Aesop's Fables: Neocon Shepherd And The Wolf

A neocon shepherd led a small flock all on his own, but dreamed of leading the largest flock in the land. One day he came upon a whelp of a wolf that had been abandoned by the bitch that was its mother.

“You have to learn to pull your own weight and be responsible for taking care of yourself,” he told the young pup as he stroked its fur and scratched its belly. “When you are bigger you will steal the lambs of other flocks and bring them to me so that my flock may be made the largest in the land and all will be forced to buy their wool and oily meat from me.”

As the young wolf was a quick study he was stealing lambs even before he was full grown and the shepherd’s flock grew larger with each passing day until all the sheep in the land grazed in the shepherd’s flock. The shepherd was a very happy man and considered himself blessed above all other men.

Then one day the shepherd saw that his flock appeared to be getting smaller. With each passing day it seemed to get smaller still. He decided to lay awake every night until he found who was stealing his stolen sheep. It was but a few nights before the shepherd spotted his very own wolf stealing the sheep from his flock. “Stop Wolf!” the shepherd angrily shouted. “How is it that you, my very own wolf, would resort to stealing from me?”

The wolf answered, “It was you who taught me to steal, is that not what you wish for me to continue do?”

“Not from me!” the angry shepherd shouted.

“But Master,” the wolf replied, “to steal is the only trade I know. What else would you have me do now that all of the sheep are yours?”