The Eagle and the Mouse

29 The Eagle and the Mouse The young eagle was the only one in his family that had not flown. Every day, he looked down at the valley far below and thought, “ I will never be able to fly. " His mother was willing to let him stay in the nest, but his father felt that it was time for the young bird to leave. But it seemed that the young eagle was not interested in being an eagle. In fact, although his kind loved to eat small mice and rabbits, this young eagle had a small mouse who was his friend. Every day, they would play in the secret caves in the high cliffs where they lived. One day, as they played and jumped, they realized they were being watched. They turned around, and it was the eagle's father staring at them, his eagle eyes glaring with anger. " You are the reason why my son is a mouse, not an eagle! " he said, angrily.

He jumped towards the mouse, his sharp claws ready to catch him. But the mouse leaped out of the little cave. Suddenly, they heard a scream. The mouse had jumped too far and fallen over the cliff to his certain death. The little eagle knew what he had to do. He leapt into the air and out over the cliff. He began to fall, thousands of metres to the valley below. His eagle eyes saw his little friend. He did what he saw his father do many times. He straightened his body like a bullet and he started to go faster. The ground was rushing towards him, but he did not stop. With only a few feet to go, he grabbed the mouse by the tail and landed safely. The father landed a second later and said to the little mouse, “ Your friendship was the reason my son learned to fly. You can live by our nest and never fear any bird again. " Then, the mouse climbed onto the young eagle's back and off they went to explore the world together. Friends forever- the eagle and the mouse.