The Tricky Wolf and the Rats

Once upon a time, in a bustling forest, a Great Rat was the leader of a large group of smaller rats. He was wise and respected by all his little friends. In the same forest, a sly Wolf also lived. Seeing the large group of rats, the Wolf's mouth watered. He wanted to gobble them all up. But he couldn't figure out how to capture them. After much thought, he came up with a crafty plan.

The Wolf positioned himself near the home of the rats, standing only on his back legs. Seeing this strange sight, the Great Rat asked the Wolf, "Why are you standing on your back legs, Wolf?"

Pretending to be in pain, the Wolf replied, "I'm lame, Great Rat. My front legs hurt when I stand on them."

And then the Wolf opened his mouth wide. Seeing this, the Great Rat asked again, "Why is your mouth wide open?"

"I need as much air as I can get," said the Wolf. "Air is my only food because I cannot run or walk to hunt. I just stay here, trying to bear my condition without complaint." Saying this, the Wolf lay down, appearing pitiful.

The Great Rat felt sorry for the Wolf. Every morning and evening, he led his group of rats to visit and chat with the Wolf. And every time, as they were leaving, the cunning Wolf quickly caught and ate the last rat in line. He then wiped his mouth and pretended as if nothing happened.

As days passed, the rats started noticing that their numbers were getting smaller. They were confused and scared, and turned to the Great Rat for help. The Great Rat suspected the Wolf but wasn't completely sure.

The next day, he decided to switch the order. He told the rats, "You all go ahead of me today. I will follow at the end." The rats followed his instruction, and as the Great Rat was leaving, the Wolf pounced. But he was too slow. The Great Rat was able to dodge and escape.

"You've been pretending all along, Wolf!" the Great Rat exclaimed. "Your legs are not lame. And you're eating more than just air, aren't you? Your trickery ends here!"

With that, the Great Rat lunged at the Wolf's throat and bit him hard. The Wolf fell down and did not get up. From that day on, the Rats lived happily and peacefully, always reminding each other about the importance of being alert and not being fooled by appearances, no matter how convincing they may be.