Ivan Krylov
|
Russia

The Fox

A fox's tail gets stuck in ice; out of vanity, he delays freeing it but eventually learns to let go.
Sacrifice
Wisdom
Adaptability
Featured in Fable Book
The Fox
Audio available for B1 version

One cold winter morning, a fox went to drink water from a frozen pond. He bent down to sip, but his tail touched the icy surface and got stuck!

“Oh no,” thought the fox. “My beautiful tail! What should I do?”

The fox tried to pull his tail free. “If I tug hard, I might lose some fur,” he thought. “But I can’t ruin my tail—it’s so fluffy and golden!” He decided to wait for the ice to melt instead.

The fox sat by the pond, shivering and waiting. But the ice only froze harder, and his tail got even more stuck. Morning came, and the fox heard voices. The villagers were waking up!

“Now what do I do?” cried the fox. “If they see me like this, they’ll laugh at me!”

Just then, a wolf passed by. The fox called out, “Oh, dear friend! Please help me! My tail is stuck, and I can’t get free. If you don’t save me, I’ll be caught by the villagers!”

The wolf came closer and looked at the fox’s frozen tail. “I’ll help you, but I have only one idea,” said the wolf.

“Anything!” said the fox. “Just get me out of here!”

The wolf nodded. “I’ll bite off your tail, and then you’ll be free!”

The fox gasped. “My tail? But it’s so beautiful!” He thought for a moment. “What’s more important—my tail or my life?”

Finally, the fox agreed. The wolf bit the tail and freed the fox. The fox ran into the woods, relieved to be safe, even without his tail.

One freezing winter morning, a fox pranced up to a pond. "Ah, a refreshing drink to start my day," he said, peering at the frozen surface. "Nothing like a crisp sip of icy pond water to... uh... freeze my tongue? Bad idea." But he bent down to try anyway.

As he sipped, his tail brushed the ice. Suddenly, he froze—literally. "What’s this? My tail… my glorious, fluffy, Instagram-worthy tail… is stuck?!" He wriggled. He jiggled. But his tail wouldn’t budge.

“Oh, fantastic,” groaned the fox. “This is just how I wanted to spend my morning—stuck to a pond like some sort of furry popsicle!”

He tried to pull himself free, but it only made things worse. “Okay, think, think!” he muttered. “If I pull hard, I might lose some fur. But my tail is my brand! Without it, I’m just… a weird orange dog!”

He decided to wait for the ice to melt. So there he sat, shivering and muttering to himself. "Oh sure, Mr. Sun, take your time. Don’t rush on my account! I’ll just sit here, turning into a fox-sicle!"

But instead of melting, the ice got even harder. Morning arrived, and the sound of villagers waking up filled the air. Pots clanged, doors creaked, and someone sneezed loudly.

“Oh no,” whispered the fox, his ears twitching. “If they see me like this, they’ll point, they’ll laugh… I’ll be the headline of tomorrow’s village newsletter: ‘Fox Fails at Life: Tail Gets Stuck, Pride Also Frozen.’”

Just then, a wolf strolled by, humming a tune. The fox waved frantically. "Hey! Over here! Help me, please!"

The wolf stopped, blinking. "Whoa. What happened to you? Did you lose a bet or something?"

"Very funny," said the fox, rolling his eyes. "My tail is stuck! If you don’t help me, I’ll be caught by the villagers, and they’ll… they’ll put me in a zoo! Or worse—they’ll make memes about me!"

The wolf scratched his chin. “Hmm. Tricky situation. I’ll help, but there’s only one way out.”

“Anything!” cried the fox. “Just get me free!”

The wolf leaned in. “I’ll have to bite off your tail.”

The fox gasped. “My tail?! But it’s the best part of me! Look at it—so fluffy, so golden! It’s like a marshmallow on a stick!”

“Yeah, yeah,” said the wolf. “But unless you want to be the villagers’ new comedy show, I’d say your options are... limited.”

The fox groaned. “Great. What a choice: lose my tail or my dignity. Although, to be fair, dignity’s already halfway out the window…”

He sighed and nodded. “Fine. Do it. Just… try to make it quick. And gentle. Like a spa treatment. A really weird spa treatment.”

The wolf smirked. “You got it, Fluffy.” He chomped down, and with one swift bite—SNAP!—the fox was free!

The fox bolted into the woods, yelping, “Ouch, ouch, ouch! My tail! My beautiful tail!” But then he stopped, took a deep breath, and looked back at the wolf.

“Thank you,” he said. “You saved my life… and ruined my look. But mostly saved my life.”

The wolf grinned. “Anytime, buddy. Just maybe avoid ponds next winter.”

One frosty morn, the pond was still,
The fox went down to drink his fill.
But as he sipped, a shocking plight—
His tail got stuck in ice so tight!

“Oh no!” he gasped. “My golden tail!
Without it, I’d look weak and frail!”
He tugged and pulled with all his might,
But couldn’t free his tail that night.

The stars came out, the wind did blow,
The ice grew thick, the frost did grow.
The fox sat trembling, filled with dread,
“What will I do?” the poor fox said.

At dawn, he heard the village near,
The sound of people caused him fear.
“They’ll see me stuck and laugh at me!
I must get loose—I must break free!”

Just then, a wolf came strolling by,
And heard the fox’s helpless cry.
“Oh, Wolf!” he begged, “Please lend a paw!
I’m trapped in ice—I’m stuck and raw!”

The wolf drew close and gave a grin,
“I’ve got one way to save your skin.
I’ll bite your tail—it’s all I can do,
You’ll lose a piece, but you’ll be through!”

“My tail?” the fox cried, filled with dread,
“It’s soft and fluffy, golden-red!
But if I stay, I’ll surely see
The villagers all laughing at me!”

He thought it through, his choice was clear,
“Go on,” he said, “and bite it, dear.
For life is worth much more, you see,
Than any tail—please set me free!”

The wolf bit hard; the fox yelped loud,
Then off he ran, away he plowed.
No tail behind, but safe at last,
The danger now a thing long past.

Though he was tailless, he was wise,
For life is precious—that’s no surprise.
And so the fox, with heart still strong,
Ran through the woods, where he belong.

Share
Feedback

Word Finder

Understanding Questions

Word Finder
Understanding Questions
Reflection Questions
  1. Why did the fox get stuck in the frozen pond?
  2. Why was the fox hesitant to lose his tail at first?
  3. How did the wolf help the fox, even though it meant sacrificing something valuable?
  4. Can you think of a time when you had to make a difficult choice, like the fox did? What did you learn from it?
  5. What lesson does this story teach us about focusing on what is truly important in life?
Fable Quotes
Sacrifice is the choice between what is needed and what is cherished.
Wisdom is understanding what to hold on to, and what to let go.
The wise change their path when the road is blocked.
Just One More Fable

The powerful North Wind and the gentle Sun try to make a traveler take off his cloak to prove who is stronger. Which one will succeed?

Read More

When a farmer brings a bundle of sticks to his sons, they stop arguing. How did a simple bundle of sticks teach them?

Read More
About

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Buy a Book and Help Bring Fables to the World

Enjoy 25 selected fables for life, in print. Every purchase supports free stories for children, parents, and teachers worldwide at fablereads.com

Learn More