The Fox Who Confessed the Cock
Once upon a time, on the fence of a merry farm where golden ears of wheat whispered, there lived a crested and proud rooster. With the first light of morning this rooster would wake the whole valley with his shrill voice and scatter joy all around. In the depths of the forest, meanwhile, there wandered an aged fox renowned for his cunning, his eyes shining with greed. One fine day the fox set his mind on hunting this handsome rooster who stood upon the high fence. But since he knew it was hard to reach the rooster, a sly trick and a sweet game came into his mind. Approaching the foot of the fence with slow steps, the fox bent his neck and raised his head with a mournful air. "O noble rooster, herald of the hour of dawn, please lend an ear to my voice," he called.
Looking down with suspicion, the rooster asked, "What business could a hunter like you have with me?" The fox heaved a deep sigh and went on speaking, letting a false tear fall from his eyes. "I have repented of all the sins I committed in the past, and I have now resolved to do penance in all sincerity." "For years I hunted innocent birds like you, and I writhe with remorse and cannot sleep at night." "If you come down here and hear my confession, my soul will find peace and I shall take refuge in you entirely." The rooster did not much believe in this sudden and exaggerated change in the cunning fox, yet he did not lose his composure. "So you have given up that dark greed within you and wish to be forgiven, is that it?" the rooster answered.
"Yes, my friend; please come down from the fence so that we may embrace and seal this peace," said the fox excitedly. The rooster stretched out his beak, gazed at the horizon and smiled wisely. "I would come down and hear your confession, but it would be more fitting for us to wait for the pack of hounds coming behind you," he said. "The great sheepdogs are running this way too, and they will surely wish to bear witness to this holy penance of yours." At the word "hounds" the fur of the fox stood on end and his eyes opened wide with terror. "I had an urgent errand; we shall meet another time!" he said, and fled into the forest without even looking behind him. The clever rooster, laughing aloud after his cunning friend, went on staying safely on his fence. To understand the intent of liars who feign remorse with sweet words, one must look not at their words alone but at their deeds in the past. The wolf changes his coat, but not his nature.