Once upon a time, there was an old man and his wife, and they had a little cat named Vasko. He was grey and fluffy, with white paws. But Vasko was getting old. He couldn't catch mice anymore. He just napped on the stove and waited for the sun to shine through the window.
One day, the old man said, "What should we do with him? He doesn't even earn his milk anymore."
And his wife said, "Maybe you could take him to the forest? He can live there."
So the old man put Vasko in a basket and carried him deep into the woods. He left the basket under an oak tree and went home.
The little cat sat there, feeling sad. Then he saw a red fox with a fluffy tail coming through the trees. She saw the cat and asked, "Who are you?"
The cat meowed proudly, "I am Mr. Kottsky, from faraway lands."
The fox was surprised. "Where do you live?"
"Nowhere, for now," sighed the cat.
"Come live with me!" said the fox. "My den is cozy and warm."
So they went together. The fox took Mr. Kottsky to her den, fed him a tasty chicken she had taken from the village, and gave him water from the spring.
The next day, the fox ran into the forest and met a wolf. He was big and grey, with yellow eyes.
"Listen, wolf," said the fox, "I have Mr. Kottsky living with me now! He is so strong and clever!"
The wolf twitched his ears. "What kind of mister is that?"
"Come visit and see for yourself. Just bring something yummy."
The wolf brought a goose, and the fox invited the bear, who came with a whole log of honey. They all came to the den.
Little Vasko sat by the entrance, purring and sunbathing. The wolf and bear had never seen a cat before.
"Oh," whispered the bear, "he's so small!"
"That's because he hasn't stood up yet!" said the fox quickly. "When he gets angry, he becomes really scary!"
The wolf put down the goose, and the bear placed the honey. Then they hid behind some bushes and watched.
The cat came out, sniffed the goose, and jumped on it! He shook it with his claws, feathers flying everywhere.
"More! More!" he purred.
But the wolf and bear heard, "Maw! Maw!" and got scared.
"He wants more!" whispered the bear. "He wants to eat us!"
And they ran—the wolf into a ravine, and the bear up a tree, even though it was hard.
The fox laughed. "Don't be scared! He's just a little cat!"
The animals came out of their hiding places and had a good laugh. They went up and properly met Mr. Kottsky. The bear even shook his paw.
From that day on, they all lived together as friends. The fox made her den bigger for the cat, the bear brought honey, and the wolf made sure no one hurt them. And little Vasko told them wonderful stories about people and villages, for he had seen many things in his long life.
And they were all so happy in the forest that I think they still live there together, helping one another.