The Bear and the Fox

In the forest,
there lived a bear
and a fox.

They were good friends.

One day,
a fallen tree pinned down
the bear’s blanket.

He stood beside it,
pulling at it
but it wouldn’t budge.

He saw the fox passing by
and called out,
“Could you help me move this?”

The fox stopped,
looked it over, and said,
“I’m busy.”

Then he walked on.

The bear paused,
but said nothing.

He pulled at it himself—
slowly, for a long time.

At last,
he dragged it free.

It was wrinkled,
streaked with dirt.

He straightened it out
as best he could,
and kept it to himself.

A few days later,
a disturbance
spread through the forest.

Hunters had come.

Animals scattered.

The bear turned to leave,
but the path ahead was blocked.

He stopped.

Before he could think,
the fox appeared
from the side.

He shoved him
toward a narrow trail.

They ran.

After a while,
the sounds faded.

They slowed,
then stopped.

Neither of them spoke.

The bear stood there
for a while, thinking.

The path behind them was quiet.

And he never mentioned the tree again.