Wolf is Outfoxed by Ram (African-American)
copyright 2001 Kevin Strauss

One day, wolf and fox were walking down the trail. While they were walking, fox got to thinking about how hungry he was. But he also got to thinking that it would be great if wolf caught an animal, and fox got to share in the eating.

“Say, wolf, aren’t you getting a little hungry?” said fox.

“Well, now that you mention it, I am a little bit piqued. I haven’t eaten for days,” said wolf.

“Well, you know, just up in those hills there is a big old ram that would make a great meal for the both of us, that is if you’re not too scared to go up against a ram with one red eye and a wrinkled horn,” said fox.

“Scared? No wolf is scared of a sheep,” said wolf, puffing out his chest, “you show me where to find this ram and we’ll catch him for our dinner.”

“Well, you know wolf, ever since I fell in that hole this morning, my knee has been bothering me,” said fox as he started to limp. “I’m sure that I would just slow you down in the hunt. I’ll show you where the ram lives, but you’ll have to catch him yourself, if you can manage it?”

“Just point the way Fox, I’m a lean, mean, sheep eating machine!” said Wolf.

Fox led wolf to the forest at the top of the hill.

“Just go through those bushes and you’ll see him, Wolf. If you need any help, just yell and I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

Wolf burst through the bushes growling and ready for a fight, but when he came out, he saw the biggest, meanest looking ram that he had ever seen. Ram’s right eye blazed like fire and his wrinkled horn stuck out like a spear from his head.

Lucky for the ram, he was a fast thinker. As soon as he saw wolf, he ran headfirst into some nearby bushes and began yelling at the top of his lungs, “take that lion, and that and that. You can try to hide in those bushes, but you can’t hide forever.”

When wolf saw how big the ram was and how he made the bushes shake and how he seemed to be trampling lion (for lion made not a sound), wolf’s blood turned cold. He turned and ran back to fox.

“F-f-fox, that ram is beating up lion! I can’t defeat lion, so if the ram can beat lion, he can certainly beat me,” said wolf.

Fox suspected that ram was just playing a trick on wolf, and he didn’t want to miss out on a meal that easily.

“Come now, wolf, that ram is no different from any of the other sheep you have eaten. They all look mean on the outside, but really, they’re just faking it.”

“Aw, maybe you’re right fox,” said wolf.

“Of course I am. What’s more, with your strength and my smarts, I bet we can still catch ram and get our dinner,” said fox.

“How do I know that you won’t just run away the minute you see how ferocious ram is?” whined wolf.

“I’ll make you a deal, we’ll tie a rope between us. That way, if I try to run away, you can pull me back into the fight?” said fox.

Fox sneaked off to a nearby barn and stole a rope. He brought it back to wolf. The rope made wolf feel a little better about the plan, but he was still nervous about ram. Fox tied the rope around his waist and then tied the other end around wolf’s waist. As they were walking through the bushes, wolf lagged a little behind fox and by the time they got to the meadow, wolf was far behind fox, so fox had to pull at the rope to get wolf to go forward.

Ram, who had figured that wolf was long gone, had settled down to eating grass when he saw fox and wolf coming.

“Uh-oh, I’d better think fast,” thought ram. Then he yelled in his loudest voice, “good job fox! I thought wolf had gotten away from me. Now we will have wolf meat to go with the lion stew that I am making at home.”

That was enough for the already frightened wolf. He turned and ran like the wind back through the forest, dragging the hapless fox behind him. As wolf ran, fox smashed into rocks and trees along the way and by the time that wolf stopped a mile away, fox was bruised and battered and knocked out cold.

That was the last time either wolf or fox tried to mess with a ram. Since then, fox and wolf have settled for catching lambs for their dinner.