There lived a poor widow. One day her son, while playing on the street, unfortunately hit the prince. He screamed at the top of his voice and ran to complain to his father. And the widow’s son went home to blame his mother.
- How could this happen to you, son? - the mother began to wail. “You could lose your head for this.” Well, what happened cannot be fixed. Climb into the attic, take your father's gun and run as long as your legs will carry you.
This is what the widow's son did. He ran for three days and three nights through green valleys and steep mountains, while his legs carried him, and reached the edge of a dense forest. He leaned against the tree and looked around. He saw a round lake in which ducks swam.
“This will be a hunt!” thought the widow’s son. “I’ll stay here forever.”
He built a hut on the shore of the lake and began to live in it, waiting out the trouble. Days after days passed, and the widow's son became so accustomed to those places that he felt at home. But then winter came. Severe frosts struck, and there was so much snow that it was impossible to walk or drive through. But the widow’s son had stocked up on firewood since the summer, shot ducks and lived comfortably, warm and well-fed.
And winter raged more and more. And she didn’t favor forest dwellers. They died from frost and hunger. One day hunger drove a fox out of the forest. She saw the hut, sniffed the smoke coming from the chimney, and decided:
- I’ll go and ask to warm up. And whatever happens there!
A fox galloped through the deep snowdrifts to the hut and knocked. The widow's son took pity on her and opened the door.
The fox warmed up near the fire, came to life and began to look around. He sees a fat duck hanging on a hook near the ceiling. Then hunger reminded her of itself. The fox begged:
- Give me some duck meat. Otherwise I'll die of hunger. And I’ll be useful to you someday too.
Again the widow's son took pity on her and fed her. A day has passed, another has ended, but the fox doesn’t even think about leaving - she really liked it here. And so they lived together. The widow's son is the owner, and the fox is busy with the housework.
And then one day a huge wolf dragged itself to the hut. Trembling, tail tucked and scratching at the door.
“I ask you, brother, and you, aunt fox, let me warm up, otherwise I will perish from the frost.”
The widow's son let him into the house. The fox says to the wolf:
- Listen, godfather wolf, we let you warm up, sit by the fire, but don’t raise your head, don’t look at the ceiling. Otherwise we’ll kick you back out into the cold.
As soon as the wolf warmed up, he thought: “Why didn’t the aunt fox tell me to look at the ceiling? I should find out.”
He seized the moment and squinted his eyes at the ceiling. And there is a fat duck hanging on a hook. Here the wolf could not stand it and begged:
- Don’t let me die of hunger, brother, treat me to duck. And if you get into trouble, I'll come in handy.
The widow's son gave the wolf a duck. And he hung another one on a hook. As soon as the wolf saw the second duck, he thought: “I couldn’t find a better place to spend the winter.”
So the wolf stayed to live with them. Less than three days later, a bear stumbled towards the hut. He leaned on the door and burst into the house.
- Hey, owners! - he roared. “Whether you like it or not, receive the guest!”
- Welcome, grandfather bear! - the frightened fox sang. - Just ask you for one thing, don’t look at the ceiling for anything in the world!
Well, the bear, of course, immediately raised his head and saw the duck on the hook.
- Hey, guy! - he shouted. “You seem to be the boss here.” The fox was talking about something about the ceiling. So I see a duck there. Give me something to eat. And if he doesn’t come after me, I’ll help you if you need me.
“Take the duck and sit by the fire, grandfather bear,” said the widow’s son. “You’re cold and hungry.”
The bear liked it here, and he announced that he would not go anywhere, but would stay as a guest forever. Three more days passed. And the eagle limped towards the hut. His wings were frozen solid. I barely warmed up by the fire. And the fox didn’t even dare say a word about the ceiling. Can you protect the duck under the ceiling from the eagle?
The hut was already full of animals, but then the hare came running to the light. How can you not let him in, poor thing? And the fox, who really felt like a mistress, did not argue. Moreover, the hare does not eat meat at all. He doesn't need ducks.
So they all spent the winter warm together. And as it got warmer, the animals gathered to return to the forest. The fox thought and thought about how she could thank her widow’s son, and came up with an idea. She decided to marry him to the king's daughter. The widow's son laughed at her:
“Where can I, a poor man, get the king’s daughter as a wife?”
“And that’s our concern,” said the fox.
She called the bear, the wolf, the eagle and the hare and said to them:
“The owner kept us warm and fed all winter. And you have to pay for good with good. Let's go to the royal court. Let's take the king's daughter away and marry our master to her.
It's easy to say, but how to do it? But the sly fox thought about this too. She took out a plow and harnessed a wolf and a bear to it, like oxen. She pretended to be a plowman, and set the hare to drive the oxen. And so they went to the royal court. The eagle circled above them and looked out for the royal daughter from above.
They arrived at the royal court, and the gates were locked. Then the hare squeezed through the crack, unlocked the gate and let the animals in. They began to plow up the royal courtyard like a field. The king looked out the window and was surprised.
- Look! - he shouted to the queen. - What a miracle! The animals are plowing.
Everyone poured out into the yard. They look, shake their heads, point, laugh. And the princess is right there. An eagle fell on her like a stone, grabbed her with its claws and carried her away. The queen gasped and screamed. A commotion began here. Meanwhile, the fox, wolf, bear and hare slipped away.
The princess began to live in the hut of her widow's son.
At first I was afraid of animals. And when I saw that the widow’s son loved them, I also got used to them. The princess took up housekeeping - she cleaned the hut and cooked dinner. And it so happened that instead of the fox she became the mistress.
Meanwhile, the king ordered the entire valley to be searched, the entire forest to be searched, every tree to be examined, every stone to be turned over. He promised a great reward to whoever found the princess. But the royal word can be heard far away and runs quickly. It also reached those people who lived not far from the hut.
So the king found out where the princess was hidden. He sent a large army. But the eagle, which was flying high in the sky, saw the royal soldiers from afar. And the fox sent the fleet-footed hare to collect all the bears, wolves, and foxes in the surrounding forests. The animals attacked the royal army. Eagles are pecking from above. Wolves are tearing apart. The bears grab you and throw you to the ground. And the hares squeal and get underfoot. And so they dispersed the entire countless army.
The king realized that he could not cope with force. He went to the old sorceress. He promised her great wealth and asked for advice. The sorceress promised to help the king. She took a large clay jug and went to the hut. The old woman chose an hour when the princess was left at home alone, and knocked on the door.
“Give me something to eat, daughter,” she groaned.
The princess fed her and called her to the hut to rest. An old woman came in, looked around and began to lament:
“You are happy, daughter, you live in a house, it’s spacious and warm.” And what is it like for me to live in a simple jug in the rain and cold!
The princess was surprised how it was possible to live in a jug. I went to have a look. She looked into the jug, and the old sorceress pushed her into it. The jug spun like a potter's wheel, spun, rose into the air and carried the princess to the royal court. The king achieved his goal.
But the fox is not so easy to outwit. She found out about the old sorceress and immediately guessed everything. Again she harnessed the wolf and the bear to the plow and went to the royal court. This time the king did not allow his daughter to leave the house. But as soon as she leaned out of the window, the eagle picked her up and carried her away.
Then the king realized that he could not cope with the cunning fox. He agreed to give the princess to the poor widow’s son, if only she would live with him in the palace.
One fine day the royal carriage stopped in front of the hut. The widow's son and the princess sat in it and went to the palace to play the wedding. An eagle flew over them. And the wolf, bear, fox and hare ran after. So they all began to live in the royal court. They still live there, if they are alive.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru