(This is a variation on a west-african tolk-tale. It's shortened to fit into 2 minutes of narration. And the original is about humans, I changed it into a tale about hyenas ... and reversed the gender roles because of that )Once upon a time, there lived a young hyena couple. For some time now, the wife had not been happy with her marriage. Her man however thought she was the most wonderful woman. But he was unhappy, too. Her dismissive behavior was making him miserable. He went to the village elder, asking for advice. ‘I want my wife to be loving,” rhe said. “I want to be loving. We are both miserable.
'I think I can help you,’ the elder said slowly. ‘I can prepare a secret potion that will change your wife into a loving woman. But I am missing an important ingredient. I need a single whisker taken from a living lion to make the potion work.’”
‘The young hyena’s eyes widened with fear, but then he straightened his shoulders and said, ‘All right. I shall get it for you.’
The next morning, he went to the river, hiding behind a tree. After many hours, a lion came to have a drink. He raised his mighty head. He could smell the hyena was there. But eventually he moved slowly back into the forest and disappeared.
The next day, the hyena came again. And the day after. Then days became weeks. And each time, the hyena moved closer and closer to the lion. One day he silently sat down right next to the lion while he drank. His hand shaking, he reached slowly out, pulled a whisker from his chin and ran away as fast as he could.
The elder was in awe when he heard the your man’s story, and said, ‘You do not need magic to change your wife back into the loving woman she once was. You are brave enough to pull a whisker from the chin of a lion. Can you not use that same patience and courage and wit with your wife?’
The young hyena went home and followed the elder’s advice. Slowly his wife began to look glad to see him again when she returned from the hunt with the other women of the village. And within one year, their life was a happy one.