In a cozy little farmhouse, nestled beside a big green field, lived a farmer and his very, very old dog, Sultan. Sultan had been the best guard dog ever, but now his bark was more of a 'woofle' and his teeth were mostly gone. He loved to doze by the warm fire.

One day, the farmer sighed to his wife, "Sultan is too old to be much help anymore. His teeth are all worn out. I think tomorrow, we'll have to say goodbye to him."

Poor Sultan heard this from his spot by the fire. His tail drooped, and a big doggy tear rolled down his furry cheek. He felt so sad. That evening, he trotted slowly into the nearby forest. There, he met his old friend, the wolf.

Sultan told the wolf his troubles. "My farmer thinks I'm useless now," he whimpered.

The wolf, who was quite clever, said, "Don't worry, old friend, I have a plan! Tomorrow, when the farmer and his wife are in the fields, I'll sneak by and pretend to snatch their little baby from its basket. You rush in, bark like you've never barked before, and 'rescue' the baby. They'll be so grateful, they'll never think of getting rid of you!"

Sultan thought it was a brilliant idea.

The next day, the farmer and his wife went to work in the hayfield, leaving their little baby cooing in a basket under a tree. Just as planned, the wolf darted out from the trees, gently picked up the basket with the baby inside, and started to run.

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOFLE!" barked Sultan, dashing as fast as his old legs could carry him. He 'chased' the wolf, who 'dropped' the basket and ran off into the woods, winking at Sultan as he went.

The farmer and his wife came running. "Oh, Sultan! You brave dog!" cried the farmer's wife. "You saved our baby from that wicked wolf!"
The farmer patted Sultan’s head. "You are still the best guard dog in the world! You can stay with us forever!"

From that day on, Sultan was treated like a king. He got the best food, the softest bed, and lots of cuddles.

A little while later, the wolf visited Sultan. "Psst, Sultan," whispered the wolf. "Remember our deal? I helped you, now you help me. I'm a bit hungry. How about you let me sneak a nice, plump sheep from your farmer's flock tonight? Just look the other way."

Sultan felt bad. He didn't want to betray his farmer. "I can't do that," he said sadly. "The farmer trusts me."

The wolf was very cross. "What?! After I helped you? This means war! Meet me in the forest tomorrow, and we'll settle this!" And he stomped off angrily.

Sultan was very worried. He was old, and the wolf was strong. The only friend he could find to help him was an old cat who had only three legs. "I'll come," purred the cat, "but I'm not much of a fighter."

The next day, Sultan and the three-legged cat went to the forest. The wolf was already there, and he had brought a big, grumpy wild boar as his helper.

When Sultan and the cat approached, the cat, feeling a bit nervous, held her tail straight up in the air. From a distance, the boar squinted. "Look!" he grunted to the wolf. "That dog has a long sword! See how it sticks up?" He meant the cat's tail.

And as the three-legged cat limped along, it looked to the wolf and boar like she was bending down to pick up stones to throw. "And he's gathering rocks!" whispered the wolf, starting to feel a bit scared himself.

The boar, not wanting to face a sword and stones, dived into a nearby bush to hide. But one of his ears stuck out.
Now, the cat saw something twitching in the bush. "A mouse!" she thought, and pounced, biting down hard on what she thought was a mouse's ear. It was, of course, the boar's ear!

"YEEEOOOWWW!" squealed the boar, leaping out of the bush and running for his life. "The other one attacked me! He bit me!" he shrieked as he disappeared into the trees.

The wolf looked up. He saw Sultan standing there, and the cat with her tail still high, looking very fierce (though she was just confused). "Oh no!" thought the wolf. "That sword is still ready, and his friend is a monster!" And he turned tail and ran away as fast as he could, deep into the forest, and never bothered Sultan or the farmer again.

Sultan and the cat looked at each other, a little puzzled by how easily they had won, but very relieved. They trotted back to the farmhouse, where Sultan lived out the rest of his days happily and peacefully, a hero once more, all thanks to a clever plan and a few funny misunderstandings.

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