Betrayal
Had felt like writing a parable a while back and always really liked how it turned out. As for the moral of the parable, I'll let you all come to your own conclusions.
One thing that has always been true throughout all of the ages is that each species was given a god to watch over and guide that species. A long time ago, before the age of Man, many of these gods chose to take the form of the animal they ruled over and walk among them, leading them in any way they could. They would walk across the world and lead their people in what that god thought was right. Being immortal the only friendship they could really afford to have for any prolonged period was with other gods. So when they were not leading their own kind they often sought each other out and conversed with each other. Now the god of the humans, for whatever reason had decided that it was best to not intervene and to simply stand back in the distance and let them find their own way.
The god of the wolves thought this was the human god abandoning his charges and so commanded his wolves to take the leaderless humans under their wings. The god of the foxes did not approve of this and so approached the god of the wolves to try and dissuade him from this course of action, the wolf's white fur in stark contrast with the black fur of the fox.
"You should not do this," the fox pleaded. "Man is unpredictable. If you do this then you will be betrayed."
"We should feel pity for the humans since their god neglects them. I am merely doing what he does not. I know what I'm doing so there's absolutely nothing to be worried about. Everything is under control," the wolf replied.
And with that the fox left, trusting enough that the wolf wasn't lying when it said what it did and that he'll come to his senses before it's too late on his own. So the fox went to go take care of his own people for a while and converse with the other gods. He also conversed with the wolf some more but chose not to bring up the discussion of the humans for the time being. As time passed under the instruction and guidance of Wolf the humans learned how to hunt, how to strategize and how to follow orders. Feeling that enough time had passed the black fox came back to talk with the white wolf.
"Man has grown strong and intelligent," the fox stated. "You have taught them everything that they'd need to survive. Surely this should be enough, right?"
"My dear fox, we both know that surviving is not enough to live. Besides, as your people are all solitary and mine are more social I have more authority on if another social species has learned enough about working together yet. I have much more yet that I can teach man, not to mention to try and tame him," The wolf chuckled his response.
"I don't think you should try to tame him, though," The fox continued. "If you aren't careful you will be betrayed."
"Nonsense, I know full well what I am doing."
Seeing that his efforts are in vain the fox left the wolf in order to go back to leading his own people. Time passed again and during this time the humans learned to use simple tools and how to use the power of fire. Seeing this the fox decided to pay the white wolf another visit to try and talk him away from continuing down this path. But being wary of the fire using humans the fox waited until night when all of the humans were encircled around the fire and could not see very well anymore. He then moved in just close enough that the white wolf would be able to smell him. After waiting for a good portion of the night the wolf finally caught the fox's scent and left to go speak with the fox. But instead of talking there the fox lead the wolf even further away from the fire so that they could speak without any risk of the humans stumbling on their location.
"The humans have grown powerful and can even tame fire," the fox began once they were at a safe distance. "A feat which none of the rest of us have been able to do with our own people. You certainly have done enough by now. You should leave now while you are still ahead and before you are betrayed."
"True, they can now live well on their own and have accomplished things we cannot, but that is the beauty of it all. Even with so much left I can teach them they've already accomplished all of that. I had promised myself a long time ago that I would look after and tame the unpredictability of Man and I intend to keep that promise until the God of Man walks among his own people instead. Besides, you're just jealous of all of the work I've managed to do with the humans. Let us not talk about this topic any further. I grow tired of arguing with you on this subject."
"For your sake I hope the God of Man comes soon," The fox replied dejectedly before leaving again before the humans noticed he was there.
As time passed yet again the fox made a point of avoiding having to deal with the humans at any time he could avoid it. He still sometimes talked with the wolf though never when the white wolf was near the humans. He also raised his own kind to become much more wary of the human species. During this time the humans learned how to farm and raise crops for food and began to isolate themselves from the wolves. Finally the fox decided that he could wait no longer and came again to plead with the white wolf.
"Wolf, Man has left you. He has grown far beyond any hope of being controlled by any such as us. They have even taken some of your own brethren and they are starting to listen to the word of Man rather than your word. This has clearly gone on far enough. There can't be any more reason why you or any of your people should still be around the humans. Call them back now and leave Man alone like my people do or you will be betrayed."
"Look, Fox, I have grown weary of all of this. It is only because we are related so, that I have allowed you to pester me about it for all of these ages, but I will not allow it any longer. I let some of my kin go with the humans to help them and keep them from straying too far off when I personally can't oversee them myself. I am not a coward like you are. Don't think that I haven't noticed your people becoming more skittish when it comes to humans. I will not be betrayed. Do not worry about it. Now do not come here again to discuss this subject ever again. Do I make myself clear?"
And so, without saying a single word, the fox left dejectedly. Time passed as usual in the world while the wolf stewed over his argument with the fox. Eventually once he had calmed down enough the white wolf had decided that he wanted to check up on the humans and see how their progress was doing. But the humans no longer wanted the wolf there. When the white wolf drew near the border of some territory that the humans had claimed for themselves they attacked the wolf. What was worse was that they sent the wolves that had gone along with the humans against the White Wolf, their god. Even as they chased after him the white wolf could not bring himself to harm his own people and so he was forced to retreat. As he did so he noticed that these wolves who went with the humans no longer looked or acted like real wolves, but of something less.
Being a god it didn't take much effort for the wolf to evade his former brethren and once free of them chose a place to wait out at somewhere he felt was safe to rest for a while. As he mourned the loss that had befell him he noted that the place he had found safe was the place where he and the god of the foxes had spent so many arguments over all of these ages. But the fox did not come to gloat over the wolf or to say that he was right and that the wolf should have listened to him. The fox did not come to give company to the wolf or even to come and argue about something completely different. The fox did not come to comfort the wolf or to try to make things better. The wolf had been betrayed.