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An eagle and a fox, having become friends, decided to live near one another and be neighbours. They believed that this proximity would strengthen their friendship.So the eagle flew up and established herself on a very high branch of a tree, where she made her nest.And the fox, creeping about among the bushes which were at the foot of the same tree, made her den there, depositing her babies right beneath the eagle.
But, one day when the fox was out looking for food, the eagle, who was very short of food too, swooped down to the bushes and took the fox cubs up to her nest and feasted on them with her own young.
When the fox returned, she was less distressed at the death of her little ones than she was driven mad by frustration at the impossibility of ever effectively avenging herself. For she, a land animal[chersaia]，could never hope to pursue a winged bird.She had no option but to content herself, in her powerlessness and feebleness, with cursing her enemy from afar.
Now it was not long afterwards that the eagle did actually receive her punishment for her crime against her friend.
Some men were sacrificing a goat in the countryside and the eagle swooped down on the altar, carrying off some burning entrails, which she took up to her nest. A strong wind arose which blew the fire from the burning entrails into some old straw that was in the nest.The eaglets were singed and, as they were not yet able to fly, when they leaped from the nest they fell to the ground.The fox rushed up and devoured them all in front of the eagle's eyes.
This story shows that if you betray friendship, you may evade the vengeance of those whom you wrong if they are weak, but ultimately you cannot escape the vengeance of heaven.