The Cunning Fox Who Lost His Tail in a Trap
Read the beginning lines and complete the fable:
Once upon a time, a sly and cunning fox was prowling around a farmer’s poultry shed at night. Unmindful of the hunter’s metal snare concealed beneath dry leaves, the fox stepped directly into a steel trap. He pulled and tugged with all his might to escape before the hounds arrived. Eventually he wrenched himself free, but at the cost of his beautiful, bushy tail, which was left behind in the jaws of the trap...
Completed Story:
Looking back at the bleeding stump where his magnificent tail once swayed, the fox felt utterly disgraced and miserable. In the forest community, a bushy tail was considered the crowning glory of beauty and pride. He knew that the moment other foxes saw his tailless body, they would mock him relentlessly.
Being extraordinarily crafty, the fox devised a wicked scheme to turn his personal humiliation into a fashionable virtue. He convened a grand conference of all the foxes in the woodland. Standing on a high earthen mound while concealing his hindquarters behind a dense bush, he addressed the assembly with an air of sophisticated superiority.
"My esteemed brethren," he proclaimed, "we foxes have foolishly carried heavy, clumsy tails behind us for centuries. Have you ever considered what an unnecessary burden a tail is? It sweeps up muddy dirt, gets entangled in prickly brambles, and enables hunting dogs to seize us easily! I have voluntarily severed my tail, and I feel extraordinarily agile and liberated. I strongly advise you all to cut off your useless tails immediately!"
Many youthful foxes in the audience seemed swayed by his eloquent arguments and reached for sharp stones. But an old, experienced fox stepped forward, peered behind the mound, and chuckled loudly. "Our dear cousin," the wise elder said, "if you had not had your own tail chopped off by a trap, would you be preaching this advice to us today?"
Exposed and humiliated, the tailless fox could not utter a single word in defense. The entire assembly erupted in laughter, and the trickster fled into the wilderness in shame.