Fox in the tiger’s den

Once upon a time there lived a fox and his wife. The she fox has come her time to deliver baby. She was always worried about her husband’s easy going nature despite knowing that his wife is going to give the birth within a month. The female fox always was thinking where she would give her birth. One early morning, her husband was ready to go out for roaming. The wife said, “My time to deliver the baby is expected within this month. But everyday you are going here and there.” She asked, “Why don’t you seek our hiding place till date? Where would be placed my children after giving birth?” The husband replied promisingly, “Oh! My dear, don’t worry, I am behind you. I will arrange each and everything for your happiness”. The wife in believe of her husband remained silent and said nothing about her hiding hole. One day the he fox went out his food in the morning. On the way he came across a large dead elephant belonging to the king. The fox tried his best to bite the flesh of the largest land animal. Indeed, the large body was covered with thick, rough, grey skin. He went around the large animal to bite the flesh but all attempts were in vain.

A horde of vultures with their strong beaks were piercing the anus of the dead animal and taking the flesh from it. As the vultures were taking the flesh, there was a long hollow inside the dead animal. Seeing it, the fox watered on his mouth. He yelped and dispersed the vultures. Then, he entered the hole and took his meal inside it. While the fox was inside the hole, the king’s guards arrived near the dead elephant. Upon their arrival, the fox, known for its cleverness and cunning spoke out to the rushing guards as if he was dead alive elephant. The fox masquerading as the dead alive elephant said, “For the past many years I am being used by the king and his noblemen for the welfare of the people. To serve them, I am very tired and exhausted. Besides, I am not taking proper foods for the past many days. Now I am taking a rest here.” The guards who were searching the elephant for the past many days were surprised to hear it. The elephant further said, “If I get up with an act of shaking, I may fall again. If I fall again, there may be trouble by falling upon you. Now all of you go away from me. Don’t come near me”. The guards hung their heads on the ground and stayed aloof from the elephant on hearing the precaution measures. From inside the hole, the wily fox saw what the royal guards were doing. Taking the advantage, he ran out from inside the hole as fast as he could. When the surprised royal guards saw the fox running out of the elephant’s hollow anus, they gave a hot chase to the trail of bloody footprint left behind by the fox that ran towards a thick forest. The guards encircled the forest.

On his run for life, the fox met a tiger. The fox rushed to the tiger and said, “Oh! Son-in-law, can you hear the noisy sound of the human being?” The tiger replied, “Yes, I also heard the sound”. But the tiger asked, “Hey! Brother-in-law, what happened?” The fox replied, “The king of this land proposed me to be his son-in-law. The king wanted to be betrothed his only daughter to me. After getting married I was asked to stay with the princess at the royal palace. Though, I rejected the proposal, the king’s guards are trying to arrest me for betrothing the princess. In their attempts to trap me, the guards encircled the forest”. The cunning fox made yet another trick to the tiger and said, “Oh! My son-in-law, you are wise and ferocious. You deserve to be the son-in-law of the king by setting marriage with the princess”. When the fox expressed the praising words, the tiger felt very happy. He wanted to be the son-in-law of the king and wanted to take delicious foods in the royal palace to lead a happy life. The tiger who was fed up with the jungle life said, “Ah! My brother-in-law, I agreed your proposal”. The clever fox then said, “As you agreed upon my proposal, you disclose your secret escape route to me. I will escape for life”. The happy tiger identified the secret route. The cunning fox, passing through the dense forest escaped from the clutches of the angry royal guards. The female fox saw his husband running as fast as he could. She was feeling worry for her husband. The male fox with a bated breath came towards the female fox who asked her husband what happed. The male fox told the whole stories to his wife.

After hearing the stories, the female fox was more anxious and said, “What shall we do now?” The husband said, “Oh! My darling, don’t worry. The foolish tiger would be killed by the guards. The foolish deserve to die for the cause of my life”. The male fox further said that it not necessary to talk about the foolish tiger. We have to change the topic. So the male and female foxes spent the night happily. The next morning, the female fox asked her husband where she would have to deliver her baby. She demanded to find a lair. She told her husband that her time to deliver the baby was almost completed. As the male fox did not arrange for his lair, both of them started roaming to find a place where their baby would be delivered there. After an exhausted roaming and searching, they found a den of the tiger. When they came at the den, no one was there. The tiger was out of his den. He had gone out to search foods in the jungles. The she fox gave her babies at that den. The male was more cunning than the female. The male fox was afraid of staying with his wife. He was thinking, his life would be in danger if the tiger return to his den. So he stayed aloof from the den. When the tiger returned, he sprang a surprise to hear the sound of babies at his den. He asked himself which ferocious animal would be dared to enter at his den and delivered the babies there. He was also feeling of afraid to enter at his den. After thinking several times on this thought provoking matter, the tiger had finally left the area and searched out any animal for finding a solution therein. On his way, he found a monkey, the wisest of all beasts.

The tiger come closer to the monkey and said, “Oh! My brother-in-law, one of the ferocious animals had delivered her babies at my den. The animal in question would not be a simple one because of his dare to occupy my den. The ordinary animal would not have power and strength to occupying my den and delivered their babies there.” Saying this, the tiger asked the monkey to see who was occupying  the den. So the monkey went first and the tiger followed the wisest animal. They were coming towards the den. The she fox who was in the den protecting her newly born babies saw coming of the monkey and the tiger in the far distance. She was thinking how to disperse them from the surrounding area of the den. So the male fox was also thinking to stay away the tiger and monkey. The male fox was feeling fear as the ferocious tiger may attack his wife and children. While the monkey was taking a glimpse at the den with the thinking that it would be female fox who was delivering the babies, the female fox yelped in her top voice.  She thundered, “Hey! Ugly monkey when your wife delivered her babies, I came along with three ferocious tigers and presented delicious foods to you. Today, I delivered only one baby. But you came along with only one tiger. You deserved ashamed of my offertories. You ugly one, why are you looking at me face in grimace? I don’t  like to see your face, nor do I like your presentations. Go away from me.”

The monkey was indeed in grimace when he heard the angry words coming from the den. He felt ashamed before the tiger. The tiger that was behind the monkey was also in deep thought momentarily. The tiger was whispering to himself, ”When I proposed the monkey to see my den, he had agreed with smiling face. This had clearly indicated that I was accompanying with him to present the offertories of foods to that animal.” “It is impossible to offer the foods”, the tiger murmured. In a fit of anger, the tiger wanted to kill the monkey for receiving the affront. Sensing the angry mood of the tiger, the monkey managed to aloof from the ferocious animal and he climbed up a tree grown at the nearly. The tiger was very angry but did not enter at his den. His eyes were red; whiskers began trembling; he left the area and went away to make yet another den. After the raging tiger was out of his sight, the male fox that was in hiding because of fear for his life approached towards his wife and said, “Oh! My lovely heart, I am very pleased with your wisdom and witticism. You are not only beauties but also have courage to avert any possible difficulties. You deserve to be my wife”. The female fox smiled her face when her husband praised her beauties, wisdom, witticism and courage.