Once upon a time, there was a wonderful musician who wandered through the forest all alone. He played his fiddle so beautifully that the birds stopped singing to listen, and the leaves seemed to dance in the breeze. But the musician felt lonely in his heart. 'Oh, how I wish I could find a good companion to travel with me through these woods!' he sighed. He tucked his fiddle under his chin and began to play the sweetest melody he knew, hoping that the music would bring him a friend.
The enchanting music floated through the trees, and soon a great gray wolf came trotting out of the bushes. 'What beautiful music!' said the wolf. 'Please, good musician, teach me to play like that!' But the musician did not want a wolf for a companion. 'Very well,' he said slyly. 'Put your paws into this crack in the oak tree, and I shall teach you.' The foolish wolf did as he was told, and the musician wedged a stone into the crack, trapping the wolf's paws tightly. 'Wait here until I return!' called the musician, and he walked away, playing his fiddle.
The musician continued on his way, still hoping for a true friend. Before long, a red fox appeared, drawn by the lovely music. 'Dear musician,' said the fox, 'your playing fills my heart with joy! Please teach me to make such wonderful sounds!' But the musician did not want a fox for a companion either. 'Come with me then,' he said, leading the fox to a path lined with hazel bushes. He bent two saplings down to the ground, tied the fox's paws to them, and let them spring back up, leaving the fox dangling in the air. 'Farewell for now!' said the musician, and off he went.
Still playing his fiddle, the musician walked deeper into the forest. A timid little hare hopped out from behind a fern, its long ears twitching. 'Oh, what magical music!' cried the hare. 'Won't you teach me, please?' But the musician had no wish for a hare as his companion. 'If you want to learn, follow me,' he said. He led the hare around a tall linden tree and tied a cord around its neck, fastening the other end to the trunk. 'Run around the tree twenty times!' the musician instructed. The hare obeyed, and soon it was tied fast to the tree. The musician laughed and continued on his merry way.
Meanwhile, the wolf struggled and strained until it finally pulled its paws free from the oak tree. Howling with anger, it raced through the forest and soon found the fox hanging helplessly from the hazel bushes. The wolf bit through the cord and freed the fox. Together, they discovered the poor hare wrapped around the linden tree and set it loose as well. 'That wicked musician tricked us all!' snarled the wolf. 'We must find him and teach him a lesson!' The three angry animals set off together, following the sound of the fiddle.
The musician played on, unaware of the danger approaching. Soon he came upon a kindly woodcutter resting beneath a great beech tree. 'Good day!' called the musician cheerfully. 'What wonderful music!' said the woodcutter, rising to his feet. 'I have never heard anything so fine!' At last, the musician had found a companion he truly wanted. 'Stay with me, friend,' said the musician. 'I have been searching for someone like you.' The woodcutter smiled warmly, 'I would be honored to travel with such a talented fellow!' And so they shook hands and became friends.
At that very moment, the wolf, the fox, and the hare burst through the underbrush, their eyes blazing with fury. The musician turned pale, but the brave woodcutter stepped forward, raising his axe. 'Back, you beasts!' he shouted. 'If you try to harm my friend, you will have to deal with me!' The animals looked at the sharp axe and the woodcutter's strong arms. Fear replaced their anger, and they turned tail and fled back into the forest as fast as their legs could carry them.
The musician and the woodcutter laughed together as the animals disappeared among the trees. 'Thank you, my friend!' said the musician gratefully. 'You saved me!' The woodcutter clapped him on the shoulder. 'That is what friends are for,' he said. From that day on, the musician and the woodcutter traveled the forest paths together. The musician played his beautiful melodies, and the woodcutter kept them both safe. And whenever anyone asked how they had met, the musician would play a special tune, and they would both smile, remembering the day they found a true friend. And they lived happily ever after.
