In the large forest, the animals’ houses were close to each other. They would reassure each other, ask about each other when one was absent, and visit each other when one was sick. One morning, the female deer met her neighbor the rabbit. She greeted him and said: “Peace be upon you.” The rabbit returned the greeting: “And upon you peace, oh neighbor deer. How are you? I haven’t seen you for some days, perhaps you were unwell.”
The Deer: “I am very busy with the young ones. I go in the early morning to get food for them, then I return to graze them and comfort them. Then I clean the house and organize it. Thus the day passes, and I go to sleep at night to prepare for the next day.”
The Rabbit: “I apologize to you, for I haven’t asked about you all these days.”
The Deer: “No harm to you, my dear neighbor. Life is full of occupations. Have you seen our neighbor the donkey today?”
The Rabbit: “No, I haven’t seen. Did something happen to him?”
The Deer: “I was passing before his house today and found his door locked. I knocked on the door several times but he didn’t answer me, and I’m very worried about him.”
The Rabbit: “I also haven’t seen him since yesterday. Let us ask about him.”
The rabbit and the deer went to the donkey’s house to inquire about the matter and know the reason for their neighbor’s absence. While they were waiting before the door, a dog passed and asked them: “Why are you standing before the donkey’s door?” They told him the dog: “He saw the donkey in the morning walking with a fox in the outskirts of the forest.”
The rabbit and deer were astonished and said: “This is strange. It’s not the donkey’s habit to walk with a fox. Let us go to the fox to ask about our neighbor.” The three animals went to the fox’s house and knocked on the door. The fox opened the door while in distress and asked them: “What do you want?”
The Three Animals: “We want to ask about our neighbor the donkey.”
The fox answered: “I don’t know anything about him.”
The dog said: “I saw him with you in the morning.”
The fox: “What do you mean? The donkey went away after that, and if you doubt my word, enter and search my house.”
The dog: “No need, we will search for him in another place.”
While they were on their way talking and astonished at the donkey’s absence, the dog stopped and said: “Look, isn’t this our neighbor the donkey’s head made of iron lying near the lion’s house?” The rabbit said: “The lion has eaten our neighbor, and he’s walking with it in the outskirts of the forest.”
The female fox said: “It’s not the donkey’s habit to walk in the forest alone. There’s a trick in the matter.” In this meantime, the fox was still in the lion’s house and said to him: “How are you, my master, after the delicious dinner yesterday? Do you mean the donkey?”
The fox: “Yes.”
The lion: “But how did you bring him here?”
The fox: “I deceived him.”
The lion: “Oh what a deceiving fox.”
After the animals knew the story of their neighbor the donkey’s head, they mourned the death of their neighbor the donkey and sat talking about his matter. Then the fox came pretending to cry and saying: “I had warned him of the dangers of the path, but he insisted on passing near the lions’ den.”
The rabbit said: “He didn’t go there before that, and doesn’t know the path, how did he go?”
The fox’s expression changed and said: “I don’t know. He was walking with me to ask me about the best paths to the beautiful house, so he guided me.” The rabbit said: “The donkey’s house is among the nearest houses.” The fox laughed, saying: “No, I was asking him about how to clean my house.”
Thus the animals knew that the fox had a role in killing the donkey, so they moved away from him and avoided him, and found no prey to present to the lion. The fox went to the lion’s house to apologize to him: “I apologize, I deceived you.” The lion said to him: “How will you bring another prey, and all the animals are staying away from you?” The fox said: “This is my work, and you will see. Wait, lion, and go hungry for several days.” And indeed, when the fox deceived him, he sent in his pursuit.
The fox went to the lion’s house and received him with a smiling face. The fox rejoiced. The lion said to him: “I have prepared a simple celebration for you. Please enter, come in.” The fox entered, and the lion closed the door and approached the fox to eat him. The fox said: “You deceived me until I entered you.” The lion: “My matter with you has ended, and I am now hungry, and I find no food except you.”
The fox: “You are tricking me, and what’s strange? You have deceived your neighbor the donkey before.” The fox said while looking at his last breaths: “I took the same reward.”