Once upon a time, there was a small, stubborn lamb in a large flock. It was always happy because it did what it wanted. It was small and cute, so any trouble was soon forgiven and no one was angry with it for a long time. Not even the mother sheep, the shepherd or the sheepdogs.
The shepherds and dogs were most often annoyed when he ran off without permission and everyone had to look for him. What they used to tell him was that it wasn’t safe for him to go outside the flock. The little lamb knew what he knew – if he ran away from the herd, he would find the best grass to eat and the cleanest water to drink. And, as we said, no one could stay mad at him for long anyway.
One day, when the flock moved to a new pasture, the lamb set out on his own to explore the area. After a while, he got very thirsty. Fortunately, he heard a brook gurgling nearby. He went to it and drank and drank.
But suddenly a croaking voice said, “How dare you drink from my stream?”
“What? Me? I was just taking a sip,” said the lamb guilelessly.
“You cheeky little rascal, I’ll teach you a lesson,” the wolf was about to pounce, when the barking of the shepherd’s dogs was heard and a shepherd emerged from the thicket. The wolf quickly ran away, and the lamb drank thoroughly before the shepherd led him back to the flock.
But the wolf did not want to forget the lamb. He didn’t want to let the little cheeky one get away unpunished and he also wanted to eat him, of course. He decided to wait for the lamb by the stream. It would surely return!
Soon the wolf’s waiting paid off. He saw a lamb walking towards the water. The lamb glanced around to see if it could spot the wolf, but the old gray sly wolf knew how to disguise himself. Just as the lamb lowered his head to the water and took a few sips, the wolf had him in his clutches.
The lamb called: “Help, shepherd! Help, dogs!” But no one noticed that the restless lamb had disappeared again. And so no one was looking for him yet. The wolf pressed the lamb harder and harder.
Fortunately, the lamb was a sly fellow. He hit the wolf in the muzzle with his hard head, the wolf didn’t expect it, and in surprise he loosened his grip for a moment. That moment was just enough for the lamb. It quickly slipped out of the wolf’s paws and headed towards the flock. Before the wolf could react, the lamb was gone.
For a long time the wolf prowled around the water, looking for the lonely lamb. But he could only dream of it. The bitter experience was enough for the lamb and it began to behave more cautiously. It no longer went to drink the water unsupervised. While it is still young, the lamb is glad to have someone to look after it and give advice. It will learn everything gradually, and when it is a big ram, it will be able to handle everything by itself.
