History Main / AndroclesLion

* Kit removes a bit of wreckage from around the axle of a sentient Lotus in the Liteature/YoungWizards novel ''So You Want to Be a Wizard'', and the Lotus ends up becoming a friend and helper to them. [[spoiler: it pulls a SenselessSacrifice against the [[BigBad Lone Power]], though arguably it bought them some time to run. It later shows up in Timeheart.]]

* Played with by Creator/TerryPratchett in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/SmallGods''. The hero saves a predator, who (now bound by [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality Narrative Convention]] to do the Androcles) tracks the hero down to symbolically not kill him. However, as is noted, ''other'' people didn't save it, and so are fair game.

* In ''{{Anchorman}}'', Baxter (Ron Burgundy's dog) befriends a wild bear in his travels. This comes in very handy when the main characters are confronted with that bear's cousin and Baxter is able to talk him down.
* ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}''. Sarah rescues Ludo from some Goblins. later on he saves her from attack in the Goblin City by "calling the rocks" and sending the Goblins flying like tenpins.
* In ''It Could Happen To You'', Charlie loses all his money in court to his ex-wife but feeds a homeless man and even gives him bus fare. The homeless guy is actually an undercover reporter (and the movie's narrator). He writes about Charlie's generosity in the paper which is so touching that people donate money to him. [[LaserGuidedKarma Meanwhile, his ex-wife marries another "millionaire" who turns out to be a con man who steals all her money, forcing her to move in with her mother and go back to her old job in a nail salon.]]

* D'leh in ''Film/TenThousandBC'' had second thoughts before his concern over an about-to-drown Sabretooth Tiger led him to release it from where it was pinned under some trees, since falling rain would quickly drown it. For the record, it saves his and his father figure's asses later and marks him as TheChosenOne to bring down TheEmpire. It's nice to know PETA has long roots in history.

* A traditional tale of the Kamba people from Kenya tells the story of a man who cultivated a field. The crops attracted gazelles so he put traps to defend his crops. One day he saw a lion had felt on one of the traps. He freed the lion after making him promise that he would not hurt him. Once free, however, [[TheFarmerAndTheViper the lion]] [[ILied attacked him]]. Then the man convinced the lion to let him go after promising that he would give him the heart of every animal that fell on his traps from then on. One day his wife accidentally fell on one of the traps, and just as the man ran to free her the lion appeared and demanded the wife's heart as part of their agreement. The man refused saying that this wasn't part of the deal, so the lion killed the wife and badly injured the man. Moral of the story: [[SubvertedTrope Don't trust lions]]. [[DeconstructorFleet They f*cking eat people]].

** Similarly in [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm Grimms']] ''[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/60twobrothers.html The Two Brothers]]'', and in ''[[http://www.mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/079.htm The Three Princes and Their Beasts]]''.

* Played darkly in the ''Valley Forge, Valley Forge'' arc of ''ThePunisher''. A group of soldiers have been tasked by to bring down Frank Castle, knowing [[WouldNotShootAGoodGuy he won't use deadly force against them]], by a cabal of corrupt U.S. generals. In the end it turns out that [[spoiler: the Colonel tasked with leading the soldiers was once a soldier in Vietnam who had been rescued by Frank's Marine Recon squad]]. When the generals come around to view their "prize" they find [[spoiler: an untied Frank with a fully loaded 1911. You can guess what happens next.]]
** Mildly subverted in that [[spoiler:the Colonel may have also covered up their corrupt generals' crimes in the process]], and that [[spoiler:Frank Castle wanted them dead more than he wanted their crimes exposed.]]

** In ''TwilightPrincess'', the first miniboss is a possessed baboon named Ook. After Link [[BeatTheCurseOutOfHim beats the insect possessing him off of Ook]], he returns the favor by helping Link in the fight against the dungeon's boss Diababa.

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* In one episode of the 2002 ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse'', Prince Adam frees a dragon that was buried by a cave-in. Later, He-Man is fighting some dragons and is nearly killed. The dragon from earlier (the mother of the other two) recognizes him from his scent and calls her children off. Then, when Skeletor attacks Greyskull, she later comes back to help him.

* Kit removes a bit of wreckage from around the axle of a sentient Lotus in the YoungWizards novel ''So You Want To Be A Wizard'', and the Lotus ends up becoming a friend and helper to them. [[spoiler: it pulls a SenselessSacrifice against the [[BigBad Lone Power]], though arguably it bought them some time to run. It later shows up in Timeheart.]]
* ''The Book of Three'' (1964), the first of LloydAlexander's ''[[PrydainChronicles Prydain]]'' novels. Taran helps a wounded baby gwythaint (a species of gigantic dangerous bird creatures forced to serve the BigBad Arawn). The favor is repaid twice; once in the first book when the gwythaint tells Gwydion where to find Taran and the Horned King, and [[HeroicSacrifice more significantly]] at the end of the fifth and final book.
* In ''WatershipDown'', this is invoked by Hazel, who realizes that the rabbits will need friends and allies in their new home. It ends up earning them the friendship of a mouse, who tells them about a good feeding place, gives them information on the proximity of men, [[spoiler:and gives them advance warning when the Efrafans come to attack]]; and later nets Kehaar, a gull, as a very useful ally and scout.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', the first miniboss is a possessed baboon named Ook. After Link [[BeatTheCurseOutOfHim beats the insect possessing him off of Ook]], he returns the favor by helping Link in the fight against the dungeon's boss Diababa.
** Even before that, all of the monkeys that he saves in the same dungeon are quick to return the favor, proving themselves to be vital to progressing through said dungeon and, ultimately, reaching Diababa's lair.

* In ''League of Light: Dark Omens'' a mama griffin who had her injured baby returned to her by the main character shows up at the end to transport the hero and the {{Damsel in Distress}} to safety.

* Torg does this for the demon Mosp in [[http://sluggy.com/daily.php?date=011030 this]] ''WebComic/SluggyFreelance'' strip. This ends up saving his life when the "That Which Redeems" arc roles around.

* Subversion with most RealLife wild animals- because not AllAnimalsAreDomesticated, as some people found out. Also subverted with some RealLife domestic animals.

* In ''Frog-princess'' while on his quest to free the imprisoned princess from evil Koshey, Tsarevich Ivan encounters various animals and intends to kill them to eat but then changes his mind every time. They later help him to obtains Koshey's SoulJar.
* In ''Magick Rng'' the main hero literally gives a shirt off his back to buy out a dog, a cat and a snake from a cruel owner. That works out PERFECTLY!

* Kit removes a bit of wreckage from around the axle of a sentient Lotus in the YoungWizards novel ''So You Want To Be A Wizard'', and the Lotus ends up becoming a friend and helper to them.

* The MyLittlePony fanfic Fanfic/TheCadanceverse has the main characters run into a kraken as they journey through the Everfree. Most of the group wants to fight or run, but Lyra realizes that the kraken is trapped and in pain, and convinces the group to help out. When they remove the stakes fixing the kraken to the lakebed, the kraken is so grateful that it gives them a ride across the lake.

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}}'', Lion-O saves a pair of [[LizardFolk Lizard]] [[MadeASlave prisoners]] from a [[VigilanteExecution lynch]] [[TorchesAndPitchforks mob]] and [[SlaveLiberation sets them free]]. Later, when Lion-O and Tygra are LockedInTheDungeon during TheSiege Of Thundera, the more ''antagonistic'' of the two repays the favor [[spoiler:sneaking Tygra and Lion-O the key to their cell [[JailBake in some soup]].]]

* Subversion with most RealLife wild animals- because not AllAnimalsAreDomesticated, as some people found out.

* Belkar in ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'' released an allosaurus that was being held in a cage in the Empire of Blood's arena. Even though it was sedated and returned to the cage, it seems to remember Belkar's deed; in a later scene when one of the Empire's soldiers uses it as a steed during an attack on the Order, it obeys Belkar's command not to eat Roy, and helps drive away the other soldiers. {{Justified}}, as Belkar is a ranger with the Wild Empathy ability, making it easier for him to tame and command wild animals.

* ''{{Anchorman}}'' did this.