The moon hung in the sky like a polished silver platter, spilling its pale light over the fields, the trees, and the old wooden chicken coop. Everything was still. Only the steady chorus of crickets broke the silence. In that calm glow, a fox with russet fur—shimmering faintly under the moonlight—paced slowly around the coop. He lifted his nose to the air, sniffing, ears twitching at the slightest sound. His stomach growled. Tonight, he was determined not to go hungry.
Suddenly, he noticed a rooster perched high on a fence. The rooster’s feathers were fluffed up, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. He was positioned so cleverly that even if the fox jumped, he could never reach him. The fox was not discouraged. On the contrary, a sly smile crept across his face.
“If I can’t catch him with my claws,” he thought, “I’ll catch him with my words.”
In a cheerful, excited voice, he called out,
“Hey there! I bring wonderful news—news so good it will warm your heart!”
The rooster tilted his head and looked down.
“What kind of news is worth shouting about in the middle of the night?” he asked.
The fox spoke sweetly, as if he were the most harmless creature alive.
“Did you hear? The Lion, King of the Forest, has issued a great decree. From now on, there is peace across the land. Wolves, foxes, dogs, cats—none of us will harm birds, chickens, or roosters anymore. We are all brothers and sisters now!”
The rooster felt a wave of relief and smiled.
“That is truly wonderful,” he said. “And just in time, too. Look—someone is coming who should hear this happy news.”
The fox stiffened and glanced around nervously.
“Who might that be?”
Calmly, the rooster replied,
“The guard dog of the coop. He comes here every evening to protect us.”
At these words, fear clenched the fox’s heart. The dog was one of his greatest enemies. Peace decree or not, he had no desire to meet him face to face. Without another word, the fox turned and began to run.
The rooster called after him,
“Why are you leaving, Brother Fox? Weren’t we all friends now? Come, let’s tell the dog about this decree of peace together!”
While running, the fox shouted back,
“Ah, sadly, I don’t have time! What if the dog hasn’t heard the decree yet? He might misunderstand me. It’s better if I keep my distance!”
And with that, he disappeared into the darkness of the night.