The mountains in the northern part of Persia were rampant with large brown bears who roamed the vast region and hardly ever had to defend themselves against any predators. There was, however, one extraordinary beast that the locals had never set eyes upon called a dragon, which could easily kill and devour the bears.
A hunter from the central part of the country went to the mountains in the north in search of prey, but he knew nothing about the legendary dragon. As he pitched his tent and prepared a fire to keep himself warm overnight, he hummed his favourite melody, excited about his anticipated morning hunt. All of a sudden, he heard the excruciating cry of a beast and the piercing roar of some other creature that he had never heard before. His curiosity was aroused, and he picked up his bow and arrow and swiftly but carefully approached the scene of the fight.
Right there before him was the elusive dragon with fire coming out of his mouth as he flashed his huge sharp teeth at an enormous bear, the latter standing on his hind legs preparing for the imminent fight. The hunter wasted no time, aiming straight between the dragon’s eyes and shooting him on the spot. Down fell the dragon with the most hideous sound thundering from his fiery mouth. The bear, looking upon the scene in disbelief, was stunned. He turned to the hunter and gazed at him for a while before lowering himself onto all fours and slowly swaggering over to him.
At first, the hunter was alarmed that the bear might attack him, but his fears were eased as the huge animal sat before his savior’s feet, resting his head on his paws. It seemed to the hunter that the animal was demonstrating gratitude in his own way, and he was relieved. As he turned around to walk back to his tent, the bear got up and quietly began to follow him.
From that day on, the bear never left the hunter’s side, and the hunter gradually became accustomed to his presence. The two became odd companions, much to the surprise of everyone who saw them together. Often, people would warn the hunter that to befriend an ignorant beast was dangerous, even worse than making friends with a human enemy. The hunter, though, never heeded their advice, believing that his advisers were all jealous of his friendship with the glorious bear. Soon, everyone stopped giving him advice, leaving the hunter to his own devices.
One glorious morning, the huntsman decided to take advantage of the good weather and go hunting. The two companions traversed a variety of mountain paths in search of a worthy prey, but they were unlucky and still empty-handed after many hours of aimless pursuit. The hunter grew weary and decided to take a short nap in the shade of a tree. The bear had learned to obediently sit by his side and guard him and his bows and arrows until he awoke.
As the hunter slept deeply, dreaming of beautiful long summer days, a fly began to circle above his head, buzzing noisily. The hunter waved at the fly in his sleep, tossing and turning, but the fly would not relent.
The bear, whose one and only aim in life had become the constant care of his master-companion, could not succeed in waving off the fly either, and he became frustrated and impatient. They fly’s incessant buzzing would not quiet down, adding to the bear’s exasperation. In one great swoop the bear finally picked up the nearest rock that he could hold in his front paws and, as the fly alit on the hunter’s forehead, slammed it onto the insect, crushing the hunter’s skull along with the fly in one swift motion.
Such is the result of keeping company with the ignorant, albeit with the best of intentions.
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