The Fox Confessor

One day, a fox wandered through the forest all night long without eating. At dawn, she ran into a village, climbed into a peasant's yard, and made her way up to the chicken roost.

Just as she crept up and was about to grab one of the hens, it was time for the rooster to crow. Suddenly, he flapped his wings, stamped his feet, and let out a loud crow. The fox was so frightened that she fell off the roost and lay sick with a fever for three weeks.

One day, the rooster decided to go for a walk in the forest to stretch his legs, and the fox, who had been waiting for him for a long time, hid behind a bush and waited to see when the rooster would come by.

The rooster spotted a dry tree, flew up onto it, and sat there.

Meanwhile, the fox grew bored of waiting and decided to lure the rooster down from the tree. She thought and thought, and finally came up with a plan:

"I'll try to tempt him!"

She approached the tree and began to greet him:

- Hello, Petenka!

"Why has the devil brought her here?" thought the rooster.

But the fox began her tricks:

- Petenka, I wish you well—I want to guide you onto the right path and teach you wisdom. You, Petya, have never been to confession. Come down to me and repent, and I will absolve you of all your sins and won't make fun of you.

The rooster began to descend lower and lower, and ended up right in the fox's paws. She grabbed him and said:

- Now I'll give you a hard time! You'll answer for everything: remember your misdeeds! Remember how I came on that dark autumn night, wanting to take just one little chicken—I hadn't eaten for three days—and you flapped your wings and stamped your feet!..

- Oh, fox! - said the rooster. - Your words are so kind! Wise princess! Soon, our bishop will have a feast; at that time, I will ask for you to be made a church baker, and we will have soft communion bread, sweet offerings, and good fame will spread about us.

The fox loosened her grip, and the rooster flew up onto an oak tree.

More fairy tales

• The Cunning Goat
• The Snow Maiden
• The Soldier's Overcoat
• The Petrified Kingdom
• The Winter Quarters of the Animals