There once lived a wolf who was very old and always hungry. Once he saw a donkey eating grass at the edge of the forest. The wolf was delighted, walked closer and called out: "You're just in time for me, I'm going to eat you now!"

The donkey took a few steps back and said: "Dear wolf, can't you see how skinny I am? You won't get full if you eat me."

"I'll eat you anyway!" shouted the wolf, his stomach growling with hunger.

"You should eat fat sheep instead," said the donkey. 

"Yes, but how do I get sheep?" asked the wolf.

"If you let me live, I'll lead you to a large flock of sheep where you can satisfy your hunger. Just get on my back."

The wolf didn't need to be told twice. He climbed onto the donkey's back and let himself be carried like a rider. The donkey galloped towards the village and the wolf marveled at the landscape and felt like a fine gentleman.

They got closer and closer to the village and the wolf asked: "Where is the big flock of sheep?"

"We'll be there soon," replied the donkey. With the wolf on his back, he ran into the village and shouted loudly: "hee-haw, hee-haw! The wolf is here!"

As soon as the people heard the cry, they came out of their houses with sticks to kill the wolf.

The wolf was frightened, jumped off the donkey and ran for his life.

He was lucky to reach the protective forest and thought: "My grandfather was a simple wolf, and so was my father. Neither of them wanted to eat a whole flock of sheep and ride a donkey. From now on, I will avoid donkeys and go back to hunting mice in the forest. And so he did, and when he saw the donkey eating grass at the edge of the forest, he quickly and quietly slipped away.

© translated by Lysander Jaenike, based on:  Fassung Djamila Jaenike, nach: H. Weisovà-Tomamovà, Tiermärchen, Hanau 1999