Why the Badger and the Fox Live in Burrows

Once upon a time, it is said, animals and livestock had no tails. Only the king of beasts—the lion—had a tail.

Life was hard for the animals without tails. In winter, they managed somehow, but when summer came, there was no escape from the flies and midges. How could they shoo them away? More than one animal, it was said, was tormented to death by horseflies and gadflies over the summer. You might as well scream for help when they attacked.

The king of beasts learned of this trouble and issued a decree that all animals should come to him to receive tails.

The king's messengers rushed to every corner, summoning the animals. They flew about, blowing trumpets, beating drums, and letting no one sleep. They spotted the wolf and delivered the king's decree. They saw the bull and the badger—they too were called. The fox, the marten, the hare, the elk, the wild boar—all were told what they must do.

Only the bear remained. The messengers searched for him for a long time and finally found him asleep in his den. They woke him, shook him, and ordered him to hurry for his tail.

But when has a bear ever been in a hurry? He trudged along slowly, step by step—plod, plod—looking around, sniffing for honey. He spotted a beehive in a linden tree. "The road to the king is long," he thought. "I need to fortify myself."

The bear climbed the tree, and there, in the hollow, was a hive full of honey. Overjoyed, he mumbled to himself and began tearing at the hollow, scooping up honey and stuffing his cheeks. When he had eaten his fill, he looked at himself—his fur was all sticky with honey and wood shavings! "How can I appear before the king in such a state?" he thought.

The bear went to the river, washed his fur, and lay down on a hillock to dry. The sun was so warm that before he knew it, he was snoring sweetly.

Meanwhile, the animals began gathering before the king. The fox was the first to arrive. She looked around, and there, in front of the king's palace, was a whole pile of tails: long ones, short ones, bare ones, fluffy ones...

The fox bowed to the king and said:

"Your Majesty! I was the first to respond to your royal decree. Allow me, therefore, to choose the tail I desire..."

Well, the king didn't care which tail the fox got.

"Fine," he said. "Choose a tail to your liking."

The cunning fox rummaged through the pile of tails, picked the most beautiful one—long and fluffy—and dashed back before the king could change his mind.

After the fox came the squirrel, who also chose a beautiful tail, though smaller than the fox's. Then came the marten, who also ran off with a fine tail.

The elk chose the longest tail, with a thick tuft at the end, to swat away horseflies and gadflies. The badger grabbed a wide, thick tail.

The horse took a tail made entirely of hair. She attached it, swished it to the right, to the left—it swatted well. "Now the flies are doomed!" she neighed joyfully and galloped off to her meadow.

The hare was the last to arrive.

"Where have you been?" said the king. "Look, I only have this little tail left."

"That's enough for me!" the hare rejoiced. "It's even better this way—easier to run from wolves and dogs."

The little hare attached the short tail where it belonged, hopped once, twice, and ran happily home. The king of beasts, having distributed all the tails, went to sleep.

Only in the evening did the bear wake up. He remembered that he had to hurry to the king for his tail. He looked, and the sun was already setting behind the forest. He took off at a gallop. He ran and ran, sweating profusely. When he reached the king's palace, there were no tails or animals left. "What am I to do now?" thought the bear. "Everyone will have tails, and I'll be the only one without one..."

The bear turned back and stomped angrily into his forest. As he walked, he suddenly saw a badger spinning around on a stump, admiring his fine tail.

"Listen, badger," said the bear, "what do you need a tail for? Give it to me!"

"What are you thinking, Uncle Bear?" the badger exclaimed in surprise. "How could I part with such a beautiful tail?"

"If you won't give it willingly, I'll take it by force," growled the bear, placing his heavy paw on the badger.

"I won't give it!" the badger shouted and struggled with all his might to escape.

The bear looked, and in his claws remained a piece of the badger's fur and the tip of his tail. He threw the fur away, attached the tail tip to himself, and went to finish the honey in the hollow.

The badger, terrified, couldn't find a place to hide. Wherever he went, he imagined the bear would come and take the rest of his tail. So he dug a large hole in the ground and settled there. The wound on his back healed, but a dark stripe remained. It has never faded to this day.

One day, the fox was running by and saw a hole. Inside, someone was snoring as if drunk. She crept in and saw the badger sleeping.

"What's this, neighbor? Is it too crowded above ground that you've gone underground?" the fox asked in surprise.

"Ah, little fox," sighed the badger, "you're right—it's crowded. If it weren't for searching for food, I wouldn't even come out at night."

And the badger told the fox why he found it crowded above ground. "Hmm," thought the fox, "if the bear coveted the badger's tail, then mine is a hundred times more beautiful..."

And she ran off to find a hiding place from the bear. She ran all night but couldn't find a safe spot. Finally, at dawn, she dug a hole just like the badger's, climbed in, covered herself with her fluffy tail, and fell peacefully asleep.

From that day on, the badger and the fox have lived in holes, and the bear has remained without a proper tail.

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Why the Badger and the Fox Live in Burrows

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