In a clean, quiet burrow among the oak trees in the forest lived two rabbits, one large and the other small. An old friendship, affection, and love united them. These two rabbits would play a race together, eat carrots and vegetables together, and sleep together side by side in gentleness and peace.
One day a small crack appeared in a corner of the burrow. The small rabbit said: “No doubt my friend the large rabbit will repair this crack soon.” When the large rabbit saw it, he said: “My friend the small rabbit will repair this small crack today.” The days passed, and the crack grew wider and deeper. Each of the two friend rabbits would say: “Perhaps my friend forgot to repair this crack. I don’t think he will neglect it; he will repair it this time.” More days passed, and the crack widened and widened further. The large rabbit would say: “My friend the small rabbit does not like cracks in the burrow; no doubt he will repair this crack. I know he will do that.”
The small rabbit would say for his part: “I think I will return one day to find the crack repaired. I know my friend the large rabbit loves to surprise me always.” Days and days passed, and each of the rabbits relied on his companion and did not exert himself to repair the crack, which grew wider and deeper more and more. One cold night, rain fell heavily, and the burrow’s roof could not withstand it, so the burrow collapsed upon the two sleeping rabbits, who found themselves between ruins and dust crawling upon them.
The moral of the story: Do not depend on others for anything.
From the stories of Kalīlah wa Dimnah.