L'année du Daim

A hunter and his hound encounter a herd of yellow deer, but the hound bites and injures one of them. The hunter then takes the injured yellow deer home to care for it, intending to release it back into the mountains once it has recovered. However, the aggressive hound repeatedly attempts to attack the deer again, though fortunately, the hunter intervenes each time. Gradually, the hound stops attacking the deer, and the deer no longer fears the hound. They drink water together, play together, and slowly become friends. By this time, the deer’s injuries have healed, and the hunter decides to release it back into the wild. But just as the deer joyfully runs toward the mountains, three fierce hounds appear ahead. Having had pleasant interactions with the hunter’s hound, the deer assumes these hounds will be equally friendly. However, something unexpected happens: the three hounds pounce together and bite through the deer’s throat... This story is adapted from the fable "The Donkey of Qian" by Liu Zongyuan from the Tang Dynasty in China.