One day, Raven chanced upon a lucky treat - a tasty wheel of cheese had been left unsupervised. Snatching it up, he flew up to his favourite perch to enjoy his meal.
Along came Fox. Now, Fox was hungry, but when she saw Raven with his cheese, she realised that it was not mouse or rabbit that she hungered for. No, she wanted something richer, tastier.
She padded up to the base of the tree, and walked in circles around it a few times, studying Raven. After a moment, as soon as she saw that he had noticed her; she cried out:
"Oh what is this, most magnificant of birds! So fine of feather and sleek and black. Why, truly in all appearance, you are the king of birds."
Pleased at such praise, Raven strutted a little, plumped up his feathers and fanned his wings to show off their true glossy black colouration. He really was the king of birds!
But Fox was not done yet:
"Oh," she continued, "if only you had the voice to match - why then you would be the fairest of the fowl!"
At this, Raven opened his beak and unleashed a most terrible cawwing racket. It was not a noise to delight the ear, but truly one to disturb it. Out from his beak, the cheese wheel tumbled.
With a leap and a snap, Fox snatched the cheese from the air. With her mouth full - although her ears still rung, she trotted off into the woods, without a backward glance.
Raven fluffed his feathers in embarrassment at the trick. "Oh," he muttered, "tis truly a fool that falls for idle flattery."
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