The Wolf and the Shadow

It was late in the afternoon, and the bright yellow sun was just starting to sink behind the hills, painting the sky in deep shades of orange and pink.

A hungry gray wolf was trotting through a wide, empty field, looking for something to eat. As the sun dipped lower, the light stretched across the grass, casting very long shadows behind everything it touched.

The wolf stopped and happened to look at the ground beside him. Because the sun was so low in the sky, his shadow stretched out across the entire field! It looked massive—taller than the trees and wider than a boulder.

“Wow!” the wolf whispered in absolute amazement. He puffed out his chest and held his head high. “Look at how gigantic I am! I had no idea I was this big. My shadow shows that I am easily the largest, strongest animal in the entire forest.”

He began to strut proudly through the grass, watching the giant shadow move with him. “Why should I be afraid of the lion?” the wolf boasted to himself. “The lion thinks he is the king of the beasts, but look at me! I am at least ten times his size. I am the true king!”

Completely focused on his huge, impressive shadow, the wolf stopped paying attention to where he was walking. He bragged out loud to the empty field, announcing how fierce and brave he was.

He made so much noise that he woke up a real, enormous lion who had been taking an evening nap in the tall grass nearby.

The lion let out a ground-shaking roar and leaped up! Before the boastful wolf even realized what was happening, the great lion pinned him to the ground with one massive paw.

“Shadow or no shadow,” the lion growled deeply, “a wolf is still just a wolf.”

As the sun finally set and the darkness fell across the forest, the wolf’s giant shadow completely disappeared. In the dark, the wolf realized what a foolish mistake he had made by believing a trick of the light over the reality of who he really was.

Moral of the Story: Do not let your pride trick you into believing you are something you are not.