A stork was carrying an eel home to feed to her chicks.
The cat saw her, and while he enjoyed eating eels, he didn't like to get his feet wet. "O stork," said the cat, "you have such lovely white feathers. Is your beak all white on the inside too?"
The stork kept her beak shut and said nothing.
The angry cat then said, "Ugh! Why would you eat anything so nasty as an eel? You must be a nasty creature yourself!"
The stork kept her beak shut and said nothing.
If you're wise, you'll ignore both flattery and insults.
Inspired by: Mille Fabulae et Una, a collection of Latin fables that I've edited, free to read online. I am not translating the Latin here; instead, I am just telling a 100-word version of the fable.
Notes: This is fable 471 in the book, and it is not in Perry's catalog; the story is from the fables of Odo of Cheriton.
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