The Winter Quarters of the Animals

A bull was walking through the forest when he met a ram coming his way.

"Where are you going, ram?" asked the bull.

"I'm looking for summer to escape the winter," replied the ram.

"Come with me!"

So they went together, and soon they met a pig.

"Where are you going, pig?" asked the bull.

"I'm looking for summer to escape the winter," replied the pig.

"Come with us."

The three of them continued on their way, and soon they met a goose.

"Where are you going, goose?" asked the bull.

"I'm looking for summer to escape the winter," replied the goose.

"Well, follow us!"

So the goose followed them. As they walked, they met a rooster.

"Where are you going, rooster?" asked the bull.

"I'm looking for summer to escape the winter," replied the rooster.

"Follow us!"

So they all walked together, chatting among themselves.

"Brothers and comrades! The cold season is approaching. Where can we find warmth?" said the bull.

"Well, let's build a house, or else we might freeze in the winter," suggested the bull.

The ram replied, "I have a warm coat—look at all this wool! I'll survive the winter just fine."

The pig said, "I don't care about the cold. I'll burrow into the ground and survive without a house."

The goose said, "I'll sit in the middle of a fir tree, lay one wing down and cover myself with the other. No cold will bother me. I'll survive just fine."

The rooster said, "Don't I have wings too? I'll survive!"

The bull saw that things weren't going well. He realized he would have to take matters into his own hands.

"Well," he said, "do as you please, but I'm going to build a house."

So he built himself a little house and lived in it. When the cold winter arrived, the frost began to bite. The ram came to the bull and asked, "Brother, let me in to warm up."

"No, ram, you have a warm coat. You'll survive the winter just fine. I won't let you in!"

"If you don't let me in, I'll run and knock a log out of your house. It'll be even colder for you."

The bull thought for a while and decided, "Fine, I'll let him in, or else I might freeze too." So he let the ram in.

Then the pig got cold and came to the bull. "Brother, let me in to warm up."

"No, I won't let you in! You can burrow into the ground and survive."

"If you don't let me in, I'll dig up all the posts with my snout and knock your house down."

The bull had no choice but to let the pig in. Then the goose and the rooster came to the bull. "Brother, let us in to warm up."

"No, I won't let you in! You have two wings each. You can lay one down and cover yourself with the other. You'll survive just fine."

"If you don't let us in," said the goose, "I'll pluck all the moss out of your walls, and it'll be even colder for you."

"And if you don't let me in," said the rooster, "I'll fly up to the attic and scrape all the dirt off the ceiling. It'll be even colder for you."

What could the bull do? He let the goose and the rooster in.

So they all lived together in the little house. The rooster warmed up and began to sing songs.

A fox heard the rooster singing and wanted to feast on his meat, but how could she get him? The fox came up with a cunning plan. She went to the bear and the wolf and said, "Well, dear friends! I've found food for all of us: for you, bear—a bull; for you, wolf—a ram; and for me—a rooster."

"Good, little fox!" said the bear and the wolf. "We'll never forget your help. Let's go and kill them and eat!"

The fox led them to the house. The bear said to the wolf, "You go in first!"

But the wolf shouted, "No, you're stronger than me. You go in first!"

Fine, the bear went in. As soon as he entered, the bull lowered his head and pinned him against the wall with his horns. The ram charged and butted the bear in the side, knocking him off his feet. The pig tore and thrashed him to pieces. The goose flew up and pecked at his eyes. The rooster sat on a beam and shouted, "Bring him here, bring him here!"

The wolf and the fox heard the commotion and ran away!

The bear struggled and struggled, barely managing to escape. He caught up with the wolf and said, "What happened to me! I've never been so scared in my life. As soon as I entered the house, some woman with a pitchfork came at me... She pinned me to the wall! A whole crowd of people came running: some were hitting me, some were tearing at me, some were poking me in the eyes with a needle. And one guy was sitting on a beam, shouting, 'Bring him here, bring him here!' If they had brought me to him, I think I would've died!"

↑ To the top

The Winter Quarters of the Animals

More fairy tales