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There was once a wolf who was the familiar of a powerful witch. She often sent him on errands to and fro across the land, and he had little trouble, for she had imbued him with magical strength, legs which could travel leagues in a single bound, and the ability to sneak as quietly as a shadow.
Now, it came to be that the witch had a princess as her captive, a beautiful, helpless thing with gold hair and eyes as green as clover. Every day, the princess would sit at the window of the witch’s hut and weep, and there the wolf saw her and within him rose a powerful lust.
He wished, as he had never wished before, to devour the princess’ flesh and crunch her bones between his teeth.
Day after day he pined at her window, watching the tears slide down her cream-pale cheeks and hungering somewhere deep within himself.
The cleverest animal of the forest, the fox, noticed the wolf’s desire, and thought it very interesting indeed. “If you so want the Princess, why do you not ask the witch if you can have her?” the fox said.
“I have,” the wolf said mournfully, “But the witch has need of her and will not give her to me.”
“That is such injustice!” the fox declared, “Have you not run like a lapdog to the ends of the earth for her? Slain dragons because she needed their teeth, and fetched for her the blue crystal flower which grows on the highest mountain in the world?” By and by, the fox got the simple-minded wolf so riled up that he was willing to even go against his mistress, just for the taste of the Princess’ flesh on his tongue.
“You must help me, of course, fox,” the wolf said.
“What?” the fox replied, feigning shock, “I cannot, for I do not want to fall upon the wrong side of the witch’s favor.” But then the wolf set upon him, growling so viciously that the fox was pressed to help in the wolf’s mission.
“I have an idea,” the fox said presently, “When the witch goes about her business and the house is empty save for the princess, we will disguise you like a peddler. When the princess goes to open the door, then you may set upon her. But,” the fox added, “You must bring me the witch’s hex bag.”
The wolf agreed that this was a fine idea, and when the witch called him to her side to give him instructions, it was no trouble at all to secret away her bag of tricks, and this he brought to the fox the next day.
From the witch’s hex bag, the fox pulled a basket, filled it with trinkets, and finally a thick cloak which would hide the wolf’s features. “You musn’t let the Princess see your ears, your tail or your teeth,” the fox warned him, “Or she will know it is you.”
The wolf donned the cloak and put the basket under his arm. He walked to the door and knocked upon it, “Ribbons!” he cried, “Rings! Sweets!”
The Princess, intrigued, went to peep at the window. There, she saw a harmless peddler, all covered in a dark cloak. However, at the sight of the Princess, the wolf became so excited that his ears popped out of his hood.
Letting loose a horrified shriek, the Princess did not open the door, and thus a very disgruntled wolf returned to the fox to tell him that his plan failed.
“I have another idea.” The fox said,” Tomorrow, when the witch goes about her business and the house is empty save for the princess, we will disguise you like a harmless kitten, and you shall go to the door and make such a fuss. When the princess goes to open the door, you may set upon her. But,” the fox added, “You must bring me the witch’s potions.”
The wolf agreed that this was a fine idea, and when the witch called him to her side to give him instructions, it was no trouble at all to secret away her collection of potions, and this he brought to the fox the next day.
From the witch’s potions, the fox selected a mixture that, when consumed, transformed the wolf into a small and helpless kitten.
He went to the witch’s door and scratched at it, making such a fuss in his small kittenish voice that the Princess went to peep at the window. There she saw the pitiful thing and it made her heart melt. When the wolf saw the Princess, however, he grew so excited that the potion could not disguise the way he swung his tail to and fro.
The Princess, seeing the bushy, silver tail which could belong to no kitten, let loose a horrified shriek. She did not open the door and the wolf was forced to return to the fox to tell him that the second plan failed.
“I have another idea,” the fox said, “Tomorrow, when the witch goes about her business and the house is empty save for the princess, we will disguise you like a handsome Prince, and your countenance will be so fine that the Princess will fall in love. When she goes to open the door, you may fall upon her. But,” the fox added, “I’ll need the witch’s book of spells.”
The wolf agreed that this was a fine idea, and when the witch called him to her side to give him instructions, it was no trouble at all to secret away her book of spells, and this he brought to the fox the next day.
From the witch’s book of spells, the fox found one which transformed the wolf into a fine-looking Prince, who no woman would ever be able to refuse.
The wolf went to the witch’s door, and knocked on it. When the Princess peeped outside, she saw a large and lovely man, and immediately fell head over heels. However, when the wolf saw the Princess, he grew so excited that his lips stretched out in a smile, revealing a set of razor-sharp teeth.
At this, the Princess let loose a horrified shriek and would not open the door.
The wolf returned to the fox in frustration, ready to rip open his chest and take his flesh as substitute when the fox offered, weakly, a final option.
“You must go to your mistress, and kill her.” The fox said, “Without her bag of tricks, her potions or her magic book she is no match for you. And then you may consume the Princess at your leisure.”
The wolf thought about it, but he held no loyalties to the witch, and so he agreed it was a fine idea. The next day, when the witch called him to her side to give him instructions, he set upon her and tore out her throat.
Triumphant, he returned to the fox, intending to kill him as well before going after the Princess, but the fox had taken all of the witch’s magical items and made himself very powerful, and when the wolf appeared with blood on his muzzle, the fox quickly cast a spell upon him, and bound him in silver chord that tightened whenever the wolf struggled. By and by the wolf strangled himself to death.
Then the fox cast a spell on himself which gave him the countenance of a handsome Prince and went to knock on the witch’s door. When the Princess peeped upon him from the window, she immediately fell in love and opened the door.
Whereupon the fox leapt upon her and ate her up.