Seeing their mother struggle, the cubs said, “Mom, we are grown up now. Tomorrow, please let us go out and find food on our own.” The mother bear was overjoyed to hear her children’s words. She hugged them tightly and gave them many instructions before letting them go. Although her heart was filled with worry, she also felt proud and happy that her children wanted to become independent.
The next morning, the two cubs said goodbye to their mother and started their journey. Along the way, everything seemed new and exciting. Colorful butterflies fluttered past to tease them, and the flowers in the forest released sweet fragrances as if inviting the cubs to stop and play. They spent the day exploring, laughing, and discovering the wonders of the world around them.
As the afternoon came and their energy faded, hunger struck fiercely. Suddenly, they spotted a large piece of cheese lying on the ground. Overjoyed, they shouted in unison and rushed toward it. Both tried to divide it into two equal parts, but soon their greed took over. Whenever one tried to break the cheese in half, the other would snatch it back, afraid of receiving the smaller portion.
The brothers forgot their mother’s advice and began arguing. At first, they spoke softly, but soon their voices grew louder, and they fought bitterly over who should get the bigger share.
At that very moment, an old fox happened to pass by. Hearing the noise, he stopped and asked, “Why are you two fighting so loudly?” The bear cubs told him the whole story. The fox, sly and experienced, gave a sly smile and said, “That’s easy. Give it to me, and I’ll divide it equally. Each of you will get a fair share.”
The cubs, relieved, quickly agreed. They handed the cheese to the fox, who broke it into two uneven pieces on purpose. One cub immediately shouted, “That piece is bigger!” The fox pretended to be serious and replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll fix it.” He then took a big bite out of the larger piece, chewing with delight. But now the smaller side looked bigger. The other cub cried out, “It’s still not fair!”
The fox licked his lips and said, “Let me adjust it again.” With that, he took another large bite, this time from the other piece. Now the first piece looked larger again.
This continued over and over. The fox kept biting the cheese under the excuse of making the portions equal, while the cubs stood by helplessly, shouting, “It’s still not even, take another bite!” Bite after bite, the cheese grew smaller and smaller until there was almost nothing left.
Finally, when he was full and satisfied, the fox handed the cubs two tiny crumbs and said smugly, “Now it’s fair. Each of you gets exactly the same.” With that, he laughed and walked away, leaving the cubs with nothing but disappointment.
The two bear cubs looked at the pitiful crumbs in their paws. They said nothing, but deep inside they knew they had learned a painful lesson: greed and the refusal to share can make you lose almost everything.
The message is simple: if you cannot compromise and learn to share, you may end up with nothing at all.