The Fanciful Tales of Meriadoc Bramblefoot

The Fox and the Butterfly

Long, long ago, deep within the deepest forest on Toril, there lived a butterfly who's wings contained a shimmering collection of all the colours. This butterfly's beauty was only matched by her staggering vanity, a vanity that annoyed all her neighbours.

One sunny morning, a fox was strolling through the woods. A radiant red fox who's silky fur shone like flame in the sunlight. The butterfly sat high upon a tree branch and, looking down, said "You, Fox, bow before me for none are as beautiful as I. I am the most beautiful creature in these woods and all shall pay homage to me for the joy my presence brings."

The fox, looking up, thought to himself 'Someone needs to teach this butterfly a lesson' and so the fox said "Oh, I'm not so certain that you are the most beautiful creature in these woods. I have just seen a frog of such pure, glistening emerald green that the pine trees' needles whither in shame."

"WHAT?!?", exclaimed the butterfly, "Where is this frog you claim is so beautiful!"

"Oh, just on a lily pad in the pond yonder.", replied the fox. "Go and see."

With that the butterfly flew off in a huff, determined to see for herself this challenger. The fox laughed a foxy laugh, thinking "Oh ho! This will be the end of that obnoxious butterfly. I do hope the frog enjoys his breakfast!" But it turns out the frog had already eaten a grasshopper and two crickets, and so when the butterfly flew up to the frog the frog had a very full stomach indeed and therefore had no interest in eating a vain butterfly.

The butterfly returned to the fox (much to the fox's dismay) and said "That frog is certainly no match for my beauty. You must be blind."

The fox thought quickly and said "Perhaps it was a trick of the light. You should perch yourself in a prominent place where no shadows can obscure your wings. As it happens, I know just the place. At the edge of the nearest clearing is an ancient oak that has died. Perch yourself on it's tallest branch and no leaves will block the sun from shining on you nor obscure our view of you from below."

The butterfly thought a moment and then said, "That's a very clever idea, Fox. Thank you" and immediately flew to that tree. The fox snickered to himself, for he knew that in the hollow of that tree, near the tallest branch, lived an owl who would love a butterfly snack. He trotted along to watch the fun, but when he got there there was no sign of the owl, just the butterfly preening on the highest branch. The owl was fast asleep, deep inside the tree, and no matter how the fox barked or yipped or yelled the owl would not wake.

"Why are you making so much noise, Fox?" said the butterfly, looking down upon the fox's antics.

"Oh.... umm.....  because.....", stammered the fox, "AH! Well, now I can see you clearly, and you really are beautiful, but that sparrow there high up in the sky was telling me just yesterday that he is the most beautiful creature in these woods, and I was trying to get his attention so he'd come down for me to compare more closely."

The butterfly grew very angry and flew up to give this sparrow a severe telling off, but this sparrow did not have a full stomach like the frog, and was not asleep like the owl, and so when the butterfly flew up to him all the sparrow had in mind was food.

CHOMP went the sparrow, but missed. The butterfly screamed and folded her wings, dropping like a stone for the safety of the forest, but the sparrow followed. In and out, over and through the trees the chase went on, then back up, up, up into the sky where finally the butterfly was able to hide in the middle of a big fluffy cloud. After some time the sparrow gave up and sought breakfast elsewhere, and the butterfly, still shaking with terror, drifted down to a sheltered tree branch in the middle of the forest where she wrapped her wings around herself for comfort.... but something had happened to her beautiful wings. There was not a hint of any colour at all on her wings. Looking up, the dismayed butterfly saw all her colours up in the sky, hanging in the air where they'd been frightened right off of her, leaving her a rather plain-looking dulll white. And that is how the fox inadvertently created the first rainbow and the first moth.