The Wolf and the Hungry Fox
Once upon a time, at the edge of an old forest where cool waters flowed, lived a sly fox. One day, when the freezing winter winds were blowing, this fox had not found a single bite of food for days. While the rumbling of his belly mingled with the whisper of the pine trees in the forest, he began to wander exhausted along the snowy roads. Just as he was about to lose hope, a huge and arrogant wolf came out of his cave and approached him proudly. The sharp eyes of the wolf had noticed at once the helplessness of the fox, who had grown weak from hunger. "Oh wretched fox, why do you drift about in such a miserable state?" asked the majestic wolf. The fox gathered his wits, smiled slyly at the wolf and quickly built his plan in his mind.
"My breath is about to fail from hunger, but I know that there is a great feast in the cellar of the villager," he said. The appetite of the greedy wolf swelled as soon as he heard this tempting news, and his eyes gleamed with greed. "Take me to that cellar at once, or you will be my first bite!" roared the wolf. At midnight the two animals slipped quietly into the village and managed to slide inside through the narrow window of the cellar. In the cellar delicious cheeses, dried meats and jars of fresh honey stood in a row. The wolf attacked the food without caring about anything and began to stuff his stomach full. The clever fox, however, ate only enough to satisfy his hunger and often checked the narrow window.
Before long the wooden door of the cellar opened with a great noise, and the villager appeared with a lantern in his hand. The nimble and cautious fox darted out through the narrow window in an instant and fled. But the wolf, whose belly had swollen like a drum from too much eating, got stuck in the window and could not get out. The greedy wolf, once caught, paid heavily for the punishment of his greed under the sticks of the villager. The fox, however, returned to the snowy forest and, thanks to his mind, was able to enjoy both a full belly and his freedom. Whoever uses his mind with measure always escapes, but whoever gives in to greed is caught in his own trap. A little greed brings a great loss.