Once upon a time, deep in the woods, lived Sister Fox and Brother Wolf. Sister Fox had soft red fur and a white tip on her bushy tail. Brother Wolf was big and grey, with shaggy fur and great big paws.
One winter morning, Sister Fox ran past the frozen river. She saw a bucket of fish that fishermen had left on the bank. Quick as a wink, she grabbed a few fish and hid them under a bush. Just then, along came Brother Wolf. He was hungry and sad.
"Sister, where did you get that fish?" he asked.
Sister Fox narrowed her eyes. "I caught them myself! I put my tail in a hole in the ice."
"How?" wondered Wolf.
"Easy," said Fox. "Find a hole, drop your tail in, and wait. The fish will stick to it!"
Brother Wolf was so excited! He ran to the river, found a hole, and stuck his long tail in. He sat and waited. But the frost grew colder, and the water around his tail began to freeze.
Sister Fox watched from a distance. Suddenly, she felt terrible. She remembered how Brother Wolf had shared his last bit of meat with her when she was sick last winter.
"Oh, what have I done!" she whispered.
She ran as fast as she could to the river. "Brother Wolf, pull out your tail!" she cried. "I was just joking! I'm sorry! That's not how you catch fish!"
Brother Wolf yanked his tail free just before the ice could grab it. He jumped back, shook himself — his tail was wet and cold, but safe.
"You tricked me," he said sadly.
"I'm sorry," said Fox softly. "I wasn't thinking. Come, I'll show you where the fishermen leave their fish. We'll share."
Brother Wolf thought for a moment. He was hurt, but he saw that Sister Fox truly felt sorry.
"All right," he said. "But no more tricks."
They walked together. Sister Fox brought out the fish from under the bush and gave the biggest part to Wolf.
"This is for you," she said, "because you are kinder than me."
Brother Wolf smiled. They sat under a big old pine tree and ate together. Snowflakes fell softly all around, and the forest was quiet.
From that day on, Sister Fox tried to be less tricky. And whenever she felt like fooling someone, she remembered how Brother Wolf had trusted her — and how good it felt to do the right thing.
So they lived — Sister Fox, learning to be honest, and Brother Wolf, who knew how to forgive.