Well, it was a crisp autumn day, don’t ya know, and Brother Fox, he decided he wanted to go hunting. He’d made his peace with Brother Rabbit a few months back, and he thought it would be a fine thing if they went hunting together. So, Brother Fox stopped by Brother Rabbit’s place and invited him to come along.
“No sir, Brother Fox,” said Brother Rabbit. “I’m tired today and intend to take it easy.”
Nothing Fox could say changed his mind, so Brother Fox went hunting alone. And what a grand hunt it was! He ended up with a bag full of game and was whistling merrily as he headed down the road toward home.
After spending a lazy day in his garden, Brother Rabbit was feeling a mite peckish, and was wishing he’d gone hunting with Brother Fox, on account of all the good game he could be cooking up right this minute if he did. Then he got an idea. Maybe he could still get some of that game.
Brother Rabbit went running down the road in the direction of the woods, listening for Brother Fox. When he heard Brother Fox a-whistling as he trotted down the road, Brother Rabbit laid himself down on the road and pretended to be dead. A moment later, Brother Fox rounded the bend and spotted the big fat bunny a-laying beside the road. Whew-ee did that rabbit look good. He was big and fat and round. Brother Fox poked at Brother Rabbit a bit, and even turned him over. What a fat tummy he had! But then he shook his head and said: “I reckon this bunny’s been dead a long time. He won’t be good eating after all this time. I’d best leave him be.” And Brother Fox went on down the road.
As soon as he was gone, up jumped Brother Rabbit. He took a short cut through the meadow and got ahead of Brother Fox. Then he lay back down on the road and played dead again. Well, when Brother Fox saw a second fat, dead rabbit, he decided he’d better do something about it. Chuckling with delight, he set down his heavy bag of game next to the “dead” Brother Rabbit and thrust him inside it. “I’d best run back and get that other fat bunny before someone else does,” Brother Fox said to himself. Leaving the heavy bag where it was, Brother Fox hurried back to the place he’d seen the other “dead rabbit”.
When Brother Fox was out of sight down the road, Brother Rabbit scrambled out of the bag, gathered the game up in his arms, and ran home to make him some stew. A few minutes later, he saw Brother Fox stalking down the lane toward his house. He looked plenty mad, did Brother Fox. Brother Rabbit grinned and called to him: “How was yer hunting, Brother Fox?”
Brother Fox glared at him and said: “Not so great, Brother Rabbit. All my game seems to have run away on me!”
Brother Rabbit laughed and laughed at him. “Well now, that’s too bad. But I jest so happen to have a spare bag full of game right here. How ’bout you sit down and have some stew with me?”
“You rascal! I outta make you really dead ‘stead of jest playin’ it!” shouted Brother Fox.
But BBrother Rabbit only laughed at him until finally Brother Fox laughed too. Then they both sat down and had some stew.
Copyrighted content: This is a retold folklore story by S.E. Schlosser, who owns the copyright. This version of the story may not be reproduced, reprinted or used in any other way without the permission of the author. Teachers may link to or photocopy this story as part of their classwork.
