The Lion wanted so much to hunt down the elusive Unicorn – he knew full well about its magical qualities of Light combined with the qualities of purity, harmony, independence, peace, freedom, abundance, prosperity and hope.

But try as he might, he was unable to find it and entrap it within his domain of the Eastern grasslands.

So he sought the assistance of the Wolf who hunted the mountains of the North, the Fox from the river valley to the West and the Bear who roamed the thick forests to the South. Each of them had also sought to rid themselves of the Unicorn but had never achieved success, so they joined forces to combine their individual skills and hunted and hunted until between them, they at last trapped the Unicorn, and soon took its life.

The question came about how they would divide the spoils of their victory.
The Lion took a stand over the body of the Unicorn and pronounced judgement.

“Between us we have achieved our task and we shall divide it into Quarters” – roared the Lion.
The Others nodded in agreement.
The Lion continued – “I am your Sovereign and will take one quarter as an offering for allowing you to keep your lands. 
Another share shall be mine as I devised the plan leading to the Unicorn to be caught.
Another I shall take, because of my part in the chase and because the Unicorn was captured on my territory”.
The Lion then lifted his heavy clawed paw and placed it firmly on the body – “As for the last quarter, I should like to see which of you would dare to take it from me”.

The Wolf and the Others recognising their weakened position slinked away but growled back in a low voice: “You may have shared in the victory and the labours of us all – but you are not prepared to share the spoils with us”.

And the Moral of the story is:
Power never takes a step back except in the face of a greater power and those in positions of power will quickly seek to make whatever allies are needed to achieve their aims – but they will soon take back power when the victory is won.

Aesop’s Fables c.600 B.C.

The greatest part of men that have aspired to riches or power, have attained it either by force or fraud, and what they have gained by their manipulations or through cruelty, to cover the foulness of their deeds, they call it ambition to give it a more honest name.
-Walter Raleigh

“Knowledge is power, Understanding is using it, Wisdom is controlling it, Magic is knowing how.