Aesop
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Greece

The Eagle and the Fox

An eagle eats a fox cub, then her eaglets die in a fire, and the fox eats them as revenge.
Betrayal
Consequences
Justice
Aesop's Fables - The Eagle and the Fox
Audio available for B1 version

Once upon a time, an eagle and a fox became friends and decided to live near each other. The eagle built her nest in the branches of a tall tree, while the fox crept into the underwood and there produced her young. They agreed on this plan and lived in harmony.

However, one day the eagle was hungry and needed food for her young ones. She swooped down and caught one of the fox's cubs while the mother was away. The eagle feasted on the cub to feed her own babies.

When the fox returned and discovered what had happened, she was filled with sorrow and anger. She mourned for the loss of her young but was unable to take revenge on the eagle.

But fate took care of the revenge. One day, the eagle was hovering near an altar where some villagers were sacrificing a goat. She suddenly seized a piece of the flesh and flew with it, along with a burning cinder, to her nest. The hot coal set the eagle's nest on fire. The flames quickly spread, and the eaglets, as yet unfledged and helpless, were roasted in their nest and fell down dead at the bottom of the tree.

The fox, who had been watching from a distance, saw what had happened and seized the opportunity for revenge. She quickly gobbled up the eaglets in the sight of the eagle, who was powerless to stop her.

And so, the eagle and the fox's friendship came to a tragic end.

Once upon a time in a forest full of funny-looking trees and giggly streams, an Eagle and a Fox decided to be the best of friends. Eagle loved to fly super high, touching the clouds like they were fluffy pillows. Fox loved to scamper around, playing hide-and-seek with the shadows.

"Hey Fox, let's be neighbors! What do you think?" called out Eagle from her high-up branch.

"Sure, Eagle! But remember, bedtime is bedtime, no loud squawking!" replied Fox, and poof! They became next-door buddies. Eagle built a big, twiggy nest up in a tree, and Fox found a cozy spot in the bushes.

Life was all rainbows and hopscotch until Eagle's little babies got super hungry. "Mom, we want food!" they chirped.

Eagle looked around. "Hmm, no food here. What to do?" Then, she saw Fox's little ones playing below. "Ah, fast food it is!" So she swooped down and took one of Fox's babies for her own family's lunch.

When Fox found out, she was sadder than a rainy day. "Eagle! We were friends! How could you?" Eagle just shrugged. "A bird's got to eat!"

But don't worry, the forest had its own way of teaching lessons. One day, Eagle saw some people far away doing something with fire and a goat. "Yum, a free snack!" she thought. She swooped down, grabbed a piece of meat, and also a little burning piece of wood by accident. "Oops!"

She didn't know about the burning wood until her nest started to catch fire like dry leaves on a sunny day. Her nest went "Whoosh!" and her little ones couldn't escape. They became, well, very well-cooked.

Fox saw all this from far away. "Well, well, well, looks like what goes around, comes around!"

She ran over and didn't waste a minute. She ate up the crispy baby eagles while their mom watched, not able to do anything.

"Ah, nature has a funny way of teaching us lessons!" said Fox, and she pranced back to her den.

And so, the friendship between Eagle and Fox went up in smoke, just like Eagle's nest. Actions, you see, have a way of coming back around, like a ball in a game of catch. So be careful what you throw out into the world!

Best friends were Eagle and Fox, oh yes,
Living near trees and a bushy address.
High above, Eagle’s home touched the sky,
Fox's den was low, where the grass said hi.

Harmony reigned in their little nook,
Until one day, Eagle took a closer look.
Hungry were her chicks, tweeting for a bite,
So she took Fox's cub, gone from day to light.

Fox came home and saw the empty den,
Her heart grew heavy, she counted one less than ten.
Sad and angry, yet what could she do?
Revenge was tough when you can't fly too.

Then came a day, oh what a twist!
Fate stepped in with a clenched-up fist.
Eagle swooped down by a village so small,
Grabbed a flaming coal and goat meat, took it all.

Flying back, she didn’t see the spark,
That little coal made her home a lark.
Flames went up, her chicks couldn't flee,
Roasted and gone, like a sad decree.

Fox saw it all from her grassy floor,
Here was a chance, even up the score.
She ran to the tree, climbed with all her might,
Ate the eaglets up, in Eagle's sad sight.

The lesson here, if friends you betray,
A heavy price, you surely will pay.
So be good friends, loyal and true,
For one small act can break friendships in two.

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Understanding Questions

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think the eagle decided to take one of the fox's cubs?
  2. How did the fox feel when she found out what the eagle had done?
  3. Why do you think the fox chose to take revenge when the eagle's nest caught fire? Do you believe that was the right decision?
  4. What does this story teach us about friendship, trust, and consequences of our actions?
  5. In real life, we can make choices that are better than the ones the eagle and the fox made. How can we use the lessons from this story to be better friends and make better choices?

Fable Quotes

Trust, once broken, shreds the tapestry of friendship, casting shadows over joy.
The echo of our actions returns to us, louder and more forceful.
In life's grand theatre, unexpected acts often tip the scales of justice.
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