The Clever Fox and the Greedy Duck

The Clever Fox and the Greedy Duck

BY:Khan

It was the heart of winter. The forest, once green and full of life, now lay covered in a thick blanket of snow. Trees that had once been lush and green appeared pure white. The wind was sharp, and the cold was bitter. Silence had settled over the woods — not the peaceful kind, but the heavy stillness that came after days of snowfall.

Those animals who had been wise enough to store food before winter were now resting comfortably inside their burrows, enjoying the fruits of their preparation. But those who hadn’t planned ahead were struggling — shivering in the snow, wandering through the frozen woods in search of something, anything, to eat.

Among them lived a fox and his wife. The female fox, clever and foresighted, had gathered dry bread crumbs and bits of leftover food before winter arrived. Her husband, however, was lazy — one of those who preferred sleeping to hunting.

During warmer days, the fox often hunted fat rabbits and plump partridges for dinner. But now, with everything frozen and the prey hidden in their burrows, her collection of stale bread was the only thing keeping them from starving.

One night, when the rabbit was visiting his grandmother and the partridge was nowhere to be found, the fox couple had no choice but to eat those old, hard bread pieces. The next morning, the clever fox set out through the freezing forest, hoping to find something fresh to eat.

But after searching for hours, she returned empty-handed. Her husband, the lazy fox, was waiting impatiently at the entrance of their den.

“Did you find anything?” he asked, his voice full of irritation.

The vixen gave him a cold stare. “Find what? In this freezing weather, who do you think is out there to be found?”

“So we’ll have to eat stale bread again?” he grumbled.

“Workless mouths shouldn’t complain about food!” she snapped. “You never help. Maybe try hunting for once in your life!”

Muttering in frustration, she brought out the box where she had stored the stale bread pieces and placed them in front of him. “Until we find something better, this is what we’ll have to survive on.”

She began chewing the dry pieces, while the male fox sat staring at them with disgust. “My teeth ache from these hard crumbs,” he said after a moment. “I wish I could have some fresh meat today.”

“Wishes don’t fill stomachs,” she said bitterly. “You want everything without lifting a paw. I must be the unluckiest fox alive, married to such a lazy fool!”

The male fox said nothing. But after a while, hunger forced him to pick up a piece of bread and chew reluctantly. Just then, a faint fluttering sound broke the silence. The foxes looked up — four ducks were circling in the sky, and moments later they landed nearby, pecking at the snow.

The ducks noticed the foxes eating something and waddled closer, hoping they might get a few crumbs. The vixen turned her back — she had worked hard to collect those scraps and wasn’t about to share them. But her husband, moved either by boredom or foolishness, picked up a large bread piece and tossed it toward the ducks.

Instantly, all four ducks rushed toward it, but one strong, plump duck snatched the piece and swallowed it whole.

The male fox threw another piece. Again, the same greedy duck seized it before the others could touch it.

A third piece followed, and once again, the same duck got it.

The vixen turned furiously toward her husband. “Are you out of your mind? Why are you wasting our food?”

“My stomach hurts from these dry crumbs,” he said calmly. “I’m just feeding the ducks.”

And with that, he tossed a fourth and fifth piece. Each time, the greedy duck claimed them all, bullying her companions away. The other ducks quacked angrily, but the glutton beat them off with her wings.

The vixen shook her head. “What a greedy creature — she’s eating everyone’s share!”

Her husband didn’t respond. Instead, he kept throwing the crumbs closer and closer to where he sat.

Finally, after devouring so much, the greedy duck’s belly became round and heavy. She could barely walk, let alone fly. Yet she still waddled toward the fox, hoping for more.

“That’s enough!” the vixen shouted. “You’ve given away everything we had!”

The male fox didn’t even look at her. He tossed one last piece, landing it just beside him. The greedy duck couldn’t resist — she stepped closer, then a little closer still. And in the very next moment, the fox sprang forward and caught her in his jaws.

The duck tried to flap her wings, but she was too full to escape. The other three ducks squawked in alarm and flew off into the pale sky.

Triumphantly, the male fox carried the plump duck into their den. He plucked her feathers and presented the meat to his wife.

“I may be lazy,” he said proudly, “but I’m not foolish. Now you see why I fed her all our bread.”

The vixen looked at him in surprise, her anger melting into admiration. “You truly are clever,” she admitted.

Together, they enjoyed the warm, delicious duck meat while the snow fell quietly outside their den.

From that day on, the vixen never again called her husband lazy — though deep down, she knew it wasn’t hard work but clever thinking that had saved them from another hungry night.


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Moral:
Clever thinking and patience can achieve what strength or hard work sometimes cannot. Even the laziest can outsmart the cleverest when the time comes.