One day a tiger, a wolf and a fox got together and went hunting. They got a goat, a goitered gazelle and a hare and dragged them to the tiger’s dwelling.
The wolf and the fox hoped that the tiger would take for himself everything he wanted, and divide the rest and give everyone what was due to them. But the tiger guessed what they wanted and said to himself: “You think this way, but I think differently. Let’s see what happens now!”
However, each of the animals kept their thoughts secret.
When everyone had settled down, the tiger turned to the wolf and said:
- You are my assistant, divide our spoils!
The wolf got to work.
“You’re big,” he turned to the tiger, “and the goat is big, which means it’s yours.” I am small, and the gazelle is small. Let him be mine. And the fox is small, and the hare is small. Let the fox get it.
The tiger got angry:
- You, I see, first of all think about yourself: “I am such and such... This is mine...” And who are you? What do you think about yourself? Who do you think you are? Do you know, unfortunate one, with whom you decided to compete?! Come closer to me!
The wolf approached the tiger, he roared and killed the poor thing with one blow.
Then he turned to the fox and ordered her:
- Now you share the spoils!
“The goat is very good for breakfast for the king of animals,” said the fox. “The goat should be saved for lunch - let the king rejoice.” And the king will need the hare for dinner.
“Tell me the truth,” asks the tiger, “from whom did you learn to divide the prey so skillfully?”
“Merciful sir,” answers the fox, “may all your troubles fall on me!” Praise be to those who care for others. When I saw what happened to the wolf, I realized that I shouldn’t think only about myself.
“If so,” the tiger decided, “I will do what is fair.” Take all three animals for yourself, and I will get something else.
The fox rejoiced: “How good it is that it fell to me to share the prey after the wolf! Otherwise, I would have come to an end!”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru