In the very beginning of the world, long before anyone can remember, all the animals were wild. The Dog was wild, the Horse was wild, the Cow was wild, and the Cat was the wildest of them all. He walked by himself through the Wet Wild Woods, waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone. None of the animals trusted each other, and none of them had a home.
One day, the Woman found a dry cave on a hillside and swept it clean with branches. She lit a bright fire at the entrance and hung a dried horse-skin across the opening to keep the wind out. 'This will be our home,' she told the Man. The fire flickered and danced, sending warm golden light out into the darkness. From the woods, all the wild animals watched the strange new glow with curious, cautious eyes.
The Wild Dog crept closer to the Cave, drawn by the wonderful smell of roasting meat. His nose twitched and his stomach grumbled. The Woman saw him lurking in the shadows and smiled knowingly. 'Wild thing out of the Wild Woods, what do you want?' she called softly. 'I am so hungry,' whimpered the Dog. 'Come closer,' said the Woman, 'and I will give you something wonderful — but you must help us in return.'
The Woman threw a big meaty bone into the fire, and when it was roasted golden and dripping, she gave it to the Wild Dog. 'If you guard our Cave at night and help the Man hunt by day, you shall have roasted bones forever,' she said. The Dog gnawed the bone with pure delight and wagged his tail for the very first time. 'I will be the First Friend,' he promised. And from that moment, he was no longer wild — he was the Dog who serves the Man.
Next came the Wild Horse, who could smell the sweet hay the Woman had gathered. 'Wild thing out of the Wild Woods, what do you want?' asked the Woman. The Horse tossed his tangled mane and stamped his hooves. 'I want that sweet-smelling grass,' he said. 'Then carry the Man on your back and pull his loads,' said the Woman, 'and you shall eat fresh hay every morning and evening.' The Horse bowed his great head and agreed, becoming the second creature to leave the Wild Woods behind.
Then the Wild Cow came mooing at the mouth of the Cave, lured by the golden ears of corn. The Woman offered the same kind of bargain: fresh corn every day in exchange for giving her rich white milk. The Cow agreed with a slow, contented nod. Now the Woman had a Dog to guard, a Horse to carry, and a Cow to milk. But through all of this, the Cat sat far away in the Wet Wild Woods, watching with his bright green eyes and saying, 'I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me. I will NOT come.'
But the Cat was more curious than he would ever admit. One moonlit night, he slipped silently through the forest and crept to the mouth of the Cave. Inside, the Woman sat singing softly to a tiny Baby in her arms. The Cat's ears pricked up at the sound. 'Wild thing out of the Wild Woods,' the Woman whispered, seeing his green eyes gleaming in the dark, 'why have you come?' The Cat arched his back proudly. 'I have NOT come for anything,' he lied. 'I am just walking by myself, as I always do.'
The Woman was wise and knew the Cat wanted something. 'I will make a bargain with you,' she said. 'If I say three words of praise for you, then you may come into the Cave and sit by the warm fire. But if the Man or the Dog catch you, they have every right to throw things at you and chase you away.' The Cat considered this carefully, his tail swishing back and forth. It was a dangerous bargain, but the fire was so warm and the milk smelled so sweet. 'Very well,' he purred. 'Three words of praise.'
The Baby began to cry, and the Cat did something no one expected. He padded softly over and began to purr — a deep, rumbling, gentle purr. He rubbed his silky head against the Baby's tiny hand, and the Baby laughed and stopped crying at once. 'Oh!' exclaimed the Woman in surprise. 'That is very cleverly done. You are as clever as any creature in the Cave!' That was the First Praise. From that moment, the Cat had the right to come inside the Cave whenever he wished.
Later, the Woman was trying to spin thread, but it kept tangling. The Cat chased a loose ball of wool, batting it gently with his paws and rolling it back to her perfectly wound. 'Oh!' said the Woman. 'You are wonderfully useful. You are as useful as the Dog himself!' That was the Second Praise. Now the Cat had won the right to sit by the warm fire forever. He stretched out on the warm hearthstones, tucked his paws beneath him, and purred like a small, furry thunderstorm.
That evening, a mouse scurried across the Cave floor, heading straight for the milk pot. Quick as lightning, the Cat pounced and caught it in one smooth leap. The Woman clapped her hands. 'Oh! You are as good a mouser as the Cow is a good milker! Three praises I have given you, Cat. You may drink the warm white milk three times a day forevermore.' The Cat lapped the sweet warm milk and purred with deep, rumbling satisfaction. He had won all three bargains on his own clever terms.
But remember — the Man and the Dog had their own side of the bargain. When the Man came home that night, he threw his boots at the Cat. And the Dog chased him up a tree, barking furiously. 'You may have your fire and your milk,' laughed the Man, 'but you will NEVER be truly tame!' And the Cat didn't mind at all. To this very day, the Cat sits by the fire and drinks warm milk — but he still walks by himself through the Wet Wild Woods, waving his wild tail, answering to nobody but his own proud, free, and independent heart.
