It was by unhappy chance that the
Grey Wolf was lounging one day near where the Hen and the Cock were having
their squabble. “All day you strut about the roost, and I know you have eyes
for the other Hens,” the Hen said in jealousy. “That is no more than my common
way, what Cocks as I do.” Enraged by this response, the Hen struck first,
plucking at the Cock with her beak. But it was the Cock that took the day with
ferocity. He took to plucking her and scratching at her with his feet, sending
her away in fright. The Wolf, wishing to stay out of this unpleasant business,
decided to take his lounging elsewhere.
Knowing
that the animals of the forest would take sides, the Hen took to spreading her
side of the story with great vigor. As it passed from one animal to the other,
the story grew and grew. Some time later the Grey Wolf was approached by the
gossiping Squirrel, who took to rousing him. He said “Wolf, have you heard what
was done upon the red Hen? It was the Cock! He plucked at the Hen as she
helplessly tried to save her eggs from his terror!” He went on, “You, as the
great strength of the forest, must act against the Cock so to restore the Hen’s
honor!” The Wolf, having had seen the altercation and knowing that neither
party was deserving of his sympathy, said, “Nay, brother Squirrel, I will have
none of this game.”
Hearing
this response, the Squirrel informed the animals of the Wolf’s decision. “He
takes the side of the Cock! What a brute he is, and always has been!” The
animals took to the Wolf, and soon he too was hated as much as the Cock
himself. They gathered round him, and the red Hen came forth to say, “If you
side with those who are strong, then we who are strong together side against
you! Be away from the forest, for we no longer wish your company!” And so the
Grey Wolf obliged.
He turned
from the forest, and said as he left, “Better to spend my days alone, for there
is no room for reason when creatures give credence to the word of gossiping
hens.”
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