The Cat, the Rooster, and the Fox

Listen: there once was an old man who had a cat and a rooster. The old man went to the forest to work, the cat brought him food, and the rooster was left to guard the house. At that time, a fox came by:

- Cock-a-doodle-doo, little rooster,
Golden comb,
Look out the window,
I’ll give you some peas,

So sang the fox, sitting under the window. The rooster stuck his head out of the window and looked around: who is singing here? But the fox grabbed him with her claws and carried him off to her hut. The rooster cried out:

- The fox has carried me away, carried the rooster through dark forests, through dense woods, along steep banks, over high mountains. Cat Kotofeyevich, save me!

The cat heard the cry and rushed in pursuit, caught up with the fox, rescued the rooster, and brought him home.

- Look, Petya, - said the cat to him, - don’t look out the window, don’t trust the fox: she’ll eat you and leave no bones behind.

The old man went back to the forest to work, and the cat brought him food. Before leaving, the old man told the rooster to guard the house and not to look out the window. But the fox really wanted to eat the rooster. She came to the hut and sang:

- Cock-a-doodle-doo, little rooster,
Golden comb,
Look out the window,
I’ll give you some peas,
And some grains too.

The rooster walked around the hut, silent, not responding. The fox sang her song again and threw some peas into the window. The rooster ate the peas and said:

- No, fox, you won’t fool me! You want to eat me... and leave no bones behind.

- Oh, come on, Petya! Would I really eat you? I just wanted you to visit me, see how I live, and take a look at my treasures!

And she sang in a sweet voice:

- Cock-a-doodle-doo, little rooster,
Golden comb,
Buttery head,
Look out the window,
I gave you some peas,
And some grains too.

The rooster looked out the window, and the fox grabbed him with her claws. The rooster cried out at the top of his lungs:

- The fox has carried me away, carried the rooster through dark forests, through dense woods, along steep banks, over high mountains. Cat Kotofeyevich, save me!

The cat heard the cry, rushed in pursuit, caught up with the fox, and rescued the rooster.

- Didn’t I tell you, Petya, not to look out the window? The fox will eat you and leave no bones behind! Be careful, listen to me! We’ll go far away tomorrow.

Once again, the old man went to work, and the cat brought him bread. The fox crept up under the window and sang her song again. She sang three times, but the rooster remained silent.

- What’s this, - said the fox, - has Petya gone completely mute today?

- No, fox, you won’t fool me! I won’t look out the window.

The fox threw some peas and wheat into the window and sang again:

- Cock-a-doodle-doo, little rooster,
Golden comb,
Buttery head,
Look out the window,
I have a big house,
A very big house,
In every corner,
A measure of wheat:
Eat, be full, and want no more!

Then she added:

- Yes, Petya, you should see all the wonders I have! Don’t listen to the cat! If I wanted to eat you, I would have done it long ago. But you see—I love you, I want to show you to the world and teach you how to live properly. Come on, Petya, show yourself! I’ll step around the corner!

And she hid behind the wall...

The rooster jumped onto the bench, stuck his head out the window, and the fox grabbed him—and that was that! The rooster cried out at the top of his lungs, but the old man and the cat were far away and didn’t hear his cries.

After some time, the cat returned home and saw that the rooster was gone; he had to rescue him from trouble. The cat immediately dressed up as a gusli player, took a club in his paws, and went to the fox’s hut. He arrived and began to play the gusli:

- Stren-bren, little gusli, golden strings! Is Foxafya at home, is she home with her children, one daughter Chuchka, another Podchuchka, a third Poday-chelnok, a fourth Podmeti-shestok, a fifth Trubu-zakroy, a sixth Ognya-vzduy, and a seventh Peki-pirogi!

The fox said:

- Go, Chuchka, see who’s singing such a lovely song?

Chuchka went out the gate, and the gusli player bonked her on the head—into the box she went, and he sang the same song again. The fox sent out another daughter, then a third, then a fourth, and so on. Each one who went out the gate—the gusli player did his job: bonk on the head—into the box! He took out all of the fox’s children one by one.

The fox waited for them but couldn’t wait any longer. “Let me see for myself!” she thought.

She went out the gate, and the cat swung his club, hitting her on the head—and she was no more! The rooster was overjoyed, flew out the window, and thanked the cat for saving him. They returned to the old man and lived happily ever after, prospering and thriving.

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The Cat, the Rooster, and the Fox

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