They say that the Fox was once larger than a man and could speak in a human voice. She was cunning, insidious, she deceived everyone and did not spare anyone, she was so cruel.
One day two sister girls were sailing along the river in a boat. In the boat they had a bag of food: lard and dried meat.
The fox from the shore shouts to them:
- Girls, take me!
The girls moored to the shore, put the Fox in the boat and sailed on.
They float and float. Lisa says:
- I know all the rivers that flow into our river.
Girls ask:
- What river is this?
Lisa answers:
— Malarga (initial)
We swam further. Again the river flows into the river. Girls ask:
- What river is this?
Lisa answers:
— Dulilga (middle)
Then they swim. The river flows in again. Girls ask:
- What kind of river is this?
Lisa answers:
- Kumkelge (last).
Girls, on this river I will go ashore.
The girls dropped off the Fox and swam away. They sailed far away, looked at their indulgence, but it was empty - the Fox had eaten everything.
The girls turned the boat and set off to catch up with the Trickster Fox.
The fox saw the chase and, well, ran. But she can’t run fast - her stomach is heavy, she ate so much lard and meat. Then she climbed a tall tree.
The girls tried to get Lisa, but they couldn’t. And they can’t climb the tree – it’s high. They lit a fire under the tree to scare the Fox and drive him away from the tree.
The Fox got scared and said to Fire:
- Fire, don’t burn me!
Fire took pity on her and did not rise high.
The Fox jumped from the tree, burnt and small, and ran away wherever she could. The girls, seeing the little Fox, were so surprised that they did not chase after her.
So the Fox became small, and from the fire - red.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru