The Fox and the Rabbit
The fox and the rabbit shared one field, but they were not friends. They were enemies. For a long time, the fox used to chase the rabbit every morning, and the rabbit used to escape into the long grass. That was their habit.
One cold winter, there was no food. The fox grew thin and tired. The rabbit grew thin too. Neither of them had the strength to run.
One morning they met by the frozen river. The fox did not chase. The rabbit did not run. They just looked at each other.
“I am too weak to catch you,” said the fox.
“And I am too weak to escape,” said the rabbit. “So today, let us not be enemies.”
They sat down together, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, because it was warmer that way. For the first time, the field was peaceful. The fox felt no hunger and the rabbit felt no fear.
When spring came, the food returned. And one warm morning, without a word, the fox began to chase, and the rabbit began to run. The old habit came back.
But sometimes, on a cold day, the rabbit still remembered the quiet winter by the river, when an enemy had felt almost like a friend.