Section 1
During summer, the bear and the wolf were strolling in the forest. Suddenly, the bear heard a melodious bird song and asked his companion, "Dear wolf, which bird is producing such a wonderful tune?" The wolf replied, "That's the king of all birds, and we must show respect to it." In truth, it was the willow-wren that was singing. The bear expressed his desire to visit the king of birds' palace by saying, "If that's true, I want to go there, please take me." The wolf replied, "It's not as easy as you think. We have to wait for the queen's arrival." Shortly after, the queen bird arrived carrying food in her beak, the king bird also appeared, and together they fed their offspring. The bear was eager to leave immediately, but the wolf held him back by the sleeve and advised him to wait until the king and queen had left. They surveyed the spot where the nest was located and then trotted away.
The bear was unable to satisfy his curiosity until he had visited the royal palace. After a brief interval, he returned to the palace once more. As luck would have it, the king and queen had just flown out. Therefore, the bear looked inside and saw five or six young ones lying there." Is this the royal palace?" exclaimed the bear. "It's a miserable palace, and you are not the king's children, but rather disgraceful offspring." Upon hearing the bear's remarks, the young wrens became extremely angry and screeched, "That's not true! Our parents are honest birds. Bear, you will pay for your words."
Feeling uneasy, the bear and wolf retraced their steps and returned to their respective dens. The young willow-wrens persisted in their cries and screams. When their parents returned with food, they declared, "We refuse to eat anything, not even a fly's leg. We won't, unless you settle the matter of our respectability. The bear has come and disrespected us." The old king responded, "Calm down. He will be punished." Immediately, he flew with the queen to the bear's den and called out, "Old growler, why did you insult my children? You will pay for it. We will punish you with a bloody war."
Thus, the bear was informed about the impending war, and all the quadrupeds were called to participate in it - including oxen, asses, cows, deer, and every other creature that lived on the earth. The willow-wren called upon all the flying creatures, not only birds of all sizes but also midges, hornets, bees, and flies, to participate in the war. At the onset of the war, the willow-wren dispatched spies to find out who was leading the opposing army.
