Fabulam Vulpeculi - The Fox's Tale
Fabulam Vulpeculi - The Fox's Tale by Athalon A patient and studious cat once told me a wonderful story. It was in Latin, for the cat was indeed quite learned, back in the days when scholars (especially fastidious ones like cats) preferred that language to vulgar dialects. He was indeed a fine teacher, mine, and I was honored to learn from him. But Pixel never did quite manage to get me to walk through walls.
- * * In illo tempore fuit vulpeculus. Peniculus suus copiosus, pellis sua nivosa, et oculus suus clari. Ambulavit in silva tempore verne, cum die novo et silencio in silva. Cruxit flumene, et papilio aureus descendivit in nasu suo. Ridit, et excutit. Once upon a time there was a fox kit. His tail was full, his coat, shiny, and his eyes clear. He was walking in the forest of a springtime, when the day was new and silence was upon the woods. He crossed a stream, and a yellow butterfly landed upon his nose. He laughed, and sneezed! Vidit tum lucem inter arbores, et festinavit ut disceret quod erit. Invenit puerum parvum in terra procubatum, et non movit vulpeculus timore. Audivit tum ploratum pueri, et vidit eum vulneratus. Then he saw a light amid the trees, and he hurried to find out what it was. He came upon a small boy laid upon the ground, and the fox moved not, out of fear. Then he heard the boy's cry, and saw that he was hurt. Puer procubavit in terra, nudus, brachiis et cruribus suis extenditos. Corpus suus sanguine maculaverit, et sanguis ex multibus vulneribus fluxit. Clamavit cruciate suo. The boy lay on the ground, unclothed, his arms and legs spread wide. His body was stained with blood, and from many wounds, there flowed blood. He cried out in his agony. Festinavit celeriter vulpex auxilio, et didicit puerum adfixum ad terram cum sudibus duabus per pedes et manuas. Praeterea pedi sui et manus adfixa a sudibus per funem gravem. Et ex vulneribus pedum et manuum, fluxit sanguis profusus. Vulneres alterae animalibus feribis fuerunt, sed sanguis non jam ex eos fluxit. The fox came quickly to the help, and discovered the boy pinned to the ground with sharp stakes through his hands and feet. Worse, his feet and hands were tied to the stakes by strong rope. And from the wounds of foot and hand, blood flowed freely. There were other wounds from wild animals, but blood no longer came from those. Vulpeculus dentes suas experivit ad funem, sed puer clamavit in voce magna. Cum conatus sit sudes extrahere, ululavit et conlaboratus est puer. "Non," dixit vulpeculus. "Non in nisi modo." Et inermis ad salvarem puero, propter vulpex solus. The little fox tried his teeth on the rope, but the boy cried out loudly. When he tried to pull out the stakes, the boy yelled and fainted. "No", said the little fox. "Not that way, either." And he was helpless to save the boy, because he was only a fox. Ad orem pueri iit, et incipivit lambere. "Excita, puer!" Et adversavit faciem suam a vulpeculo. Puer operit oculos suos, "Vulpex, vere es?" He went to the boy's mouth, and began to lick. "Wake up, boy!" And he (the boy) turned his face away from the fox. The boy opened his eyes. "Fox? Are you real?" Sum. Quis ipse hoc tibi fecit?" "I am. Who did this thing to you? "Mater et pater. Fratri. Puer malus sum." My mother and father. My brothers. I'm a bad kid. "Malus? Non credo." Et lambit faciem pueri, et sudorem "You're bad? I don't believe that." And he licked the boy's face, and the sweat (there). "Ego. Amo studere et legere, sed non laborare. Audio incantationem flumenis et imagines in nubibus video. Non me accipiunt. Et non me amant." Et oculos suos lacrimis multis complerunt. "I am. I love studying and reading, but not simple work. I hear the song of the brook, and see pictures in the clouds. They don't accept me. And they don't love me." And his eyes were filled with many tears. Lavavit vulpex vulneras pueri lingua sua. Lavavit humerum, et brachium, atque manuum. Multa sanguis fuit. Simile, lambit laterem et crurem. Lente persevavit abluere puerum, dum advenit ad inguenem. The fox washed the boy's wounds with his tongue. He washed the shoulder and arm, the hand as well. There was an awful lot of blood. In the same way, he licked the (boy's) side and hip. Slowly, he continued to clean the boy, until he reached the groin. "Merhercule!," dixit vulpeculus. Plus sanguinis in partibus illis fuit, et stagnum fustum ruber sub pygam pueri. Dilaceratus fuit graviore, et paene vulpex nausea et timore superatus est. Sed fortitudine, ligurit sanguinem et puerum lavavit ab inguenem et pygam pedetemptim. "Damn!" said the fox kit. There was even more blood in that area, and a dark red pool under the boy's bottom. He had been torn up badly, and the fox was almost overcome with sickness and fear. But bravely, he licked up the blood and gingerly cleansed the boy on groin and bottom. "Sta, titillas!", dixit puer, risu. "Stop, you're tickling!", said the boy, with a laugh. Stetit inter cruribus pueri vulpeculus subridens, et dixit, "Patiente, puer. Si non te lambo, non effulsus intermittat." Et nictavit. The smiling little fox stood between the boy's thighs, and said, "Hold still, boy. If I don't lick you, the bleeding won't stop." And he winked. Lente persevavit abluere puerum secundum laterum alterum. Finem haberit, abluivit pectorem et ventrem, dum puer purus et commodus. Sed jam crucifixus ad terram fuit. Vulpex non potuit curare tergo pueri, quia non puer moveretur. Slowly he continued to cleanse the boy along the other side. When he had finished, he washed chest and belly, until the boy was clean and comfortable. Yet he was still staked out to the earth. The fox could not tend the boy's back, because the boy could not be moved. "Sedeo," dixit puer. Et iit vulpeculus ad flumen ut aquam adferret. Et ter complevit orem suam aquae, sed quando redierat puero, non potuerat bibere puer. Tandem, vulpex ad flumen iit, et penem suum in aquam submersit, et postea peniculum ejum in ore pueri posuit. Puer aquam bibit, et suspiravit, et oculos suos clausit. "I'm thirsty," said the boy. And the fox went to the stream that he might bring back water. And three times he filled his mouth with water, but when he had returned to the boy, the boy could not drink. Finally, the fox went to the stream, and plunged his tail into the water, and then put his tail to the boy's mouth. The boy drank the water, and sighed, and closed his eyes. "Solitarius sum," dixit puer. Et vulpex caputum suum in ventre pueri jecit. Vulpeculum meminit quod mater sua eum dederat. Ubi in plaga es, potes adrodere pedem suam, et plagam effugere. Sed puer quatuor omnes pedes in plaga habuit. Non potuit adjuvare. "I'm lonely," said the boy. And the fox laid his head on the boy's tummy. The little fox remembered what his own mother had told him. When you're caught in a snare, you can gnaw your foot, and escape the trap. But the boy had all four feet in a snare. It wouldn't help him. "Non cupo ire ad casam meam. Non possum. Non me amant, et non amicos habeo. Amans meus etiam non habeo. Melius est agere hic tecum. "I don't want to go back to my family. I can't. They don't love me, and I don't have any friends. I don't have a lover, either. It's better to pass the time here with you." Et vulpeculus intellexit ut puer hic moreretur. Melius quam cuniculus sine nec amore neque parentibus. Itaque mansit cum puero ad vesperum, cum pellis contra faciem pueri, osculabat eum. And the little fox knew that the boy was going to die here. It was better than (dying in) a burrow with neither love nor parents. So he stayed with the boy until evening, with his coat against the boy's face, kissing him. Occecidit sol, et umbra venit super terra. Ventus nocturnus movit. Debilitatus est puer et frigitus est. Dixit a vulpeculo, "Timeo, vulpeculus. Timeo solus esse. "The sun set, and darkness came over the earth. The night winds were moving. The boy was weakening and growing cold. He said to the fox kit, "I'm afraid, little fox. I'm afraid to be alone. "Dixit ipsi vulpex, "Non te relinquam, parvus. Manebo tibi per noctem, et crasinus dies. Et crasinus dies, dum non me egeres. "The fox said to him, "I won't leave you, little one. I will stay with you tonight, and tomorrow. And the next day, until you don't need me any more." "Sed, timeo, et, solitarius sum. Nox umbra est, et non exitabo. "But, I'm afraid. And I'm lonely. This night is dark, and I'm not going to wake up. "Non lacrima, puerulum. Exitabas in matutino, et omnis valebit. Sed in hac nocte, fabulam te dicam." Et vulpeculus in pectorem pueri ascendit, et ter circumegit, et se jacuit in eo, coram ad coram. Et narravit fabulam longam et mirabilis, fabulam cujusmodo quam solus animales narravant. Et venerunt lacrimas in oculos nivosos vulpeculi, sed ad oculos febriculosos pueri solus pax at gaudium. Et dum decrescit nox, et frigor invenit corporem pueri, narravit fabulam ad orientem solis, et lux inflammat pellum suum, sine cessione. "Don't cry, little boy. You'll wake up in the morning, and everything will be fine. But for tonight, I'll tell you a story." The fox climbed onto the boy's chest, and turned about three times, and laid himself down upon him, heart to heart. And he told a long and wonderous story, a story of the sort that only the animals tell. And there came tears to the shining eyes of the little fox, but to the fevered eyes of the boy, only peace and joy. And as night waned, and the cold came over the body of the boy, he told the tale until sunrise, unceasing, and the light set fire to his coat. Tum vulpex stetit, et oscitavit, et se agitavit. Vidit faciem pueri, exsanguinis, et faciem suam fricavit conta faciem pueri. Non movit puer. Sic disceret se ipse solus esse. Adrodit funes et extraxit sudes ex manuas et pedes, propter non nullus dolor est. Sed, non nihil a mortuo dixit, ni lagrima dedit. Tantum inclinavit caputem. Then the fox stood, and kissed him, and shook himself. He saw the face of the boy, bloodless, and rubbed his own face against the face of the boy. The boy moved not. Thus he discovered for himself that he was alone. He gnawed the ropes and pulled out the stakes from hands and feet, for there was no (more) pain. But he said nothing at all to the dead boy, nor shed tears. He only bowed his head. "Tu ipse non morieris," sussuravit. "In hoc modo enim vivas, propter sanguis sua atque sanguis mea mixtae sunt in corpore mei. Et ob hanc causam, per omnes dies meis, vivabas. Tu mecum atque ego tecum. Te amabo et salvabo, dum me quoque jaceo in extremis. "Thou shalt not die," he whispered. "For in this way you live: because your blood and my blood have been mingled in my body. And by this, throughout all my days, you shall live. Thou with me, and I with you. I will love you, and care for you, until at last I lay me down. "Et quando profectus erat jentaculum invenire, audivit vocem parvulum intra se. "Gratias ago, frater vulpex meus. Dum jacemus simul." And when he had set out to find breakfast, he heard the boy's voice within himself. "Thank you, brother fox. Until we lay us down... together." Finis