There was once a pair of Chinese dragons held captive at the Imperial summer retreat by a large lake. They were very well-pampered. Every day, they were fed the finest of delicacies second only to the ones the Emperor himself chose. A dozen servants polished their scales until they rivaled the heavens themselves. Noblemen and women would often stop to give the dragons special treats. The Emperor ordered fine beds to be made for the dragons, with mattresses stuffed full of the softest down available and the most expensive of silks to cover them. The dragons grew fat and lazy, and eventually just sunbathed on rocks in the lake all day, forgetting their ability to talk, to fly, or their great ancestry.
One day, a great wild dragon flew overhead, cloaked in billowing thunderclouds and followed by shrieking lightning. His strength was magnificent, his agility astounding, and overall, was a terrifying creature to behold. As he flew over the Imperial retreat, he spotted the two captive dragons in the lake. He came down out of the skies with his thunderstorm, and spoke to the two members of his race. He said to them, "Leave this place, my brothers. To be cosseted by humans like this will only end in ill fortune. We are not meant to be held by humans, exotic pets for the amusement of the rich. We are creatures of the heavens, free and beholden to no mortal." But, alas, the two dragons had grown dumb in their captivity, and no longer understood speech. The wild dragon, seeing this, went on his way, and left the two dumb dragons to their fate.
The wild dragon's predictions came true. The next day, the Emperor grew bored with all his rare delicacies and ordered the cook to create a new dish. The dragons were slaughtered, and served at a party to all the visiting nobles.
Don't you love the irony? The moral? Don't become lazy and complacent, or you will end up unhappily.
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