The Sheep, the Deer and the Wolf
Once upon a time, at the edge of an old forest where cool waters flowed, there lived a modest sheep. This clever sheep gathered wheat with great effort every season and filled its barn completely. In the depths of the forest there glided a lazy stag who was proud of his majestic antlers. As the hardest winter of the year drew near, the stag had been left without food and, not knowing what to do, began to think anxiously. In the end he decided in despair to knock on the sheep's door and to ask it for a loan. The stag came to the sheep with sweet words and said that he wished to borrow a sack of wheat. "Do not be afraid, my friend," said the stag with a smile, "when spring comes I will pay my debt in full."
When the sheep hesitated a little, the stag at once pointed to the thick bushes behind him. "If you do not believe me, let the wolf, the strongest in the forest, be my guarantor," he added. Just then a hungry wolf slipped out from among the bushes with sly eyes and came to their side. The wolf showed his sharp teeth and proudly declared that he vouched for the stag's words. When the careful sheep saw this dangerous alliance before it, it fell into deep thought. It said to itself, "The stag already runs very fast and will flee at once at the first sign of danger." "And the wolf is always a hunter; when the time comes he will hunt me instead of paying the debt," it said.
The sheep shook its head from side to side and gave the stag and the wolf a firm answer. "Judging by who your guarantor is, this agreement is not safe for me at all," it said. "When the time is up the stag will run away quickly, and the wolf, instead of paying the debt, will try to take my life." Faced with this sensible experience of the sheep, neither could the stag say a word nor could the wolf reply. Realizing that their intentions had been understood, the two cunning animals disappeared shamefaced into the depths of the forest. The clever sheep withdrew to its warm home with the peace of having protected the food in its barn. Not being deceived by promises that dangerous people vouch for allows a person to protect himself and his labour. The wolf and the sheep do not stand together.