How the Cat Scared the Animals

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman. They had a cat. The old man wove baskets, the old woman spun yarn, and the cat went hunting for mice.

One day, the cat went into the forest to hunt and got lost. He searched and searched for the way home but couldn’t find it. He sat down under a spruce tree and began to cry.

A fox came running by. She saw the cat and stared in amazement—she had never seen such a creature in her forest before!

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Cat Murlykovich," he replied.

"And why are you crying, Cat Murlykovich?" The cat told her about his troubles.

"Hah," said the fox, "that’s no trouble at all! Come live with me. You’ll be my master."

"Alright," said the cat.

So, he went to live with the fox. She had plenty of chickens—roasted and boiled. The cat ate his fill and then fell asleep.

Meanwhile, a wolf came running through the forest: stomp-stomp, thump-thump!

The fox heard him, rushed out of her hut, and shouted:

"Who’s stomping and thumping in my forest? Who’s disturbing my master’s sleep?"

"And who is your master?" asked the wolf.

"My master is no ordinary master—he’s a mighty one, with a tail like a broom: one swipe, and he’ll kill you instantly!"

The wolf grew curious. He said:

"Could I, dear cousin, take just one little peek at your master?"

"Well, you can take a look," replied the fox, "but don’t come empty-handed. My master loves gifts."

"Alright, I’ll bring a gift," said the wolf, and he ran off.

The fox returned to her hut.

Meanwhile, a bear came lumbering through the forest: crash-bang, crash-bang, crash-bang!

The fox heard him, rushed out of her hut, and shouted again:

"Who’s crashing and banging in my forest? Who’s disturbing my master’s sleep?"

"And who is your master?" asked the bear.

"My master is no ordinary master—he’s a mighty one, with a tail like a broom: one swipe, and he’ll kill you instantly!"

The bear grew curious too. He said:

"Could I, dear sister fox, take just one little peek at your master?"

"You can take a look," said the fox. "But don’t come empty-handed. My master loves gifts."

"Alright, I’ll bring a gift," said the bear, and he went on his way.

A boar with sharp tusks and a gray hare also passed by. The fox scared them too with tales of her master. The animals gathered and thought hard: what gift should they bring for the fox’s master? They thought and thought, and finally the bear said:

"Here’s what, brothers: let’s prepare a delicious feast and invite the master and his hostess. Then we’ll see him for ourselves."

"Alright, let’s do that," agreed the animals. Then they thought hard again: what should they prepare for the feast?

They thought and thought, and finally the bear said:

"I’ll bring a log of honey."

"And I’ll bring a ram," said the wolf.

"And I’ll bring acorns," said the boar.

"And I’ll bring fresh cabbage," said the hare. They prepared the feast and then began discussing who should go to invite the guests. The bear said:

"I’m too fat; it’s hard for me to walk." The wolf said:

"I’ve already run too much; my legs hurt." The boar said:

"I’m not good at talking." And the hare said nothing. So, they decided to send him, as he was the fastest.

The hare ran to the fox’s hut, tapped on the window with his paw, squeezed his eyes shut in fear, and squeaked in a frightened voice:

"Good day, honorable hosts! The bear, the wolf, and the boar ask you to come visit them."

He said this all in one breath and then ran back.

The animals prepared to welcome their guests. They sat at the lavish table, waiting and talking about the fox’s master.

Then the hare said:

"No, brothers, it’s too scary to sit like this. Who knows what kind of master the fox has? What if he doesn’t like our feast and kills us all with his tail? Let’s hide and watch him from a distance first."

The animals agreed with the hare’s wise advice and began to hide.

The bear climbed up an oak tree, the boar buried himself in the moss, the wolf hid under a bush, and the hare hid in the grass.

Meanwhile, the fox took her master by the arm, and they set off to the feast.

They arrived at the clearing. The cat smelled meat and saw a whole ram lying there.

He bristled his fur, twitched his whiskers, and pounced on the ram.

As he ate, he purred: "Meow, meow!" The animals grew terrified. To them, it sounded like he was shouting, "More, more!"

"What a beast!" said the wolf. "I couldn’t handle such a horned creature in a day, and he still wants more..."

The boar lay in the moss and, out of fear, began to wag his tail. The cat thought it was a mouse coming out of a hole. He pounced and dug his claws into the boar’s tail.

The boar leapt up and ran! The branches cracked as he fled.

The cat got scared and jumped into the oak tree!

"Well," thought the bear, "he’s spotted me. I’d better escape while I can."

The bear fell out of the oak tree right onto the bush where the wolf was hiding. The wolf thought the fox’s master had attacked him. He jumped up and ran to escape the danger. The bear ran after him: crash-bang, crash-bang!

They ran so fast that the hare barely caught up with them an hour later.

When he did, he said:

"If you hadn’t listened to me and hidden, he would have eaten us all! What a fearsome beast!"

Meanwhile, the cat and the cunning fox enjoyed the feast and then returned home.

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How the Cat Scared the Animals

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