The Hungry Wolf

The Hungry Wolf

Once upon a time, in a forest far, far away, there lived a wolf. Every winter, this wolf spent his days starving from the cold. One day, when his stomach growled louder than ever, he said to himself:

“I’ll go down to the village and eat a cow, a sheep, or maybe a goat!”

As soon as he entered the village, he came across a cow.

“Dear Cow,” he said, “I am terribly hungry. I’m going to eat you, so please don’t be upset.”

The Cow replied:

“Oh, don’t eat me now! Come, hop on my back. Let’s walk around a little. You can eat me afterward.”

The hungry wolf agreed—but as soon as he climbed on, the Cow ran away!

The wolf, still hungry, went to a barn. A mule stepped outside.

“Brother Mule,” said the wolf, “I’m starving. I’m going to eat you, so don’t be upset.”

The poor Mule answered:

“My meat is very tough. Your teeth won’t be able to chew it. Wait a moment—let me bring you an axe and a knife. That way you can eat me easily.”
But of course, the Mule also ran away.

The wolf wandered on and met a sheep.
“Dear Sheep, I’m starving and I’m going to eat you. Please don’t be upset.”

The Sheep replied:

“Don’t eat me yet. Let’s go over there and play a little first!”

She tricked the wolf and escaped as well.
Next, the wolf met a goat.

“I’m going to eat you, Goat. I’m very hungry,” he said.

The Goat answered:

“I have two babies in my belly. When we become three, you’ll have a bigger feast!”
And she, too, ran away.

The wolf walked to the hay barn and met a horse.

“Horse, my friend, I’m starving. I will eat you,” said the wolf.

The Horse replied:

“Don’t eat me now! First, climb on my back and let’s play a game of chase. After that, you can eat me.”

And of course, the Horse also ran away.
One by one, all the wolf’s meals slipped away.
The wolf began muttering to himself:

“You foolish wolf! You had a cow—why didn’t you just eat it? What were you doing riding around?”
“And the mule! Why wait for an axe and a knife? Were you trying to be a butcher?”
“And the sheep! Why play games? Were you going to become a dancer?”
“And the goat! Why wait for more goats? Planning to become a shepherd?”
“And the horse! Why play chase? Trying to be a knight?”
Thinking and thinking…and still hungry…
the wolf eventually starved to death.

And so, the story of the hungry wolf ends here.