Once upon a time, there was a large forest containing homes designated for animals. Those homes were close to each other, so each would visit the others. If one of them was absent, they would all ask about them. One day, the monkey and his neighbor the gazelle met.
The monkey said, “Peace be upon you, my neighbor. How are you? Many days have passed and we haven’t seen you.”
The gazelle, “And peace be upon you, my dear neighbor. I’m extremely busy with my little ones. I wake up every morning early to bring food, then return quickly to take care of their affairs and all the house’s affairs.”
The monkey, “I apologize for my absence throughout this period.”
The gazelle, “No harm, my neighbor. Life preoccupies everyone like this. Have you seen our dear neighbor the wild donkey? I was passing in front of his home today and found the door closed. I knocked on the door more than once, but without response. I feel anxious about him.”
The monkey, “I haven’t seen him since yesterday either. Come, let’s ask about him.”
The monkey and gazelle went together until they reached the wild donkey’s home. While they were waiting in front of his home, his dear friend the dog passed by. The dog asked them, “Why are you standing here, neighbors?” He told them he had seen him in the early morning in the company of the fox at the forest’s edges. The two were amazed, as the wild donkey wasn’t accustomed to walking with the fox.
Here the three neighbors decided to all go to the fox’s home. When they reached his home, they knocked on his door, and he came out to them saying, “What do you want?”
The dog, “We wish to ask you about the wild donkey.”
The fox, “I don’t know, and I know nothing about him.”
The dog, “I saw him with you in the morning.”
The fox, “What do you mean? He went alone afterwards. If you suspect my words, search my home.”
The dog, “No need for that. We’ll search for our neighbor in another place.”
While the neighbors were on their way searching for the wild donkey, suddenly the dog stopped and said, “Look, this is the leg of our dear neighbor, the wild donkey, and it has his hoof made of iron. Look… and this is the other foot.”