House Laksha
The Fox and the Cat. Veps Fairy Tale.
Once upon a time, there lived a Fox. In his youth, he was a skilled sailor and shipbuilder. He knew how to choose timber for a strong hull, raise masts, stretch sails, and build boats that feared neither wind nor great waters. The fame of his craftsmanship spread far and wide. “There is no better shipbuilder than our Fox!” people said all around. At first, the Fox rejoiced at these words and labored even harder. But the more often he was praised, the more he began to admire himself. “If I am already the very best,” he thought, “why should I labor so much?” And little by little, he stopped building new ships. The boats and vessels he had already made, he began giving to others for temporary use, receiving various goods and valuables in return. The inhabitants of that land came to him themselves, because the Fox’s ships remained the best.
And so the Fox labored less and less, but received more and more. And with abundance came laziness. First, he stopped learning anything new. Then he rarely entered his workshop. Then, at last, his tools became covered with rust.
And after his craft, the Fox began to forget other things as well: the history of his land, the customs of his people, the traditions of his ancestors. He still knew that he had once been a great master. But he had almost forgotten who he was.
Not far from the Fox’s house stood a house where the Sheep and the Leopardess lived.
The Sheep was a renowned scholar. She read extensively, conducted research, and spent her entire life gathering knowledge. The Leopardess studied the organization of the living organism, health, the strength of the body, and devoted much time to sports. Together, they tried to help children, especially those who found it difficult to study, remember new things, or cope with physical ailments. And in their house there was an extraordinary Flower. He could sing special songs. If the Flower sang such a song to someone before sleep, that one would fall asleep and see an extraordinary dream. In the dream, an answer to an important question, a warning about what was to come, or a path the dreamer had not noticed before could be revealed. The Fox heard about the magical Flower. And at once he wanted to hear his song. One day he came to the Sheep and the Leopardess and said, “Let your Flower sing for me. I want to see a fateful dream.”
But the Sheep replied, “The Flower does not sing for everyone, and not right away. First, you must prove that you are truly ready to hear the answer.”
“And what must I do for that?”
“The Leopardess and I are preparing a healing elixir for children. We have almost all the ingredients. The only thing missing is the seeds of the magical golden birch tree, Kuldaine koiv.”
“And where do these Kuldaine koiv trees grow?”
“Far across the sea, in the land of cats, ruled by the feline prince. Build a boat, cross the sea, obtain the seeds of Kuldaine koiv, and bring them to us. After that, the Flower will sing for you.”
The Fox came to his old workshop, opened the drawers, and found that the tools had rusted. The Fox wandered around the workbench for a while and then went back to the Sheep.
“Sheep, I cannot manage to build a boat. The tools have gone bad. Besides, my head hurts, my hands hurt, my legs hurt. Maybe there is some other way after all?”
“No,” replied the Sheep.
The Fox returned to the workshop. He began to labor and little by little remembered what he had once known how to do. And at last the Fox built a sturdy boat. He launched it into the water, raised the sail, and set out across the sea to the feline prince. The Sheep gave the Fox an agreement for the journey written in proper sheep language, and the Fox was fully prepared for the business meeting.
And so the Fox reached the feline prince and met with him. The Fox said to him, “I need the seeds of the magical Kuldaine koiv tree that grow in your land. I am prepared to give precious stones for them. Here is the agreement.”
The feline prince looked at the agreement and replied, “Good. Give me your valuables, and I will give you the seeds of Kuldaine koiv.” The Fox trusted his word. He gave away all his precious stones. One day passed – no seeds. A second day passed – no seeds. A third day passed – nothing. But when the Fox reminded the feline prince of his promise, he began speaking down to him, “You are always doing something wrong. You comprehend nothing. You want too much. I did not sign any agreements. And in any case, it is your own fault.”
The Fox listened and listened, and then said, “I do not want to have any more dealings with you. I will find the seeds of Kuldaine koiv somewhere else. Give me back my precious stones.”
The feline prince replied: “No. I will not return the stones to you.” And he pointed with his paw at the enormous number of monuments standing everywhere. The words carved into them said, “I never return what was once given to me. And everything transferred to me voluntarily is not subject to return. Such is my law. Before giving anything to me – the feline prince – everyone must think carefully.”
The Fox could not believe his eyes. “So, if someone gives you something of value in exchange for what was promised, but then decides to have no dealings with you, you will still keep something of value belonging to another for yourself?”
The feline prince straightened himself and said, “I am a prince. A prince must have principles. I publicly proclaimed my law and carved it on millions of monuments standing throughout my land. If today, for your sake, I make an exception and return even one of your precious stones, then it will mean that my words are worth nothing. The feline prince has no right to compromise his principles.”
The Fox needed advice, and so he sent the Messenger Bird to the Sheep and the Leopardess and asked to tell them everything that had happened. The Bird flew across the sea and told them how the feline prince had treated the Fox and about his law. The Sheep and the Leopardess turned to the Flower for advice. The Flower sang, “Let the Fox lie down to sleep, and he will see a dream. In the dream there will be an answer.” The Bird returned and told the Fox everything. The Fox did exactly that: he lay down to sleep, and he dreamed of a message in which God told him to end his relationship with the feline prince and take another path. The Fox must ask the feline prince once more to return his precious stones.
The Fox came to the feline prince again, “Prince, I have made the decision to end our relationship. Return my precious stones to me.”
“May I know the reason?” said the feline prince.
The Fox replied, “I had a dream. In the dream, it was revealed to me by God that I must end all dealings with you and follow another path.”
The feline prince shook his head, “My law has not changed because of that.” And again he pointed to the stone.
The Fox said, “I answered you when you asked for the reason. Through dreams, the will of God is revealed.”
The feline prince smirked.
“And why did you decide that God can speak to you in a dream, but cannot speak to you through me? God is everywhere. Perhaps at this very moment He is sending you a message through me. I comprehend your position and hope that you will comprehend mine. I wish you wisdom and advise you to listen to the will of God.”
Then the Fox said, “If you claim that God speaks through you, tell me your own dream.”
But the feline prince gave no answer. He turned around and walked away.
The Fox sailed home upset. He came to the Sheep and the Leopardess.
I do not know what to do. I lost all my precious stones. I did not receive the seeds of Kuldaine koiv.
The Sheep said, “If this is happening to you, then the reason is within you. Most often, the cause of all troubles is ignorance.”
The Leopardess added, “You refused to labor for so long that you stopped learning as well.”
The Sheep opened the door to a large library.
“Start reading.”
And the Fox began to read. He studied old chronicles, genealogies, travelers’ accounts, and books about the land of the feline princes. And one day he found a small book written by the feline prince himself. In it, the feline prince told of his origins.
He claimed that the princely title had been passed to him by the famous Prince Kirur, who descended from the ancient princely House of Kirur. Five hundred years ago, the Kirur dynasty found itself on the brink of destruction. The great king decided to destroy all of its heirs. Only two little kittens could be saved. And those kittens were supposedly secretly sent to the land of the foxes. The Fox’s ancestors took them in as their own children, fed them, kept them warm, raised them, and taught them everything they taught their own children. The kittens grew up, started families, and their lineage continued. And three hundred years later, the descendants of those very kittens set out in search of new lands. They sailed on ships built by the foxes to settle new shores. The book went on to say that a descendant of the Princes Kirur had passed the princely title to the feline prince. And now he rules their lands.
The Fox returned to the Sheep and the Leopardess: “I have read everything. Now I know who the feline prince is, but I still do not know what to do next. Please, let the Flower sing for me.”
The Sheep and the Leopardess agreed. They saw that the Fox had changed and that he was laboring again: reading, thinking, reflecting, building ships, and no longer demanding to receive everything at once.
So the Fox came to the Flower and told him the whole story. The Flower listened and sang: “What do you know about your ancestors?”
“I learned that they were shipbuilders.”
“Not only that. Remember what you know about dreams.”
The Flower continued to sing, “In the land of the foxes, dreams had long been part of life. Before important decisions, your ancestors paid attention to what they dreamed. They interpreted dreams, looking in them for warnings and advice.”
“So that is why I wanted so much to hear your song? Was this ancestral knowledge beckoning me?”
“Yes”, sang the Flower.
The Flower continued: “And now think about the feline prince. He claims that he received the title from Prince Kirur, a descendant of those very kittens whom your fox ancestors supposedly saved.”
“Yes.”
“Then at least some memory of the foxes who saved their ancestors from death should have been preserved in their lineage.”
The Fox nodded.
“And when you told the feline prince about the dream,” the Flower continued, “the true heir to that history should have immediately comprehended how serious dreams are to a fox.”
“So…”
“That means a true heir would not have kept your stones. He would have returned them. And he would have given you the seeds of the magical trees as a gift.”
The Flower continued to sing, and the Fox fell asleep and dreamed that two paths lay before him. The first path was to sail once again to the feline prince and tell him everything the Fox had discovered about him. Then the feline prince would become afraid of being exposed and would return the precious stones, as well as give him the seeds of the magical tree. The second path was to leave judgment to God and find the seeds of the magical tree somewhere else.
For three days and three nights after this dream, the Fox walked and thought. He could have immediately set out for the feline prince and taken revenge on him. But he did not do so.
Then he came to the Sheep and the Leopardess.
“I very much need to hear one more song from the Flower. I must choose the right path.”
The Sheep said, “Good. You did not rush to take revenge; instead, you decided to find a path according to your conscience.” And they allowed the Flower to sing a song for the Fox.
Night came. The Flower began to sing a wondrous song. The Fox fell asleep and saw a dream. In the dream, he was told: “Give the feline prince one last chance. But do not ask him for either the stones or the seeds anymore. Ask the cat one question, saying that one Vixen has given birth to a pup. And you do not know whether he is your son or not. Ask the cat what you should do: acknowledge the child as your own or turn away from him? Then thank the feline prince generously for whatever answer he gives you and leave.”
The Fox woke up and sailed once again to the feline prince. The feline prince saw the Fox and asked irritably:
“What do you want again?”
The Fox said, “Feline prince, you are a wise ruler and a prince of firm princely principles based on the concept of princely honor. Therefore, I want to ask you for advice.”
The feline prince liked such words.
“Speak.”
The Fox said, “There is one Vixen. She gave birth to a son. But I do not know whether he is my son or not. What should I do? Should I acknowledge the child as my own or not?”
The feline prince replied, “That depends entirely on you. If you want to, call him your son. If you do not want to, do not. If the child is not yours, why should you care for him at all? Everyone is responsible for what is their own.”
The Fox bowed.
“Thank you, O wisest one.” And he left.
Upon returning home, the Fox went straight to the Sheep and the Leopardess. He repeated the feline prince’s answer to them word for word.
The the Sheep and the Leopardess said, “And now remember the two rescued kittens.”
The Fox remembered.
“Were they the children of those foxes who, according to the feline prince’s account, saved them?”
“No.”
“Were they related to the foxes by blood?”
“No.”
“Could the foxes have said, ‘These are not our children. Let them die’?”
“They could have.”
“But what did they do, according to the account of that titled Prince Kirur?”
The Fox replied:
“They took them in, fed them, and raised them as their own children.”
“Exactly,” said the Sheep and the Leopardess. “And if the feline prince truly were an heir of that lineage, having received succession from the true Prince Kirur, he would have answered your question differently. He would have said, ‘Blood does not determine everything. There is a child before you. If he needs your help and you can help him, help him. Once, that is exactly how my ancestors were saved.’”
And then the Sheep and the Leopardess said:
“Remember the words of the feline prince: ‘If I violate what I myself proclaimed, then it will mean that my words are worth nothing.’”
The Fox raised his eyes.
“I remember.”
“He was very afraid,” the Sheep and the Leopardess continued, “that anyone would learn of his deception. That is why he carved his words on millions of monuments and endlessly declared, ‘Everyone knows my law. I always act this way. My word carries weight.’ This cat, who calls himself a prince, carved a lie into the monuments and called that lie law and his principle, declaring loyalty to that lie to be his honor.”
And then the Fox finally comprehended. The monument of the impostor cat was not proof of the strength of his word; the cat needed it in order to make others believe that his word carried weight.
The Fox whispered:
“So he himself told the truth about himself… ‘Otherwise, it would mean that my words are worth nothing.’”
And so the whole story was revealed to the Fox, and everything fell into place: one charlatan cat had called himself a prince. But not a single act of the cat who called himself a prince confirmed the story he told about himself. If his ancestors had truly been saved by foxes, then the cat would have remembered gratitude. If the cat’s ancestors had truly grown up among foxes, he would certainly have known how important dreams are to foxes. If, in the history of the cat’s ancestors, little kittens had once been taken in by foxes as their own children, then he would have answered the Fox about accepting children in a completely different way. And if a prince’s word truly were a word of honor, the cat would have returned the Fox’s precious stones and would not have hidden behind the words he had written on millions of monuments.
After this realization, the Fox began to have extraordinary dreams. In them, his ancestors – shipbuilders and seafarers – came to him. And gradually the Fox remembered what he had lost – the Fox comprehended who he was, where he came from, and what he lived for. And then the Fox comprehended what he had to do. He sat down at the table and wrote down the whole story: his research, the origins of the feline princes, and an exposé of the charlatan cats who called themselves princes. Then he read what he had written aloud before God and said, “May all those who speak the truth, live according to conscience, serve others with love, and fulfill what God says be healthy, successful, happy, and wealthy, and may their children and grandchildren be healthy, successful, and happy. And may all those who lie, go against God, and steal receive according to their deeds: may they lose what was obtained through lies, may their false principalities disappear, and may the lie itself upon which they stand perish. Thank God for the gifts.”
And at that very moment, a Miracle happened.
The magical Kuldaine koiv tree rustled with its golden branches. A wind rose. Thousands upon thousands of seeds from the magical Kuldaine koiv tree flew into the sky. There were so many of them that they formed an enormous cloud. The cloud crossed the sea. It reached the house of the Sheep and the Leopardess and descended right beside them. There were exactly as many seeds as were needed for the healing elixir. The Sheep and the Leopardess finished their medicine and were able to help many children.
And the Fox returned to his workshop. Once again the hammers began to knock, and once again the smell of wood filled the air. But now the Fox built ships not so that everyone would call him great. He taught all the children.
He especially loved bringing his little students to a large ordinary stone near the workshop.
“Look,” said the Fox. “This is just a stone.”
“Just a stone,” the children replied.
“And if I carve on it, ‘The Fox is the greatest prince of all lands,’ will I become a prince?”
The children laughed.
“No!”
“And if I make the letters deeper?”
“No!”
“And if I write that everyone is required to believe me?”
“Still no!”
Then the Fox smiled.
“Remember this. Words gain value only when truth stands behind them, and actions fully confirm that truth.”
Over time, the Fox met a kind Fox, fell in love with her, and started a family. He helped his own children and other children whenever he was asked. He always thanked his ancestors and became the Flower’s best student, learning the interpretation of dreams and remembering more and more of what his fox ancestors had known so well. And the Sheep and the Leopardess’s library became the Fox’s favorite place for his development.
And what became of the impostor cats? They say that one night a wind rose over their land. No one saw where it came from. By morning, the cats were gone. Only millions of stones bearing their laws remained. But there was no one left to read the inscriptions. The rains fell year after year. Frost split the stone. Moss covered the letters. And so everything the impostors had considered eternal disappeared.
And for a long time afterward, the foxes told their children the story of the cat who decided that merely calling himself a prince was enough to become a prince. And they always ended the telling of this story in the same way: a lie can be carved on millions of stones and called law, honor, or a princely principle. But truth needs no inscriptions, documents, or papers. Truth is known by deeds.
