In ancient times, the dog was wild and lived in the forest. During the day everything was fine, but at night the dog felt restless. Just a rustle, the dog jumps up and starts barking!
She's tired of living alone. The dog decided to find a strong friend and settle next to him - everything is not so scary together.
She once met a deer. “What a big, strong deer, what mighty antlers he has!” the dog thought. “It would be nice for me to make friends with him.”
And the dog told the deer about his desire.
“Well, let’s live together,” answered the deer. “Just make sure you don’t make noise at night!”
The dog agreed to this condition, and at night he heard some rustling and began to bark!
“No, dog, you and I can’t live together,” the deer grumbled. “I’m hiding somewhere quieter at night, looking for a safe place, but you decided to bark!” Everyone now knows where I hide at night. Find yourself another friend.
Okay, the dog decided to make friends with the buffalo.
“How I would like to live next to you,” she said to the buffalo.
- Well, please! - the buffalo lazily allowed.
Night came, the dog and the buffalo fell asleep. Suddenly something makes a noise in the forest! The dog woke up, got scared and started barking into the darkness.
At dawn the buffalo asks:
- Why are you barking at night?
“I don’t know myself,” the dog answers. “I was so afraid!” Now I’m thinking: is there anyone in the world stronger than you?! And at night I was really scared!
“There are many animals in the forest stronger than me,” the buffalo remarked. “A tiger, for example.” He just hunts in the forest at night. The tiger would hear your bark and kill us both. Since you're so restless, look for another friend.
The dog decided to find the tiger - with him, she would probably have nothing to fear.
The tiger allowed the dog to live next to him.
The dog was delighted - now she too will sleep peacefully at night. Everything would be fine, but just at midnight an unclear alarm disturbed the dog’s sensitive sleep. It's dark all around, quiet - sleep peacefully. And she just wanted to bark so bad! The dog endured and endured, still waiting - what if something happened? Then she'll bark to her heart's content! No, the animals and birds are sleeping, it’s quiet in the forest, the twig won’t crunch. But the dog can’t sleep, he can barely restrain himself, and every minute he starts barking. She was silent until dawn, but when the sun began to rise, the dog’s patience ran out - she squealed and barked! She barked, calmed down and immediately fell asleep.
Early in the morning the tiger woke up the dog.
-Why are you so noisy at night? - he asked menacingly.
“Oh, sir, I barked so that everyone would know that you are resting here, the ruler of the forest,” answered the dog.
“That’s how it is, many in the forest are afraid of me,” agreed the tiger. “But I’m afraid of elephants, they are stronger than me.” If the elephant found out I was here, he would trample me to death. And you too. You better go to the elephants, seek their protection!
And the tiger drove the dog away.
The dog went to the elephants. The elephants were huge and strong. The dog was happy: he had finally found real patrons. From the fun she wanted to bark right away, but she caught herself in time. Then she approached the elephants and asked permission to live with them. The elephants did not object, and the dog settled down next to them.
Night has fallen. The dog suffered again until dawn, and when she became completely unbearable, she barked loudly. In the morning the elephants told her:
- Dear neighbor, why did you scare us at night with your barking? Apparently you won't be a problem. We elephants are a peaceful and calm people and do not like noise. And the lion, you see, will find our herd by your barking, but our elephant calves are small. Leave us and look for other neighbors! And it would be best for you to settle next to a lion. He is, after all, the king of beasts.
The dog went to the lion, and he allowed her to live next to him.
“The lion is the king of animals, he’s not afraid of anyone,” the dog cheered up, “with him I can bark as much as I want.” And the overjoyed dog burst into happy barking.
Night has come, but the dog cannot sleep. She barked, and the lion immediately woke up and roared:
- Why are you making so much noise here? Why are you disturbing your sleep?
- O lord, oh lord of the four-legged creatures, I bark for joy. I praise you, the most powerful and fearless! With you next to me, I'm not afraid of anything!
“Yes, I am the ruler of four-legged creatures, it’s true,” said the lion. “But there is a creature in the world that I, too, am wary of.” This is a man. He is the ruler of all animals. You should go to the person. You will live next to him, no one in the world will touch you.
- So, a person is stronger than everyone else in the world? - the dog was surprised.
“Of course,” the lion roared.
And the dog went to the man and began to ask him to allow her to live nearby.
“Okay, live if you want,” said the man. - During the day, sit and rest, and at night, with your ears on top of your head, listen to every rustle and, just then, bark at the top of your lungs, don’t spare your throat!
The dog barked in joy. The man liked her barking, and he commanded:
“That’s how you bark at night.”
Since that day, dogs often bark at night. Let, they say, all the animals know: a man lives here, he is stronger than anyone in the world and is not afraid of anything.
The dog believed in the power of man and since those distant times has lived with man, serving him as his most devoted friend.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru