In the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, there lived a clever little fox named Rusty. Rusty was small, but he was very smart. He always used his brain instead of strength to stay safe and find food.
One morning, Rusty was walking through the forest when he saw a big, hungry wolf named Grimshaw near the river. Grimshaw was strong and fast, and all the animals were afraid of him. When he saw Rusty, he grinned.
“A little fox like you would make a nice breakfast!” Grimshaw growled, licking his lips.
Rusty knew he couldn’t outrun the wolf, so he had to think fast. He looked at the steep rocky cliffs nearby and got an idea.
“Grimshaw,” Rusty said bravely, “why eat me when I can show you a place full of big, fat chickens? More than enough for both of us!”
Grimshaw’s eyes lit up with greed. “Where?” he asked.
Rusty pointed to the top of the Blue Ridge cliffs. “Up there! But only the strongest and fastest can reach them,” he said.
Grimshaw, proud of his strength, ran up the rocky path as fast as he could. But as he climbed higher, the rocks became loose and slippery.
Suddenly, his big paws slipped, and he tumbled down the hill—right into a patch of thorny bushes!
“Owww!” Grimshaw yelped as the sharp thorns poked his fur.
Rusty laughed and shook his fluffy tail. “Being big and strong isn’t always the best. Sometimes, a smart brain wins the game!”
Rusty trotted away happily, leaving Grimshaw tangled in thorns. From that day on, all the animals in the Blue Ridge Mountains admired Rusty—not for his size or speed, but for his clever thinking.
Moral: Being smart is more powerful than being big and strong.
