Bhediya muskuraya – ab uska moka tha.
Jab Chini akeli char rahi thi, usne mehsoos kiya ke jungle bohot suna hai. Patton ki halki si khadbadahat sunai di… aur achanak, bhediya samne aa gaya!
Chini ghabra gayi. Usne bhaagna chaaha, par bhediya tez tha. Jab wo uske bilkul kareeb tha, usne zor se cheekha:
> “Bachao! Guriya! Bachao mujhe!”
Guriya ne door se uski awaz suni. Usne foran sab bakriyon ko ikattha kiya aur kaha,
> “Chalo, humein apni behan ko bachana hai!”
Sab ne mil kar dande uthaye aur zor se bhediye ki taraf daudiyaan. Bhediya unka jhund dekh kar darr gaya. Itne saare log ek saath dekh kar wo bhag gaya.
Chini ne sharm se sar jhuka liya. Guriya ne muskurate hue kaha,
> “Dekha beta, akelapan kamzori hai. Jab hum saath hote hain to koi humein hara nahi sakta.”
Us din ke baad, Chini ne kabhi akela charna pasand nahi kiya. Sab bakriyaan ab har din mil kar charne jati thin, aur unka dosti ka bandhan aur mazboot ho gaya.
Lekin kahani yahan khatam nahi hoti…
Jungle ke andar kuch aur bhediye unki ekta se jalan mehsoos kar rahe the. Unhone ek chalaki sochi — kis tarah in bakriyon ko phir se alag-alag kar diya jaaye…
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