And the hedgehog ran away in the opposite direction from rustling and rustling.
Out of breath from running, the hedgehog climbed into the deepest thickets of the garden, under the most overgrown bush, curled up there tightly – tightly into a thorny ball.
And the hedgehog remained in this state until hunger forced him to leave the shelter. And even then, carefully, sensitively listening to the rustles, until the obvious absence of any snake nearby returned the little hedgehog to his cheerful and sociable disposition.
He tried to cultivate fearlessness towards snakes in his son and his cheerful and good-natured dad, a hedgehog, by his benevolent nature with the help of all kinds of games and stories about fearless Hedgehogs!
And while the hedgehog was next to his strong and brave dad – the hedgehog, he was not afraid of any snakes, had fun with him and bravely looked around.
But as soon as the hedgehog dad plunged into his adult affairs, and the hedgehog was left alone, he began to sensitively listen to every rustle, ready to immediately run away from all his four legs from the insidious snake, with which he, as a representative of hedgehogs, inevitably needed would join the single combat and win!
As a result of such constant cowardice of the hedgehog, who had never seen mice, everyone began to call him the Mouse. This name turned into his name, which was not at all offensive for the hedgehog himself, because he himself did not know anything about the mouse yet.
But, as much as the hedgehog was cowardly, so, and maybe more, he was an inquisitive and passionate lover to travel and discover new places!
Many inhabitants of the neighborhood knew the little traveler – hedgehog, his good-natured, inquisitive disposition and were glad to see him. The hedgehog was not at all afraid of children in his habitat, because they did not offend him and sometimes even treated him to delicious sweets, for example, «ice cream»!
The hedgehog loved this «ice cream» even more than wild raspberries, and when he saw children in the forest, he tried to catch their eyes – what if they had this wonderful «ice cream» with them!
And every morning the little thorny traveler set off on his next journey, along the way to everyone he met, wishing good morning.