The Shepherd and The Young Wolf

Once upon a groovy time, a shepherd was chillin' with his wooly gang of sheep and his high-energy pup crew. "Y'know, life is a party!" he'd say. One day, he stumbled upon a baby wolf, looking all lost and a wee bit goofy.

"Hey, little furball," said the shepherd, "You lost or just out for a casual stroll?" The shepherd had an idea. "Let's make this wolf an honorary member of our Wooly-Pup Fan Club!"

So the young wolf moved in, learned the secret handshake, and even got a "Best Pup Pal" certificate. He got along with the dogs like toast and jam. Oh, and they played tag, did the doggy paddle, and even had sleepovers.

But you know what they say: "You can take the wolf out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the wolf!" Well, this wolf was up to some cheeky business.

The dogs were like, "Hey, we scared off those bad wolves again! Go team!" They'd do a little victory dance and then get distracted by their own tails. Meanwhile, our young wolf buddy would sneak off with a sheep to a secret place he called "Snackville."

"Ah, time for some one-on-one, eh? Just a nibble, no one will know," he'd whisper to the sheep, taking a little nibble.

But, ah-ha! The shepherd was no dummy. One day, he realized he was missing a sheep from his flock. "Wait a minute, it's like counting your cookies and finding one less. Someone's been munching!"

So, he followed some paw-prints that suspiciously looked like they belonged to his young wolf buddy. What did he find? That’s right, the young wolf and the missing sheep, in a place that definitely was NOT on the list of approved play areas.

"Ah, Snackville! So this is your VIP lounge, eh?" said the shepherd, feeling all sorts of disappointed. "I thought we were a team, mate!"

With a heavy heart, the shepherd knew what he had to do. He took the young wolf and gave him a time-out that would last forever, hanging him from a tree.

"Sorry, buddy," said the shepherd, "Sometimes, you can change your address, your friends, and even your favorite chew toy. But some habits? They stick with you."

And so, the shepherd, the dogs, and the sheep continued on, now a bit wiser and a whole lot more careful about whom they gave "Best Pup Pal" certificates to.

A shepherd found a pup, you see,
A wolf, but cute as cute can be.
He raised it with his dogs so fine,
In pastures green, beneath the pine.

The pup and dogs got on quite well,
Their friendship grew, as one could tell.
They chased away wolves, fast and sly,
Protecting sheep beneath the sky.

But listen close, here comes the twist:
A sneaky plan was on the list.
The wolf pup thought, "A nibble, small,
Won't really harm the flock at all."

When dogs looked left, the pup went right,
Led a sheep away, out of sight.
A hidden spot, the young wolf's treat,
To nibble paws and maybe bleat.

The shepherd saw his sheep were few,
He followed tracks like good men do.
His eyes met pup's, his heart sank low,
The trust was broken, this he'd know.

Though heavy was the shepherd's heart,
He knew the pup and flock must part.
So high upon a branch, a tree,
The pup was hung, and flock set free.