White horse Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there lived a poor man. He had nothing but a white horse. The poor man would bring his horse to the mill and harness it to work. The horse would walk in a circle, moving the harness, and when the harness moved, the millstones would turn as well. This is how the poor man earned his bread. Every day, the mill ground wheat, and the poor man worked day and night with his horse. One day, tired of this endless task, the white horse said to its master:

— Dear master, why is it that others harness two horses to the yoke, while you only use me? I toil all day, walking in circles and turning the heavy millstones.

— My white horse, I have no other horse or livestock to share the burden with you, not even a fly,- replied the poor man. The white horse then said to its master:

— If all my troubles lie here, then let me go; I will find myself a helper. The poor man unhitched the white horse and set it free. Thus, the white horse set off on its journey. On the way, it saw a fox's den. After thinking for a while, it decided, "I will lie down next to the fox's den pretending to be dead." In the den, an old fox lived with three cubs. The smallest cub, wanting to go outside, approached the entrance and saw the white horse, thinking it was snow that had fallen. The cub ran to its mother and said:

— Oh, mother, we can't go outside now; there's snow at the entrance!

— Snow in the middle of summer? That's impossible,- replied the old fox. When she approached the entrance and looked outside, she realized it was not snow but the white horse. "How can I drag this away?" thought the fox. She called her cubs, and they all tried to pull it, but the white horse would not budge. After thinking for a while, the fox decided to go to the wolf for help. She went to the wolf and said, "My dear friend! If you knew what a delicious treat I have found! I dragged it all the way to my den, but it wouldn't fit inside. So I thought, how about we take it to your den instead? We can eat it together," she said. The wolf was delighted by such a gift but thought to himself, "As long as meat comes to my den, I won't let the fox have even a piece!"

As they approached the spot where the white horse lay:

— Little fox, how are we going to bring this to my den? - the wolf started to doubt.

— It's easy, - said the fox, - I took hold of the horse's tail and tied it to my own; I dragged it through the potholes and brought it here. Just as I dragged it here, we will take it to your den. If you only knew how easy it was for me! Now come, let's tie its tail to yours; it will be even easier for you to pull.

— That would be wonderful! - the wolf immediately agreed. The fox then tied the wolf's tail tightly to the white horse's tail and said:

— Now, let's go, my friend, pull! The wolf tried to pull but nearly burst with the effort, while the horse didn't move an inch. The wolf began to pull with all his might, and just then, the white horse suddenly sprang up and bolted away. It dragged the wolf by its tail, galloping over hills and dales until it reached the poor man's home and stopped right in front of him:

— Well, master, look, I found myself a helper! - said the horse. The poor man then slaughtered the wolf, skinned it, and sold the hide for a good price, using the money to buy a second horse. Since then, the white horse has never turned the millstone alone.