One summer, a bear and a wolf were walking in the forest. The bear heard a bird singing so beautifully that he asked, "Brother wolf, what bird is that?" The wolf replied, "That is the King of birds. We must bow to him." The bird was actually a tiny willow-wren.
The bear wanted to see the King’s palace, so they waited until the King and Queen flew away to find food for their children. When the bear looked into the nest, he saw five or six small birds. "Is this the palace?" the bear laughed. "This is a terrible place, and you are not royal children. You are ugly and shameful!"
The young wrens were very angry. When their parents returned, the children refused to eat. "The bear was here and insulted us!" they cried. "We won't eat a single fly until you prove we are respectable!"
The King Wren was furious. He flew to the bear’s cave and shouted, "Old Growler, why did you insult my children? This means war!"
The bear called all the four-footed animals—oxen, donkeys, deer, and wolves. The willow-wren called everything that flew—birds, bees, flies, and gnats. Before the battle, the wren sent a gnat to spy on the animals. The gnat hid under a leaf and heard the bear talking to the fox.
"Fox," said the bear, "you are the smartest. You will be our general. What is the signal?" The fox replied, "I have a long, bushy tail. When I hold it high, everything is going well and we should attack. But if I lower it, run away as fast as you can!"
The gnat told the wren everything. On the day of the battle, the wren sent a hornet to hide under the fox's tail. When the battle started, the hornet stung the fox. The fox moved his leg in pain but kept his tail high. The hornet stung him a second time. Finally, after the third sting, the fox couldn't stand the pain. He screamed and put his tail between his legs.
When the other animals saw the tail go down, they thought they had lost. They all ran away to their holes. The birds had won!
The King Wren flew to the bear's cave and said, "Now, go to my nest and apologize, or I will break every bone in your body!" The bear was terrified. He went to the nest and begged the young birds for their pardon. Only then were the young wrens satisfied. They ate, drank, and were happy until late into the night.