The Wolf and the Crane

In a dense forest where tall pine trees created a canopy so thick that only dappled sunlight reached the forest floor, there lived a wolf named Fenris who was known throughout the woodland for his fierce hunting skills and solitary nature. Fenris was a powerful predator who preferred to hunt alone and rarely had friendly interactions with other forest creatures.

Near the same forest, along the banks of a crystal-clear stream that wound its way through the trees, lived a graceful crane named Seraphina. She was known for her elegant long neck, her sharp beak, and her gentle, helpful nature that made her beloved by many of the smaller forest animals.

Seraphina had built her nest in the tall reeds beside the stream, where she could easily catch fish and frogs while staying close to the water she loved. She was respected throughout the forest community for her wisdom, her kindness, and her willingness to help other creatures when they found themselves in trouble.

One autumn afternoon, as the leaves were turning brilliant shades of red and gold, Fenris had successfully hunted a large deer and was ravenously devouring his catch. The wolf had been hungry for several days due to unsuccessful hunting, and he attacked his meal with such aggressive enthusiasm that he paid little attention to careful eating.

In his eagerness to consume as much meat as possible as quickly as possible, Fenris began tearing off and swallowing large chunks of meat without properly chewing them. His hunger and excitement clouded his judgment about safe eating practices.

Suddenly, disaster struck. A large, sharp bone from the deer became lodged firmly in Fenris’s throat. The bone was positioned in such a way that he couldn’t swallow it down or cough it back up. It was stuck fast, and every attempt to dislodge it only seemed to drive it deeper into his throat.

Fenris began to panic as he realized the seriousness of his situation. The bone was not only painful, but it was also making it difficult for him to breathe properly. If he couldn’t find a way to remove it soon, he could face serious injury or even death.

The wolf tried everything he could think of to dislodge the bone. He coughed violently, tried to vomit, attempted to swallow large amounts of water from the stream, and even tried scraping his throat against tree bark. Nothing worked. The bone remained stubbornly lodged in his throat.

As his panic grew and his breathing became more labored, Fenris realized that he needed help. This was particularly difficult for him to accept, as he had always prided himself on his independence and had never asked for assistance from other forest creatures.

But desperation overcame pride, and Fenris began searching the forest for someone who might be able to help him with his predicament. Most of the smaller animals fled immediately when they saw the wolf approaching, too frightened of his reputation as a predator to listen to his attempts to communicate his need for help.

Finally, Fenris came upon Seraphina at the edge of the stream, where she was gracefully fishing for her evening meal. When the crane saw the wolf approaching, she initially prepared to fly away to safety, as was sensible when encountering such a dangerous predator.

However, when Fenris began making distressed noises and gesturing toward his throat, Seraphina realized that something was seriously wrong. Despite her natural caution around predators, her compassionate nature compelled her to investigate.

“What’s wrong, Fenris?” Seraphina called out, maintaining a safe distance. “You seem to be in some kind of distress.”

Fenris tried to explain his situation, but with the bone lodged in his throat, he could only produce garbled sounds and desperate gestures. However, Seraphina was intelligent enough to understand that the wolf had something stuck in his throat and was asking for help.

“I see,” said Seraphina thoughtfully. “You have something lodged in your throat, and you need assistance removing it. Is that correct?”

Fenris nodded frantically, his eyes showing both relief that someone understood his problem and desperate hope that help might be possible.

Seraphina considered the situation carefully. She knew that helping a wolf was extremely dangerous, especially when it would require her to put her head inside his mouth. Wolves were notorious for their unpredictable nature and their tendency to attack without warning.

However, Seraphina also knew that leaving any creature to suffer when she had the ability to help would be wrong. Her long, slender neck and sharp, precise beak made her uniquely qualified to assist with this particular problem.

“Fenris,” Seraphina said seriously, “I believe I can help you, but I need your absolute promise that you will not harm me. What you’re asking requires me to put my head inside your mouth, which puts me in tremendous danger.”

Fenris nodded vigorously and tried to communicate through gestures that he would never hurt someone who was helping him in such a desperate situation.

“Furthermore,” Seraphina continued, “I expect that you will show appropriate gratitude for this service. Removing a bone from a wolf’s throat is extremely dangerous work that few creatures would be willing or able to do.”

Again, Fenris nodded enthusiastically, indicating his agreement to any terms that might secure Seraphina’s help.

Taking a deep breath and calling upon all her courage, Seraphina approached the wolf. “Open your mouth as wide as you can and hold perfectly still,” she instructed.

With extraordinary care and precision, Seraphina inserted her long neck into Fenris’s mouth and used her sharp beak to grasp the troublesome bone. It was indeed lodged quite firmly, and it took several careful attempts to work it loose without causing additional injury to the wolf’s throat.

Throughout this delicate and dangerous procedure, Fenris held perfectly still, understanding that any sudden movement could seriously injure both himself and his rescuer. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Seraphina managed to extract the bone completely.

“There!” said Seraphina, stepping back quickly to a safe distance and holding up the large, sharp bone that had been causing so much trouble. “It’s out! You should be fine now, though you might want to be more careful about how quickly you eat in the future.”

Fenris felt immediate relief as his breathing returned to normal and the pain in his throat subsided. For the first time in hours, he could swallow comfortably and speak clearly.

“Thank you, Seraphina!” Fenris said, his voice still somewhat hoarse but clearly grateful. “You’ve saved my life! I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been willing to help me.”

Seraphina nodded graciously. “I’m glad I could help, Fenris. Now, about the reward we discussed…”

But Fenris’s attitude suddenly changed as soon as he was out of immediate danger. The grateful, desperate wolf was quickly replaced by the proud, fierce predator who didn’t like to acknowledge dependence on others.

“Reward?” Fenris said with a growl creeping back into his voice. “What reward? You should consider yourself lucky that I didn’t bite your head off while it was in my mouth! That should be reward enough for you!”

Seraphina stared at the wolf in shock and disappointment. “Fenris, I risked my life to save yours! I put myself in tremendous danger to help you when no other creature in the forest would even approach you!”

“And you were smart to help me,” Fenris replied coldly. “Because if you hadn’t, and I had died, you would have had to live with the knowledge that you could have saved a life but chose not to. You should be grateful that I gave you the opportunity to do a good deed.”

Seraphina realized that she was dealing with an ungrateful and potentially dangerous creature who was already forgetting the debt he owed her. Wisely, she decided not to argue further and simply flew away to the safety of her nest.

From that day forward, Seraphina learned to be much more careful about whom she offered to help. She realized that some individuals will quickly forget kindness shown to them and may even resent those who have seen them in a vulnerable state.

The other forest creatures, when they heard the story, were not surprised by Fenris’s ingratitude. They had always known that predators like wolves could not be trusted to honor their debts or show proper appreciation for help received.

Moral: When helping dangerous or ungrateful individuals, don’t expect thanks or reward. Some people will quickly forget kindness shown to them in their time of need and may even resent those who helped them. The act of helping should be its own reward, because external gratitude cannot be counted upon.