A lion, a wild ass, and a fox went hunting together.¹ They made a surprisingly good team, each offering their own particular contribution. The fox tracked the prey, the wild ass drove it into the path of the lion, who struck it down with claws as sharp as flint.

The trio quickly amassed a haul far greater than they would have done alone and by noon were to be found, tired and triumphant, resting in the shade of a walnut tree, their work done for the day, if not the week.

Eventually, the time came to divide the spoils. The lion invited the wild ass to do the honours. It was, he said, a task that fell to the youngest of the party. The ass was both thrilled and anxious at the responsibility. Sensing it was a test, he wanted to get it right.

He worked as fast as he could arranging the carcasses into three roughly equal heaps. The lion rose wearily to inspect his work. “Equal portions,” he observed. “As close as I could get” the ass confirmed. “But you may have first pick, of course.” “Indeed,” replied the lion.

Without further comment, the lion struck the ass a heavy blow on the side of its head. The poor beast lived long enough to register both surprise and disappointment before the lion leapt upon it and quickly tore its body apart.

When he was done, the lion turned to the fox and invited him to attempt the division of the spoils. The fox knew this was not a request. He crept forward, pulled a single, skinny rabbit from the nearest pile, and shrank back, declaring himself satisfied.

“You seem to have knack for this,” said the lion. “Have you done it before?” “I’m a quick learner,” the fox replied, cringing. “Here,” said the lion, tossing him the lungs and heart of their dead colleague. “Take this as reward for a lesson learned and a job well done. I insist.”

The End

© Richard Parkin, 2021

¹ as a herbivore, the participation of the wild ass in a hunt is an anomaly censured by numerous translators over the last millenium, but it is not the only Aesopic fable to feature behaviour inconsistent with nature

further reading: misadventures in the land of fables #3