Week 1 Storytelling: Mendax the Fox

Mendax struggled and strained to free himself from the jaws of the trap that he now found himself in.

Despite his effort, the jagged teeth of his captor remained unmoved; Mendax now knew he would not leave this trap whole.

"It could have been worse" he thought.

 

 (photo by James B Brown)

It was simply a tail after all, and many foxes had lived before without tails. If it had been his leg in that trap, he would be done for.

However, he also remembered the mocking and ridicule that those tail-less foxes faced from all the other foxes.

With great sorrow, he pulled one last time and freed himself from the clutches of the brutish device, leaving his tail behind in its iron grasp.

Rather than return and face the jeers and taunts from his fellow foxes, Mendax set out into the forest alone.

For several weeks he remained isolated in the forest, until one day an idea struck him.

Mendax soon returned to the other foxes and called a meeting, claiming it was of great importance.

Once all the foxes were gathered, he spoke:

"My fellow foxes, too long have we suffered for our tails. Countless numbers of our brothers have fallen simply because their tails had become lodged in fences and foliage, or because the heavy weight of their tail hindered their ability to run from the hunter's hounds"

"If you value your life, you will join me and be rid of your tail forever."

The other foxes began to ponder what Mendax had said. It was true; only last week Velox had been caught by the tail by a particularly relentless welsh hound.

One by one the foxes began to cut off their tails. As the days passed, it was the foxes who had retained their tails that were subjected to taunting and teasing.

 Mendax felt happy; his guile had turned his fate around on those who would have mocked him.

As winter approached, Mendax found himself once again surrounded by his fellow foxes. However this time, it was they who spoke:

"Liar!" someone shouted from the crowd. "We found your tail in a trap in the woods! You didn't cut it off, you lost it! You tricked us! Now every night we freeze without our tails to wrap around ourselves!"

Mendax looked out at the crowd and noticed that all the foxes now had fallen tree limbs fastened to the remaining stubs of their tails. These replacement tails could not keep the foxes of the forest warm without fur, however.

"Get him!" one of the foxes yelled.

The foxes quickly swarmed Mendax and began ripping out his fur, attaching the abducted pelt to their stick-tails with syrupy tree sap.

Mendax shouted and struggled, but it was too late. The foxes laughed at the now naked Mendax as they walked into the forest with their new tails.


Author's Note: This story is based on the fable "The Fox Without a Tail." by Æsop from The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Æsop for Children. Web Source. The fable tells of a fox who loses his tail and unsuccessfully tries to convince the other foxes to cut their tails off as well.