The Fox and the Hens
Once upon a time, at the edge of an old forest where cool waters ran, there was a cheerful farm surrounded by wooden fences. On this farm there lived in peace clever hens whose feathers gleamed like gold and who stood close together. In the hidden depths of the forest, however, there prowled a sly fox who had gone hungry for days and whose eye was always on this henhouse. The fox, hiding in the shadow of the trees, kept making treacherous plans to seize the hens sleeping on the high perches. As the twilight of evening fell, the fox crept under the tree with sly steps and began to speak in his sweetest voice. "My dear friends, have you not heard the glad news, an eternal peace has now been declared among all the animals!" "Please come down so that we may celebrate this historic day joyfully by embracing one another," said the deceitful fox.
The experienced hen at the very top of the perch understood the situation at once when she saw the spark of hunger in the eyes of the fox. She stretched out her neck and looked into the distance, and with a calm smile on her face she called out to the fox. "This is truly wonderful news, but look, two hunting dogs are running here from afar," she said. "I suppose they too wish to celebrate this happy news of peace together with us," she added. The moment he heard the word dog, the ears of the fox pricked up and a deep fear seized his body. "Well, perhaps those dogs have not yet heard that peace has been declared," he said, and began to back away. The clever hen asked, "Where are you running off to, my friend, was no one to harm anyone any more?"
The cunning fox, in the panic of falling into the trap of his own lie, tucked in his tail and fled swiftly into the depths of the forest. The hens, seeing that the danger had gone away completely, began to flap their wings with great relief and to cluck merrily. The fox, whose cleverly contrived lie had turned against him, was disgraced among the bushes with an empty stomach. He learned through bitter experience that shows of false friendship and lying promises cannot hold out against a sharp mind. The lovely dwellers of the farm fell into a deep sleep that night on their high perches, in peace and safety. Those who sense the danger behind sweet words and use their minds always manage to protect themselves even from the greatest traps. Lies have short legs.