The Cub’s Triumph
by Unknown · from Tales of Laughter: A third fairy book
Adapted Version
Mama Fox, Little Fox, big Badger lived there. They were very hungry. There was not much food.
Greedy Badger had a plan. He said, "I will play dead. You sell me. Get food. I will run away. We eat together."
Greedy Badger lay still. Mama Fox dressed up like a person. She took Greedy Badger. She sold him in town. She bought fish and food. She went back home.
Greedy Badger came back. He ran very fast. They all ate the food. Yum, yum! Greedy Badger ate the best bits. He was very greedy.
Soon, all food was gone. Mama Fox played dead. Greedy Badger dressed up like a person. He took Mama Fox. He sold her in town.
Greedy Badger was very bad. He wanted all the money. He wanted all the food. He told a secret. Mama Fox could not come back.
Greedy Badger bought food. He ate it all himself. Little Fox was all alone. He was very sad. He was very hungry.
Little Fox was smart. He knew a bad thing happened. Greedy Badger did it. Little Fox wanted to teach him a lesson. He must be smart, not strong.
Little Fox talked to Greedy Badger. "Let us play a game," he said. "A game of changing shapes. We hide. We find each other."
Little Fox said, "I will go first." He did not change. He hid behind a big tree. He watched Greedy Badger.
A rich man came. He sat in a big, fancy chair. Men carried the chair. They went over the bridge. They went to town.
Greedy Badger saw the rich man. "Aha!" he thought. "That is Little Fox!" He ran to the chair. "I found you!" he shouted. "I won the game!"
The rich man was angry. His men were angry too. They took Greedy Badger away. Greedy Badger was gone forever.
Little Fox watched from the tree. He was very smart. He taught Greedy Badger a lesson. He did it for Mama Fox.
The Little Fox was safe. He was very smart. The Greedy Badger was gone. It is not good to be greedy. It is good to be smart.
Original Story
The Cub’s Triumph
Once upon a time there lived in a forest a badger and a mother fox with one little Cub.
There were no other beasts in the wood, because the hunters had killed them all with bows and arrows, or by setting snares. The deer, and the wild boar, the hares, the weasels, and the stoats—even the bright little squirrels—had been shot, or had fallen into traps. At last, only the badger and the fox, with her young one, were left, and they were starving, for they dared not venture from their holes for fear of the traps.
They did not know what to do, or where to turn for food. At last the badger said:
“I have thought of a plan. I will pretend to be dead. You must change yourself into a man, and take me into the town and sell me. With the money you get for me, you must buy food and bring it into the forest. When I get a chance I will run away, and come back to you, and we will eat our dinner together. Mind you wait for me, and don’t eat any of it until I come. Next week it will be your turn to be dead, and my turn to sell—do you see?”
The fox thought this plan would do very well; so, as soon as the badger had lain down and pretended to be dead, she said to her little Cub:
“Be sure not to come out of the hole until I come back. Be very good and quiet, and I will soon bring you some nice dinner.”
She then changed herself into a wood-cutter, took the badger by the heels and swung him over her shoulders, and trudged off into the town. There she sold the badger for a fair price, and with the money bought some fish, some tofu,[8] 430and some vegetables. She then ran back to the forest as fast as she could, changed herself into a fox again, and crept into her hole to see if little Cub was all right. Little Cub was there, safe enough, but very hungry, and wanted to begin upon the tofu at once.
8. Curd made from white beans.
“No, no,” said the mother fox. “Fair play’s a jewel. We must wait for the badger.”
Soon the badger arrived, quite out of breath with running so fast.
“I hope you haven’t been eating any of the dinner,” he panted. “I could not get away sooner. The man you sold me to, brought his wife to look at me, and boasted how cheap he had bought me. You should have asked twice as much. At last they left me alone, and then I jumped up and ran away as fast as I could.”
The badger, the fox, and the Cub now sat down to dinner, and had a fine feast, the badger taking care to get the best bits for himself.
Some days after, when all the food was finished, and they had begun to get hungry again, the badger said to the fox:
“Now it’s your turn to die.” So the fox pretended to be dead, and the badger changed himself into a hunter, shouldered the fox, and went off to the town, where he made a good bargain, and sold her for a nice little sum of money.
You have seen already that the badger was greedy and selfish. What do you think he did now? He wished to have all the money, and all the food it would buy for himself, so he whispered to the man who had bought the fox:
“That fox is only pretending to be dead; take care he doesn’t run away.”
“We’ll soon settle that,” said the man, and he knocked the fox on the head with a big stick, and killed her.
The badger next laid out the money in buying all the nice things he could think of. He carried them off to the forest, and there ate them all up himself, without giving one bit to the poor little Cub, who was all alone, crying for its mother, very sad, and very hungry.
431Poor little motherless Cub! But, being a clever little fox, he soon began to put two and two together, and at last felt quite sure that the badger had, in some way, caused the loss of his mother.
He made up his mind that he would punish the badger; and, as he was not big enough or strong enough to do it by force, he was obliged to try another plan.
He did not let the badger see how angry he was with him, but said in a friendly way:
“Let us have a game of changing ourselves into men. If you can change yourself so cleverly that I cannot find you out, you will have won the game; but, if I change myself so that you cannot find me out, then I shall have won the game. I will begin, if you like; and, you may be sure, I shall turn myself into somebody very grand while I am about it.”
The badger agreed. So then, instead of changing himself at all, the cunning little Cub just went and hid himself behind a tree, and watched to see what would happen. Presently there came along the bridge leading into the town a nobleman, seated in a sedan-chair, a great crowd of servants and men at arms following him.
The badger was quite sure that this must be the fox, so he ran up to the sedan-chair, put in his head, and cried:
“I’ve found you out! I’ve won the game!”
“A badger! A badger! Off with his head,” cried the nobleman.
So one of the retainers cut off the badger’s head with one blow of his sharp sword, the little Cub all the time laughing unseen behind the tree.
Story DNA
Moral
Greed and betrayal ultimately lead to one's downfall, and even the weak can find justice through cleverness.
Plot Summary
In a forest devoid of animals, a badger, a mother fox, and her cub resort to a trick: one pretends to be dead, is sold for food, and then escapes. After a successful first round, the greedy badger betrays the mother fox during her turn, leading to her death. The orphaned cub, realizing the badger's treachery, devises a cunning plan for revenge. He challenges the badger to a game of transformation, but instead of transforming, the cub hides and watches as the badger mistakenly identifies a passing nobleman as the transformed cub, resulting in the badger's swift execution by the nobleman's retainers, leaving the cub triumphant.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects a pre-industrial society where animal pelts might be sold and where social hierarchy (noblemen) is prominent.
Plot Beats (14)
- A badger, a mother fox, and her cub are the only animals left in a forest, starving due to hunters.
- The badger proposes a plan: one will pretend to be dead, be sold in town for food, and then escape to share the meal.
- The badger pretends to be dead; the fox transforms into a wood-cutter, sells him, buys food, and returns to the cub.
- The badger escapes and returns, and the three share a feast, with the badger taking the best bits.
- When food runs out, it's the fox's turn to pretend to be dead; the badger transforms into a hunter and sells her.
- The greedy badger, wanting all the money and food for himself, whispers to the buyer that the fox is faking, leading to her death.
- The badger buys and eats all the food alone, leaving the cub motherless and starving.
- The cub, realizing the badger's betrayal, vows revenge, knowing he must use cunning over force.
- The cub proposes a game of transformation, where they must try to find each other after changing.
- The cub pretends to transform but merely hides behind a tree to observe the badger.
- A nobleman in a sedan chair, followed by servants, crosses a bridge into town.
- The badger, convinced the nobleman is the cub, runs up and declares he has won the game.
- The nobleman's retainers, angered by the badger's intrusion, cut off his head.
- The cub watches from behind the tree, laughing, having successfully avenged his mother.
Characters
The Cub
A small, young fox, still growing into its full size. Its fur is likely a soft, reddish-brown, typical of a fox cub, with a fluffy tail and delicate paws.
Attire: None, as a fox cub.
Wants: Survival (initially), then to avenge its mother's death and punish the badger.
Flaw: Small size and lack of physical strength, making it vulnerable to larger creatures.
Transforms from a helpless, hungry cub into a clever avenger who outsmarts the greedy badger, learning to use its intellect to overcome physical limitations.
Clever, observant, initially innocent, becomes vengeful, cunning, and patient.
The Badger
A sturdy, robust badger with a distinctive black and white striped face. Its body is stocky and powerful, covered in coarse, dark fur, with strong claws for digging.
Attire: None, as a badger. When disguised as a hunter, he would wear practical, sturdy clothing typical of a forest hunter: likely a rough linen tunic, leather breeches, and sturdy boots, possibly a cap.
Wants: To acquire food and resources for himself, even at the expense of others.
Flaw: Overconfidence, gluttony, and a lack of empathy, which leads to his downfall.
Remains static in his greedy and selfish nature, which ultimately leads to his violent end.
Greedy, selfish, cunning, boastful, and ultimately treacherous.
The Mother Fox
A sleek, adult fox with reddish-brown fur, a bushy tail, and agile build. Her movements are graceful and quick.
Attire: None, as a fox. When disguised as a wood-cutter, she would wear practical, simple clothing: a rough, perhaps patched, linen tunic, sturdy trousers, and worn leather boots, possibly carrying a small, dull axe.
Wants: To provide food and safety for her cub.
Flaw: Her trusting nature, which makes her vulnerable to the badger's treachery.
Begins as a resourceful mother, but her trusting nature leads to her tragic death, serving as a catalyst for her son's revenge.
Caring, fair-minded, resourceful, and trusting (to her detriment).
The Nobleman
A man of high status, likely of average height and build, but commanding presence. His features would be refined, reflecting a life of ease.
Attire: Luxurious, era-appropriate attire: a richly embroidered silk or velvet coat (perhaps a brocade coat over a waistcoat), fine linen shirt with lace cuffs, breeches, silk stockings, and buckled shoes. His clothing would be in deep, rich colors like crimson, sapphire, or emerald, adorned with gold or silver thread.
Wants: To maintain his dignity and authority.
Flaw: His pride and quick temper.
A static character, serving as an instrument of the Cub's revenge.
Imperious, easily angered by perceived disrespect, accustomed to immediate obedience.
Locations
The Forest Den
A hidden, secure hole in the forest, serving as the home for the fox family and the badger. It is a place of refuge but also of starvation due to fear of traps.
Mood: Initially safe but increasingly desperate and hungry; later, sad and lonely for the cub.
The animals discuss their starvation and devise the 'pretend dead' plan. The cub waits here for its mother. The cub later mourns its mother alone here.
The Town Market
A bustling market area in a Japanese town where the disguised animals sell each other. It's a place of commerce and human activity.
Mood: Busy, transactional, potentially dangerous for the disguised animals.
The fox sells the badger, buys food. The badger sells the fox, then betrays her, leading to her death. The badger buys food for himself.
Bridge to Town
A bridge leading into the town, where the cub sets its trap for the badger. It's a point of entry and a place of public passage.
Mood: Public, open, but becomes a place of cunning and retribution.
The cub, disguised as a tree, watches the badger approach the nobleman's sedan-chair, leading to the badger's demise.