Hitopadesha is a collection of fables in prose and verse meant as an exposition on statecraft in a format easily digestible for young princes. It is an independent treatment of the Panchatantra, which it resembles in form.br br A Friend in Need -br This is a story of four fast friends; a mouse, a crow, a deer, and a tortoise who help each other in a tussle with their worst enemy -a human hunter..