Bearing the hunter's net together, Chitragriva led his flock without delay to the dwelling of his friend Hiranyaka. Beneath the roots of an ancient tree lay the mouse's burrow, fashioned with many entrances and hidden passages, so that no enemy could easily surprise him. Standing before the burrow, Chitragriva called, "Hiranyaka, it is I. Come forth."

Recognizing his friend's voice, Hiranyaka emerged from the burrow. The sight before him, however, filled him with astonishment. Chitragriva and his entire flock lay helpless beneath the hunter's net. "My friend," he asked, "how has one so prudent come to such a plight?" Chitragriva answered with his usual composure. "There will be time to speak of that later. First, release us from these bonds."

Without another word, Hiranyaka hastened to the net and began gnawing at the cords that bound Chitragriva. Before he had cut through even one strand, the pigeon king stopped him. "Not me," he said. "Free those who came with me first."

The mouse looked at him in surprise. "You are their king. If you are released first, the others can easily be freed afterwards."

Chitragriva gently shook his head. "These birds placed their trust in me and descended because I led them. It would not be right for me to seek my own freedom before theirs. Let their bonds be cut first."

For a brief moment Hiranyaka remained silent, studying the pigeon king. Then he said, "Your words are worthy of a leader." Leaving Chitragriva where he was, the mouse turned to the others and patiently gnawed through the cords that held them. One by one the pigeons stepped free until not a single bird remained bound. Only then did Hiranyaka return to Chitragriva and sever the cords that still held his friend.

Freed at last, Chitragriva folded his wings and bowed his head. "Hiranyaka," he said, "today you have preserved not only my life, but the lives of all who followed me."

The mouse replied simply, "It is one's duty to aid a friend in adversity."

The flock gathered around their king, and together they rose into the sky. Chitragriva looked back once before disappearing into the distance, carrying with him a gratitude that needed no further words.

Throughout these events, Laghupatanaka had watched from the branch of a nearby tree. He had admired Hiranyaka's wisdom from the moment he saw him rescue the pigeons, but now he had witnessed something greater. The mouse had hurried to help without hesitation, while the pigeon king, though still a prisoner himself, had thought first of those entrusted to his care.

"I have seldom seen such wisdom joined with such integrity," the crow thought. "The friendship of such a one is worth seeking."

With that resolve, Laghupatanaka descended from the tree and made his way towards Hiranyaka's burrow. The pigeons had departed, but another friendship was about to begin.

Hiranyaka could easily have freed Chitragriva first. Instead, he witnessed a leader who refused to place himself before those who trusted him. From that moment, the mouse honoured the pigeon king not for his rank, but for the duty he remembered even while he himself remained bound.