Fox And Owl’s Breakfast

Owl flew back to the tree with a small warm breakfast in her beak. Morning light shone on the leaves. The leaf bed below was empty. Owl looked left. She looked right. Her chicks were gone. Fox was gone too. “Where are my chicks?” Owl cried. She flew down to the soft leaves. She saw no little wings. She heard no tiny calls. The forest felt too quiet. Owl dropped her breakfast. It landed with a soft plop.

Then Owl began to cry. Her tears fell on the leaves like tiny drops of rain. “Fox promised to watch them,” she said. “I trusted Fox.” Owl flew along the path between the trees. She called to the animals she met. “Have you seen Fox?” she asked. “No,” said a small bird. “I heard steps near the stream,” said a squirrel. “But I did not see who made them.” Owl followed the path to the stream. She looked behind a stump. She looked under a bush. She looked by the tall grass.

“Fox!” she called. “Please come back!” Only the stream answered with a soft trickle. Owl flew to the next path. She asked again and again. The forest animals stopped to listen. Soon, many animals knew the sad news. “Fox took my chicks,” Owl said through her tears. “He promised to keep them safe. Then he ate them and ran away.”