The Fox as Shepherd

The Fox as Shepherd

Once there was a woman who kept a large farm with goats, sheep, and cows. Everything would have been fine except for one problem: she had no one to take the animals to pasture each day and watch them until evening.

“I need a good shepherd,” she decided. “Someone who can care for the herd and call loudly enough for every goat to hear.”

The first applicant was a bear.

“I can be your shepherd,” he rumbled. “I am big and strong. No one will come near the herd.”

“And how will you call the animals?”

The bear filled his lungs and roared.

The windows rattled, chickens scattered, and the goats jumped.

“No,” said the woman, covering her ears. “At that call my herd would run over three hills.”

The next day a wolf came.

“I am quick and watchful.”

“Call the herd.”

The wolf howled so loudly that the sheep crowded together in alarm.

“That will not do either.”

Then a fox peeped over the fence. Her tail was fluffy, her eyes bright, and her voice sweet.

“May I try?”

She sang in a clear little voice:

“Come along, come along,

Green is the grass and cheerful the song!”

The goats pricked up their ears. The sheep calmly walked toward the gate. Even the cows turned their heads.

“What a voice!” cried the woman. “You are hired.”

The fox bowed politely and thought:

“A beautiful beginning is the important thing. The rest will somehow work itself out.”

On the first morning, the woman entrusted the goats to her.

“Bring every one of them home by evening.”

The fox led them over the hill, singing. But soon she became bored. She chased a butterfly, investigated a mouse in the bushes, and forgot about the goats.

By the time she remembered, the pasture was empty.

That evening the woman asked:

“Where are my goats?”

“They are... near the stream. The grass is better there, so I thought they should stay a little longer.”

The next day she was given the sheep.

“Be more careful today.”

“Of course!”

But on the meadow the fox found a warm stone and decided to lie down for only a minute. When she woke, the sheep had wandered among the birches.

“Where are the sheep?” asked the woman that evening.

“Beyond the grove. Such a lovely place! I thought they should enjoy nature.”

On the third day came the cows.

This time the fox repeated to herself:

“Watch the cows. Only the cows. No butterflies. No mice. No naps.”

Then she smelled fresh berries.

“Only one.”

Then another.

And another.

When she returned, the cows were already wandering down a forest road in the wrong direction.

That evening the woman folded her arms.

“Well? Where are the cows?”

“In the forest. They are... exploring new pastures.”

The woman narrowed her eyes.

“I am going to see for myself.”

She followed the path and soon found tracks from goats, sheep, and cows. The animals had simply wandered away because their shepherd spent more time admiring the world than doing her job.

The woman called neighbors, and together they began gathering the animals.

Meanwhile the fox returned to the farmyard.

In the kitchen stood a large tub of fresh cream.

“What luck! After such a difficult shepherding day, I deserve a snack.”

She dipped her muzzle into the cream.

One lick.

A second.

A third.

She became so absorbed that she did not hear the door open.

The woman stood there.

“Aha! So this is how you work!”

The fox froze with white cream on her whiskers.

“I can explain...”

“You can explain on your way out!”

The fox dashed for the door. The woman waved a wooden spoon that still held a little cream.

A white splash landed right on the tip of the fox’s tail.

The fox did not even look back. Her tail vanished over the fence, red and fluffy with a white brush at the very end.

They say that is why foxes still have a white tip on their tails.

And the woman never again chose a worker simply for a beautiful voice. A sweet song is pleasant, but a true shepherd is known by what they actually do.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨