Vishnu Sharma
|
India

The Wolf and the Crane

A wolf tricks a helpful crane who removes a bone from his throat in exchange for a promised reward.
Trust
Betrayal
Gratitude
Panchatantra Fables - The Wolf and the Crane
Audio available for B1 version

Once upon a time in a big forest, a smart wolf lived. One day, while eating his food, a small bone got stuck in his throat. The wolf was in a lot of pain and could not eat, drink, or even breathe well. He wanted to find a way to fix his problem.

The wolf started looking for help from other animals, but they were all scared of him. Then, he found a crane, who was fishing near a pond. The wolf asked the crane for help.

"Dear friend," said the wolf, "I have a bone stuck in my throat, and it hurts a lot. I cannot eat, drink, or breathe well. If you can help me take it out with your long beak, I will be very thankful and give you a big reward."

The crane was scared at first, thinking the wolf might eat him once the bone was out. But he chose to help the wolf, hoping for the reward.

The crane carefully put his long beak into the wolf's throat and took out the bone. The wolf felt better and thanked the crane. The crane then asked for his reward.

But the tricky wolf laughed and said, "You should be happy I did not bite your head when it was in my mouth. That is your reward."

The wolf walked away, and the crane was left feeling sad and cheated.

Once upon a time, a clever wolf lived in a big forest. One day, while eating, a small bone got stuck in his throat. The wolf was in a lot of pain. He could not eat, drink, or breathe well. He needed to fix his problem.

The wolf looked for help from other animals, but they were all scared of him. Then, he saw a crane fishing near a pond. The wolf asked the crane for help.

"Dear friend," said the wolf, "I have a bone stuck in my throat. It hurts a lot. I cannot eat, drink, or breathe well. If you help me take it out with your long beak, I will give you a big reward."

The crane was scared. He thought the wolf might eat him after taking out the bone. But he decided to help the wolf, hoping for the reward.

The crane carefully put his long beak into the wolf's throat and took out the bone. The wolf felt better and thanked the crane. The crane then asked for his reward.

The tricky wolf laughed and said, "You should be happy I did not bite your head when it was in my mouth. That is your reward."

The wolf walked away, and the crane felt sad and cheated.

Once upon a time, a clever wolf lived in a big forest. One day, while eating, a small bone got stuck in his throat. The wolf was in a lot of pain. He could not eat, drink, or breathe well. He needed to fix his problem.

The wolf looked for help from other animals, but they were all scared of him. Then, he saw a crane fishing near a pond. The wolf asked the crane for help.

"Dear friend," said the wolf, "I have a bone stuck in my throat. It hurts a lot. I cannot eat, drink, or breathe well. If you help me take it out with your long beak, I will give you a big reward."

The crane was scared. He thought the wolf might eat him after taking out the bone. But he decided to help the wolf, hoping for the reward.

The crane carefully put his long beak into the wolf's throat and took out the bone. The wolf felt better and thanked the crane. The crane then asked for his reward.

The tricky wolf laughed and said, "You should be happy I did not bite your head when it was in my mouth. That is your reward."

The wolf walked away, and the crane felt sad and cheated.

Once upon a time in a forest filled with wise old trees, chatty squirrels, and disco-dancing butterflies, a smart wolf lived. And when I say "smart," I mean he knew his stuff – from wolf-style cooking to "Wolf-fu" martial arts. But even smart wolves make silly mistakes.

One day, while munching on his gourmet lunch, he found himself in a rather sticky situation. A small bone got stuck in his throat! He tried everything to get it out: jumping up and down, gargling water, even trying to sing an opera note. But the bone stayed put.

The wolf, now in a considerable amount of pain, and quite annoyed, decided, "Well, this simply won't do! I have to find some help. I hope they won't run away."

And so, our fine wolf started looking for help, but the other animals were all like, "A wolf? Asking for help? No thank you, mate!" They were too scared of him, possibly because of his fabulous haircut. Or maybe it was the teeth.

Then, he found a crane, who was fishing near a pond and probably working on his stand-up comedy routine. The wolf approached the crane, put on his most charming smile, and said, "Dear friend, I've got this bone stuck in my throat, see? It's rather painful, like wearing socks with sandals. If you could help me take it out with your long beak, I'll give you a big reward. Maybe some backstage passes to the next forest concert?"

The crane was scared at first and thought, "Oh dear, he might just eat me once the bone's out. But that reward does sound intriguing."

He chose to help the wolf, hoping for the reward. With the finesse of a crane-operating crane, he carefully put his long beak into the wolf's throat and took out the bone.

The wolf felt better and said, "Oh, that's a relief! It's like taking off a tight pair of shoes after a long day. Thank you, dear crane!"

The crane then asked for his reward, expecting something fabulous.

But the tricky wolf laughed, wagging his tail, "Reward? My dear feathered friend, you should be happy I didn't mistake your head for dessert! That is your reward."

The wolf sashayed away, leaving the crane feeling like he'd just told a joke and nobody laughed.

And the moral of the story, kiddos? Always get your promises in writing. Or maybe just avoid wolves with fabulous haircuts.

Amidst the woods so vast and great,
Lived a wolf, a master of his fate.
But one unlucky, fateful noon,
A bone he swallowed, causing doom.

His throat was tight, he gasped for air,
Seeking help, he went everywhere.
But all the creatures, big and small,
Feared the wolf and would not heed his call.

Beside a shimmering pond so clear,
A crane was fishing without fear.
The desperate wolf approached and said,
"Help me, or soon I might be dead!"

"With your beak so slender and long,
Remove this bone, right the wrong.
A handsome reward, you’ll surely see,
For saving a wolf, like me."

Though scared, the crane chose to aid,
Hoping for the reward as promised, not betrayed.
Delicately, with precision and care,
He removed the bone, making the wolf's throat bare.

Relief washed over the wolf's face,
But he turned cunning, leaving the crane in a daze.
“For your reward,” the wolf did jest,
“Be glad I didn't bite, that's the best!”

Away he strode, the sly wolf sly,
While the crane pondered, with a heavy sigh.

Share
Feedback

Word Finder

  1. Clever

    Smart and quick at solving problems.

  2. Throat

    The part inside your neck for eating and breathing.

  3. Pain

    The feeling when something hurts a lot.

  4. Scared

    Feeling afraid or frightened of something.

  5. Fishing

    Catching fish from water using a rod or net.

  6. Reward

    Something given in return for helping or doing good.

  7. Carefully

    Doing something with great attention and caution.

  8. Tricky

    Being clever in a way that can trick or deceive.

  9. Cheated

    Feeling someone has been unfair or dishonest to you.

  10. Beak

    The hard, pointed part of a bird's mouth.

Understanding Questions

  1. Why did the wolf need help from the other animals?
  2. How did the crane feel when the wolf asked for help, and why?
  3. What did the wolf promise the crane in exchange for his help?
  4. How did the crane help the wolf with his problem?
  5. What did the wolf say to the crane after the bone was removed, and how did the crane feel about it?

Word Finder

  1. Clever

    Smart and quick at solving problems.

  2. Throat

    The part inside your neck for eating and breathing.

  3. Pain

    The feeling when something hurts a lot.

  4. Scared

    Feeling afraid or frightened of something.

  5. Fishing

    Catching fish from water using a rod or net.

  6. Reward

    Something given in return for helping or doing good.

  7. Carefully

    Doing something with great attention and caution.

  8. Tricky

    Being clever in a way that can trick or deceive.

  9. Cheated

    Feeling someone has been unfair or dishonest to you.

  10. Beak

    The hard, pointed part of a bird's mouth.

Understanding Questions

  1. Why did the wolf need help from the other animals?
  2. How did the crane feel when the wolf asked for help, and why?
  3. What did the wolf promise the crane in exchange for his help?
  4. How did the crane help the wolf with his problem?
  5. What did the wolf say to the crane after the bone was removed, and how did the crane feel about it?

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think the crane decided to help the wolf, even though he was scared?
  2. How do you think the crane felt when the wolf didn't give him the promised reward?
  3. Can you recall a time when you helped someone, expecting nothing in return?
  4. What does this story teach us about trust, promises, and dealing with individuals known for not being honest?
  5. How can we apply the lesson from this story in our own lives to understand the importance of keeping promises and treating others fairly?

Fable Quotes

Think carefully before you trust the promises of those who are known to be unkind.
Betrayal is a promise broken, a reward ungiven, a helper forgotten.
Gratitude is lost when deceit replaces appreciation, leaving behind a bitter aftermath of broken trust.
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.