A Fable About Perseverance

There once was a fox who got caught in a trap.
She languished for hours.
Eventually the blood and sweat allowed her to wriggle out.
She began to limp back to her den through the wide forest.
Exhausted and weak she kept on.
One step, then the next.
Time passed.
Crows and hawks began to circle.
The fox found a stream and stopped to rest and drink.
A crow swooped down and perched above the fox.
"Tired and mortally wounded I see. Best to lay down and give up, get it over with." he said.
She ignored him.
"Hawks and eagles are circling. Mighty creatures. And do you hear that? Um-hm, the bears. They smell blood. Only a matter of time."
"Leave me be." she replied and continued on her way.
The crow was joined by other crows, carrion eaters all.
They jeered, belittled, and threatened the injured fox.
She began to despair.
But she kept walking.
Although she pained.
Although she ached.
She had to get back to her den and her cubs.
Time passed.
There came a point that she felt she could not go on.
And in that moment she heard a humming from the earth.
And she felt a vibration in her feet.
And through her body rushed a wave of healing warmth.
As if she drew strength from the Earth herself.
And she continued on.
Eventually she arrived home.
Over time the fox healed
She raised her pups.
They grew up and had adventures their own.