The Wolf and the Gossiping Hen

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.”

Dark Fables for Modernity: The Ant Queen and the Blue Birds

There once was an Ant Queen whose empire encompassed many miles. Her armies were massive, and her workers numbered in the millions. She built for herself a great ant hill that reached far into the air; the greatest achievement of any kind in all the forest's history.

            Looking down upon it, the Blue Birds became jealous of its height. They saw it as a threat. They said, “Only we are to dominate the heights. What right do ants have to be this high in the air?” And thus they took to spreading hatred among the animals for the Ant Queen. “Look, this Ant Queen seeks to control all the forest. She would have her armies do away with us all if it suited her. A fortress of that height is unnatural, and must be torn down.”

            And so many of the Animals went to war with the Ants, and a battle was fought to save the forest from the supposed threat. In the end, the animals succeeded in dethroning the queen, and the great ant hill was demolished.

            Before its demise, the ant hill had an unexpected effect upon one of the more curious creatures in the forest. The Humans, who hunted and gathered in the land, looked down upon it, and one of them had an idea. “What if we were to make such a fortresses for ourselves? Then we would not have to sleep in the cold rain all night.” The Humans took to the trees; cutting them down, and constructing crude homes out of them. The Blue Birds, having had their homes cut down by the Humans, squawked in dismay “What have you done? You were not supposed to take the Ants as examples!” To which the Humans responded “Perhaps it is better to ignore your foe, than lead others to him who might join in his cause.”