A wolf ravished his prey one day. He ate so fiercely and hungrily that a bone got lodged in his throat, causing him grievous pain. He howled and howled in agony and offered a rich reward to anyone who could remove the bone.

A crane passing by considered the money, and after seeing the wolf and hearing him scream in such pain, took pity upon him. She used her long thin bill to reach down his throat and remove the bone. And after removing the bone, she asked the wolf for the promised reward.

“Reward!” cried the wolf, “You greedy, insolent bird! Why do you deserve a reward? You’re lucky that I didn’t bite your head off when you stuck it in my mouth!”