The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Did you know? Wolves really do wear sheep's clothing!
In real life, wolves actually use the skins of their prey to disguise themselves! Biologists have found that wolves sometimes bite a sheep's neck and drape the sheepskin over themselves to get close to the flock. This isn't a fairy tale—it's a real survival strategy. What's more, this fable was already told in ancient Greece, hundreds of years before similar parables appeared in the Bible!
On a wide green meadow, a dark gray wolf was pacing with his head low. His stomach growled with hunger, and his sharp eyes scanned all around. In the distance, a flock of pure white, gentle sheep were grazing peacefully, and the shepherd sat nearby dozing off. The wolf licked his lips and thought, "What plump sheep! But the shepherd watches them closely. How can I get one?" He hid behind a bush and watched quietly for a long time, but he never found a chance. As the sun slowly set, the wolf's stomach grew hungrier and hungrier. He paced anxiously back and forth, but could only stare helplessly at the flock.
Just when the wolf was about to give up, he found a discarded sheepskin beside the bushes at the edge of the meadow. The sheepskin was whole and soft, and it still had a faint smell of sheep. The wolf's eyes lit up, and he had an idea: "If I can put on this sheepskin, won't I be able to sneak into the flock?" He carefully draped the sheepskin over himself, looked left and right, and felt he looked just like a real sheep. The wolf couldn't help but chuckle, thinking that tonight he would finally feast. He practiced a few sheep bleats. They sounded a bit strange, but they should fool those silly sheep.
Wearing the sheepskin, the wolf cautiously approached the flock. He kept his head down, imitating the sheep's movements, and slowly walked into the middle of the flock. The sheep looked up at him once and felt this "sheep" was a bit unfamiliar, but they didn't think much of it and went back to grazing. The shepherd sat in the distance, casually counting the sheep, and didn't notice anything unusual. The wolf was secretly delighted but didn't dare to be careless. He stayed as calm as possible and lowered his head to graze with the flock. When a sheep came near him, he would act as if nothing had happened and walk away. In this way, the wolf successfully blended into the flock without arousing any suspicion.
Mixed in with the flock, the wolf began to observe each sheep carefully. His gaze swept back and forth over the flock, searching for the plumpest one. He noticed one sheep that was especially round and whose fleece was especially shiny. He thought, "That's the one. I'll go for that one tonight." While pretending to graze, the wolf slowly moved closer to the fat sheep, but he didn't dare get too close for fear of giving himself away. From time to time, he glanced at the shepherd out of the corner of his eye to make sure the man wasn't paying attention to him. The wolf schemed, "Once the flock goes into the pen tonight, I can sneak in and have a full meal."
The sun set in the west, and the sky slowly grew dark. The shepherd stood up, waving his crook, and drove the flock toward the sheepfold. The wolf followed nervously behind the sheep, its heart pounding, but it tried hard to stay calm and copied the other sheep's steps into the fold. The pen was crowded with sheep, and the wolf mixed in among them, secretly delighted: 'Great, tonight I'll wait here. Once the shepherd falls asleep, I can make my move.' It found a corner and quietly lay down, but its eyes stayed fixed on the plumpest sheep. The wooden gate of the fold closed, and night officially began.
Late at night, the shepherd came into the fold carrying a lantern. He planned to slaughter a sheep for his dinner tonight, so he randomly felt around among the flock. The sheep stirred and shuffled backward. The shepherd's hand moved over the sheep's backs, and finally grabbed the hind leg of a 'sheep' and pulled hard. That was the wolf in sheep's clothing! The wolf was startled but dared not make a sound, and could only let the shepherd drag it out of the fold. The shepherd pressed it to the ground, raised his butcher knife, and even hummed a tune, completely unaware of anything unusual. Only then did the wolf realize something was terribly wrong, but it was too late.
The shepherd raised the sharp butcher knife and was about to strike. Only then did the wolf realize it had been caught. It struggled desperately, trying to escape, but the shepherd was very strong and held it down tightly. The wolf wanted to open its mouth to beg for mercy, but could only let out bleats because it was still wearing the sheepskin. The shepherd thought this sheep was especially restless, so he pressed down even harder. The wolf's eyes were filled with terror, and it regretted why it had been so greedy, why it had put on this sheepskin. But everything was too late; the butcher knife had already fallen, and the wolf had no chance to escape.
After the wolf was killed, the shepherd prepared to handle the meat. He peeled off the sheepskin and discovered that inside was actually a gray wolf! The shepherd was so frightened that he staggered back several steps, and the knife in his hand almost fell to the ground. His eyes widened; he couldn't believe that what he had just killed was actually a wolf. 'Good heavens! This wolf was actually wearing a sheepskin and sneaked into my flock!' the shepherd said to himself with lingering fear. He was glad that he had accidentally eliminated this dangerous fellow; otherwise, the whole flock might have been in danger. He quickly dragged the wolf's body aside and planned to tell the villagers the next day.
The next morning, the shepherd dragged the wolf's body to the village square and called out loudly for the villagers to come and see. The villagers gathered around. When they saw the wolf dressed in sheep's skin, they were shocked and began to chatter. The shepherd pointed at the wolf's body and said, "Look, everyone! This wolf put on a sheep's skin and sneaked into my flock to try to eat my sheep. Luckily, I chose him last night, or who knows what might have happened." The villagers were frightened and also relieved that the shepherd had escaped disaster. They all said that from now on they must be more careful and not let disguised bad people take advantage.
After this incident, the flock became peaceful again, grazing leisurely on the grassland every day. The shepherd became more alert. Every day he carefully checked the flock to see if any strange "sheep" were mixed in. He also reminded himself not to just sleep, but to protect the flock well. On the grassland, a gentle breeze blew, and the sheep lowered their heads to graze. Everything seemed to return to the way it was before. But the shepherd knew in his heart that danger could come again at any time, and he must stay alert at all times. And so the story ends in this atmosphere of vigilance.
