"The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger" is a story by L. Frank Baum.
The story begins at the palace of the Emerald City, where princess Ozma lives, in the middle of the land of Oz. The lion and the tiger take care of the princess, however, no one ever attacks her or threatens her, as she is loved by everyone. This means that both the lion and the tiger are very bored with their lives and do not feel respected.
This leads them to talk and they decide that they will attack someone just to prove that they should be feared. The tiger decides he wants to eat a baby and the lion decides he wants to tear a person to pieces.
Both cats leave the palace and wander around the streets, until they hear a baby crying. As they turn the corner, they see a baby on its own. The tiger goes over to him, but does not eat him. Instead, he protects it. The mother sees this and runs towards the baby, but falls. The lion then helps the woman up.
Seeing how good they are, the woman thanks them. They go back to the palace and discuss what happened. Although they are both embarrassed by their inability to be scary, they conclude that it is better to be cowardly than to be evil, and to be hungry than to be cruel.