Have you ever met a fox who thought he was the cleverest creature in the whole wide woods? Well, this story is about one such fellow, a Mr. Fox with a very bushy tail and an even bushier sense of pride.

One sunny afternoon, Mr. Fox was taking a stroll when he bumped into his Cousin Cat. She was a quiet, sensible sort of cat, with neat paws and watchful eyes.

"Good day, Cousin Cat!" boomed Mr. Fox, puffing out his chest. "I was just thinking about all my amazing tricks. I know at least ninety-nine ways to escape danger, you know. I can zig, I can zag, I can hide in a hollow log, I can even make myself look like a pile of leaves!"

Cousin Cat blinked her green eyes. "That's very impressive, Mr. Fox," she said softly. "I only know one trick, myself."

Mr. Fox let out a little laugh. "Only one? My dear Cousin Cat, that's hardly enough! What if that one trick doesn't work? You really should learn a few more from an expert like me."

Just then, a distant sound reached their ears. "Woof! Woof! Arf! Arf!"
"Oh dear!" whispered Cousin Cat. "Hunters and their dogs!"

Before Mr. Fox could even decide which of his ninety-nine tricks to use first, Cousin Cat did her one trick. With a little spring, she leaped onto the trunk of a nearby tree and scrambled up, up, up, until she was safely hidden among the highest branches.

The barking grew louder. The hunting dogs burst into the clearing!

Mr. Fox panicked. "Should I zig? Or zag?" he muttered. He tried to zig, but a dog was there. He tried to zag, but another dog blocked his path. He looked for a hollow log, but there wasn't one nearby. He tried to look like a pile of leaves, but the dogs just sniffed at him excitedly.

"Yelp!" cried Mr. Fox, as the dogs got closer and closer.

From her high perch, Cousin Cat called down, "Mr. Fox! Are you using one of your ninety-nine tricks? My one trick seems to be working quite well!"

Mr. Fox, with the dogs nipping at his heels, finally managed to dash away into the thickest part of the forest, his bushy tail looking a lot less proud. He was out of breath and very frightened, but he was safe.

Later that day, a much quieter Mr. Fox thought about his ninety-nine tricks. And he realized that sometimes, one very good, simple trick is worth a whole lot more than a bagful of fancy ones you can't quite remember in a hurry.

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