A long time ago, a woodcutter lived in a remote mountain village with his old mother. One day, when he was chopping a tree for firewood in the mountain, he heard a strange sound. It was a loud, painful groan. Looking around, the woodcutter was so startled that he landed flat on his back. What he saw was a huge tiger. All he could think was that he should run away. He quickly stood up and was about to turn back when his eyes met the animal’s sad gaze. The tiger looked so pathetic that the woodcutter stopped for a moment. The tiger opened its mouth, with tears in its eyes. The woodcutter forgot fear and looked in the tiger’s bleeding mouth. He saw something long and white stuck in its throat. It looked like an animal bone. The woodcutter felt sorry for the tiger, which couldn’t stop squealing in pain. He hesitated for a moment but carefully approached the beast. He dared to put his hand into the tiger’s mouth and pulled out the bone that had hurt the animal so much. Now, the tiger appeared comfortable and looked at the kind man. When their eyes met, the woodcutter suddenly felt very scared and he ran away as fast as his legs would carry him.

The next day, a strange thing happened. Every morning, a bundle of firewood was stacked in the front yard of the man’s house. One morning, the woodcutter saw a tiger appear in his yard, holding firewood in its mouth. It put down the firewood on the ground and gazed at the man’s face before disappearing. The tiger was, of course, the one he had met in the mountain the other day. The tiger never failed to do this daily ritual. Thanks to a considerable amount of firewood the tiger brought every day, the woodcutter became better off.

One day, the woodcutter’s mother said she was worried that he still remained single. She told him to find a bride and start a family. The next morning, the woodcutter was surprised to find a beautiful young woman lying in his yard. It seemed like she passed out. As the woodcutter and his mother took great care of her, the young lady finally recovered consciousness. It turned out that she was the daughter of a wealthy man in the next village. She said a big tiger suddenly appeared in front of her the previous night and she fainted from fright. The woodcutter realized that the tiger had overheard his mother talking about his marriage. He walked the young girl to her house, where all the family members were grieving for the lost girl. They thought that she might have died, as a tiger had taken her. To their surprise and delight, the girl came back alive. Her father was very impressed to hear the story of the woodcutter and the tiger. He said, “I’m sure the tiger wanted to find a spouse for this man. What a grateful animal it is! The man and my daughter are destined to become man and wife. Gladly, I allow you two to marry.” So, as the woodcutter’s mother wished, the man got a wife and the new family was happy.

Years passed by. There was a rumor circulating that a ferocious tiger was wandering in the village threatening people’s lives. The whole village was enveloped in fear. The local magistrate offered a big reward for anyone who would catch or kill the dreadful beast. One evening, while the woodcutter was walking by himself in the yard, the tiger appeared. As a matter of fact, the tiger had been bringing firewood to his house until that morning. The woodcutter was glad to see his animal friend unexpectedly at night. But he also thought that the tiger looked sad for some unknown reason. The tiger said, “I think you’ve already heard about the rumor. In fact, the tiger wandering in the village is me. My days are numbered, and I want to return your favor one last time. Come to the village square tomorrow and shoot me with arrows. The magistrate will then give you a lot of money.” The woodcutter was stunned. “No, I can’t. I just can’t do such a thing to you. Just leave and never come back to the village. Hunters must be chasing you.” The tiger smiled. “Yes, hunters are chasing me. And I’m going to die soon anyway because I’m old and sick. You don’t want to see me killed by someone else, do you? I want to share my last moment with you. Please do what I ask.”

The woodcutter began to sob. “Why? Why are you doing this for me? All I did was pull a lousy bone out of your throat.” Tears also welled up in the tiger’s eyes. “That was all I needed. Thank you.”

After the tiger died, the woodcutter buried its body in a nice, sunny spot and set up a tombstone. Carved on the headstone was “The Grateful Tiger.”