Loin and mice

In the year 3098, the Earth had changed. Forests glowed with bioluminescent trees, and animals had evolved with the help of nature-infused technology. Deep in the heart of the Techno-Forest, a proud and powerful lion named Lior ruled as the guardian of balance. His mane shimmered with gold, enhanced by energy flowing through his veins—he was a blend of beast and bio-machine.

Lior was respected, even feared, by many. He was a protector of peace, but also known for his short temper. The smaller animals of the forest kept their distance—especially the colony of mice who lived underground, beneath the roots of the glowing moss trees.

The mice were inventors. Tiny but brilliant, they built gadgets from scrap tech left behind by old human cities. Among them was Mina, the cleverest mouse of them all, who once dreamed of being more than just a tinkerer in the dark.

One warm, violet-sky evening, the mice were testing a miniature drone just above the surface. The drone zapped and zipped, circling the trees in a whirl of lights—until it zipped a little too close to the mighty Lior, who was resting beneath the moon-bark tree.

Startled, the lion roared and pounced, catching one of the mice, Pip, under his huge, glowing paw.

“Who dares disturb my rest?” Lior growled, eyes like molten gold.

Mina and the others froze. Pip trembled. “P-please, noble guardian,” he squeaked. “We didn’t mean any harm! Let me go, and one day, we promise—we’ll help you if you’re ever in trouble!”

Lior blinked. Then laughed—a deep, booming sound. “Help me? You’re barely a snack.”

But something in Pip’s tiny voice stirred a flicker of curiosity in Lior. He let the mouse go and returned to his rest.

Days passed. Then weeks.

One stormy morning, the Techno-Forest shook. Traps had been laid by human scavengers—still trying to capture the tech-animals for profit. Lior, while patrolling, stepped right into a massive energy snare. In a flash, coils of blue electricity wrapped around him. His strength meant nothing here. His energy was being drained, his roars silenced by the hum of the trap.

Animals scattered, watching from afar, helpless.

But not Mina.

She saw the distress signal pulse from Lior’s collar. She remembered the promise. Without hesitation, she grabbed her gear—a cutting laser, a scanner, and her team.

“This is it,” she said. “We’re saving the king.”

The mice zipped through tunnels, popped out beneath Lior, and studied the trap.

“It’s draining his energy at 10% per minute,” Mina muttered. “We don’t have long.”

Working quickly, the mice split up. One hacked into the base unit of the trap, another ran interference with the sensors. Mina climbed the lion’s paw and used her laser to cut at the bindings without harming him.

Lior watched with wide eyes as the same creatures he mocked now worked furiously to free him. He could barely speak, but he managed a soft growl. “Why… why would you help me?”

Pip, working nearby, looked up. “Because you gave us a chance when you could’ve crushed us. And we always keep our promises.”

With one final spark and a triumphant beep, the trap released.

Lior collapsed, breathing hard. The mice scattered, pulling him free, then quickly recharged his core with a mini-power cell they had modified just for this moment.

The next day, under the rising twin suns, Lior stood tall once more. He looked down at the mice with newfound respect.

“You have not only saved me,” he said, his voice full of awe, “but reminded me that courage and kindness come in all sizes.”

From that day on, Lior named the mice his official Tech Council. The great lion and the tiny inventors worked together to keep peace in the Techno-Forest, proving that even the smallest creatures can change the world—one act of kindness at a time.

Moral: Even the mighty may one day need the help of the small. Never underestimate the power of kindness—or clever mice.