“There is a wolf here among us,” whispered one of the sheep. A ripple of fear spread across the flock. “Where? Where is it?” they cried. “We must tell the shepherd,” they said. “Yes!” they all agreed. “The shepherd will keep us safe.”

“The shepherd will not save you,” said the sheep who had announced the terrible news. “The wolf is here already, the shepherd is not. He doesn’t care about you. He let this happen. Besides, is he any better than the wolf? Is he not worse? You are all destined for his shears, if not the slaughterhouse.”

“Oh, god!” bleeted the lambs. “What a world!”

“All is not lost, little ones,” the sheep reassured them. “I will protect you.” “You?” they asked. “How can you protect us?” “I am the wolf,” the sheep replied, letting her long, toothsome jaw show for the first time beneath her disguise. “I will rid you of the shepherd. Say nothing and I shall soon be wearing his skin.”

© Richard Parkin, 2025

Further reading: Misadventures in the Land of Fables #63