Once upon a time, long ago, there was a lovely forest.
In this forest lived the fox and the bear, in great friendship. In those days, the foxes were all red from the tip of their ears to the tip of their tails, and the bears' favourite treat was raisin loaf.
Once upon a time, on a day when the fox was baking calabash, the bear invited the fox to come and have a snack. They talked and chatted, while they prepared the delicacies.
Flour hissed into the bowl, milk splashed, butter dripped. The bear kneaded and kneaded the delicious dough, and the fox watched, watched how fast and how deftly his friend's arm moved. He licked the edge of his mouth, his hungry stomach churning.
When the bear turned to the pantry to get some raisins, he couldn't help himself and stuck his nose in the bowl to taste the cake.
But oh dear! The bear came back just as he was licking the pasta.
- What are you doing, you fox, hey! This isn't a fast-food restaurant!" he said, annoyed.
- I just smelled it, I didn't even bend over it! - the fox quickly turned to his friend. But his face was already covered in white fur. The pasta stuck when he stuck his tongue in the bowl. And as he took a step backwards in embarrassment, he even smashed the bowl with his big floppy tail. It spilled out all over the floor. There went the loaf, there went the delicious dough!
Oh, now the bear is really angry! He moved threateningly to catch the fox.
But the fox wasn't slow either, he ran where he could see! Then he would have hidden in the grass and bushes, but the white spot at the end of his tail always gave him away. As soon as the bear saw him, he jumped after him, chasing him through ditches and bushes.
The fox ran, ran as fast as he could. He was afraid to hide in the green.
He headed for the river, thinking that there he would take a bath and get rid of the sticky pasta. Behind a tree, he took a sudden jump to the right. And his tail swished to the left. Sure enough, the bear was a little behind, seeing nothing in the distance but the white blur. He followed it. So he turned away at the tree. Only in the opposite direction.
The fox was saved, at least for a breather. When he reached the river, he immediately dangled his tail into the water, but the pasta stubbornly clung to his fur, and he shook and moved it in vain.
But the fish liked the little white spot, and one of them bit it!
- "Ouch!" the fox was frightened, and pulled the fish and its tail onto the shore.
- Ni! This will make a good snack! You'll make a good feast! - he thought, and forgetting that he was running from the bear, he swung his tail back into the water. Then again, and again, until he had caught five shiny fish. He was pulling out the sixth when the stranded bear reached him. For he soon realised he had taken a wrong turn and quickly guessed that the fox was going to wash up in the water.
But when he saw all the fish, his anger was gone. Especially when his red friend invited him for a snack with his penitent face and innocent big button eyes.
They shared the fish nicely. They haven't eaten so well in a long time!
Since then, believe it or not, the bear prefers fish meat to scones.
And the fox walks through the forest with a white collar and a white patch on his tail. Who knows when he'll pull him out of his trap again?
If you want a fox dinnerware, check out the Story Plate page!
