Far, far away beyond the tall, gloomy mountains lay a magical forest. The trees in it were of different varieties: coniferous and deciduous. Among the coniferous trees grew shaggy pines and fragrant firs, whilst among the deciduous ones stood sturdy oaks, slender birches, thin aspens, maples with carved leaves, and fluffy poplars.
Beside the tall, slender trees grew sprawling bushes of guelder rose and raspberry. In the forest there were many mushrooms: birch boletes, honey fungus, porcini, and ceps. The forest was large and dense, and in it lived various animals: wolves, foxes, hares, hedgehogs, deer, squirrels, and bears.
They lived together in harmony, helping one another, protecting each other from hunters and naughty children. Only Foxy the vixen could never quite get used to peace and harmony. Her character was quarrelsome and difficult; she found it hard to get along with the other animals.
One day, Foxy became very bored once again and decided to make fun of Hedgehog. She began to tease and provoke him:
Look, look, how small and clumsy he is, what short little legs, what tiny eyes, what sharp prickles—what a laugh! What use is he?
So Fox thought up some entertainment to offend Hedgehog, and said:
Oi, you, Hedgehog with your prickly spines! Let's have a competition! We'll hold a contest to see who can fill a barrel with water fastest. I'm certain you won't manage it at all!
Hedgehog had no choice; all the animals were watching him. Under pressure from the cheeky Fox, he quickly agreed.
They set a day for the competition. In the clearing where they decided to hold the contest, all the forest inhabitants gathered. Even the frogs from the neighbouring pond hopped over to watch the exciting contest; they couldn't miss such a jolly event. An eagle descended from the high mountains to witness the rare spectacle.
Nimble forest mice crept out of their little burrows, squirrels poked out from their tree hollows, even Bear himself emerged from his den to watch the unusual contest.
Well, now I've got you, Prickly. How can you possibly keep up with me? I'm fast, bold, clever, and cunning. My bucket is much bigger than yours, my legs are longer, my paws are nimbler, which means I'll fill my barrel with water faster than you.
The red trickster thought to herself.
Hedgehog said nothing in reply to his unwanted rival, merely kept silent and shook his head slightly. He snuffled a bit, then stepped up to the starting line that Fox had drawn before the competition began.
And the cunning Fox began racing against little Hedgehog, carrying water to their barrels. Hedgehog didn't rush; he carefully carried his little bucket, attentively stepping with his short legs, bringing all the water, down to the last drop, to the barrel, then returning to the source again.
Foxy hurried and rushed about, swinging her bucket, spilling water along the way, running circles around the barrel. By the time she reached the barrel, almost nothing remained in the bucket; she poured out just a tiny bit of water from the very bottom and started fussing about again.
The forest animals worried about the participants and actively supported them. Squirrels waved their tails, hares tapped their paws, Bear periodically let out a roar, birds chirped without stopping. Each of them watched the competition attentively whilst thinking their own thoughts.
No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she hurried, she couldn't win the contest. The calm and unhurried Hedgehog managed to fill his barrel right to the brim before Foxy did.
Foxy the vixen was angry and cross with Hedgehog, but he said to her sensibly in a quiet voice:
You see, Fox with your red coat, you boasted a great deal, mocked and jeered, yet you couldn't win the contest. I didn't rush; I did everything properly and methodically, and filled my barrel to the brim before you. You were wrong, Fox, to think you could win through cunning and deceit.
Any task should always be done honestly and conscientiously; then you'll do the work properly and on time, and you won't damage your reputation.
