Dorothy and her friends walked through the dark forest. The road was difficult to walk on. It was covered with dead leaves and branches. There were not many birds. But sometimes, they heard deep growls from wild animals. The sounds scared Dorothy. Toto was also scared. He walked very close to Dorothy.
"How long until we are out of this forest?" Dorothy asked the Tin Woodman.
"I don't know," he said. "But you have the Good Witch's kiss on your forehead. It will protect you. Nothing can hurt the Scarecrow. And we will protect Toto."
Just then, they heard a very loud roar. A big Lion (a large, yellow cat, called the king of the animals) jumped onto the road. With his big paw, he hit the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow flew to the side of the road. Then the Lion tried to hit the Tin Woodman with his sharp claws. But the claws did not hurt the tin.
Toto was a small dog, but he was brave. He ran barking at the big Lion. The Lion opened his big mouth to bite Toto. Dorothy was very afraid for Toto. She ran to the Lion and hit him on the nose. "Don't you bite Toto!" she shouted. "You are a big coward!"
"I didn't bite him," the Lion said sadly. He was rubbing his nose.
"But you tried to!" Dorothy said. "You are just a big coward."
"I know," the Lion said. He looked very ashamed. "I can't help it. I was born this way."
Dorothy was surprised. She helped the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman get up. "He is made of straw," she said, pointing to the Scarecrow. "And he is made of tin," she said about the Woodman.
"What is that little animal?" the Lion asked, looking at Toto.
"He is my dog, Toto," Dorothy said.
"Why are you a coward?" Dorothy asked the big Lion.
"I don't know," the Lion answered. "Everyone thinks lions are brave. They think the Lion is the King of Beasts. So when I roar very loudly, all the other animals run away. They are afraid of me. But really, I am afraid of everything. When there is danger, my heart beats very fast."
"Maybe you have a heart," said the Tin Woodman. "That is good. I do not have a heart, so I cannot feel afraid."
"Maybe I am a coward because I have a heart," the Lion thought.
"I am going to Oz to ask for a brain," the Scarecrow said.
"And I am going to ask for a heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"And I am going to ask him to send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.
"Do you think Oz could give me courage (the feeling of not being afraid)?" the Lion asked.
"Yes, I think so," said Dorothy. "You can come with us!"
So the Lion joined their group. He walked next to Dorothy. At first, Toto was not happy about this new friend. But soon, Toto and the Cowardly Lion became good friends.
Later that day, the Tin Woodman accidentally stepped on a small beetle and killed it. He felt very, very sad because he never wanted to hurt any living thing. He started to cry. His tears ran down his face and his tin jaws rusted together. He could not open his mouth to speak!
Dorothy and the Lion did not understand what was wrong. But the Scarecrow knew what to do. He got the oil-can from Dorothy's basket and oiled the Tin Woodman's jaws. Soon, he could talk again.
"I must be very careful," the Tin Woodman said. "I do not have a heart to guide me. So I must always be kind." After that, he watched the road carefully so he did not hurt any small animals.