The Rooster and the Fox

One warm summer evening, an old rooster was walking near the forest. The sun was already slowly setting, and everything was almost silent, only a concert of crickets could be heard from the nearby meadow.

The rooster was casually scratching in the dirt, hoping to find something tasty, when he heard something. The sound was coming from the bushes. He wasn’t sure what it was, so just in case, he quickly flew up onto the nearest branch, which was just above his head. And it was a good thing he did! The snout of a rusty-coloured fox soon emerged from the bushes. He was well aware that he had given himself away by carelessly stepping on a dry twig. So he came out of his hiding place nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened, and immediately started talking to the rooster.

"Have you heard the great news yet?" asked the fox in an excited voice.

"What news?" the rooster asked him, puzzled.

"Well, all sorts of animals have just agreed among themselves that they will live together in peace. I came to tell you. Come down, my friend, so that I can hug you," the fox urged.

"Oh, that's great! What happy news," said the rooster, adjusting his wing feathers. But then he raised his head and looked alert, as if he had seen something in the distance.

The fox turned to look that way too, but couldn’t see past the bushes.

"What do you see there, rooster?" asked the fox.

The rooster said nothing for a moment, still staring into the distance.

Then: "I'm just watching a pack of wolves coming this way. They must have heard the wonderful news too, and come to hug us," he said.

The fox didn't wait to…