Long, long ago, there was a terrible drought. The streams in the forest dried up, the springs ran dry, and the animals couldn't find any water to drink. They were suffering terribly.
One day, Little Bear, Little Rabbit, Little Lion, and other animals gathered beneath a large tree, discussing how to find water. Suddenly, the big tree spoke: "Children, if you dig a well right beneath my roots, you'll find water to drink."
"Then let's get started right away!" Digging began, and upon hearing the news, other animals spontaneously joined the well-digging effort. Seeing that too many people were getting in each other's way, Fox suggested dividing into groups of ten, with each group working for one day, taking turns to dig.
The Rooster and the Dog were assigned to the same group. On their turn, the Rooster worked all day. His back ached and his muscles were sore. "So tired!" he muttered to himself. "I can manage this time, but next time I'll have to think of a way out."
When it was the Rooster's group's turn again, he didn't want to go, so he told the Dog he had a headache and felt completely weak. As dusk approached, the Dog, worried about his "sick" friend, finished his work and went to the Rooster's home. There, he found the Rooster playing energetically, not looking ill at all! The Dog understood and felt somewhat upset.
The animals, unafraid of hard work and united in effort, made rapid progress on the well.
When it was the Rooster's group's turn once more, the Rooster felt too embarrassed to claim illness again. He reluctantly came to the well site. "Ouch! My foot is twisted, it hurts so much!" The Rooster pretended to rub his foot, moaning continuously. "Does it hurt badly?" Little Goat asked anxiously. "It's nothing serious, you don't need to worry about me." "Alright then, you stay up here and rest, don't go down to work," said Little Goat.
Only the Dog knew the Rooster's true intentions. Down in the well, he told the others about the Rooster's laziness: "Don't believe me? Go up and have a look—the Rooster's foot won't hurt at all!" Half-doubtful, Little Rabbit climbed up and peeked. Sure enough, the Rooster was running around with his legs wide apart, chasing grasshoppers. Everyone became dissatisfied with the Rooster. "When the water comes out, we won't let him drink!" the Dog said angrily.
Finally, the well water gushed forth. The animals jumped with excitement, drinking deeply from the sweet, fresh water. All the fatigue of the past days vanished instantly.
The Rooster also came over, just about to drink, when the Dog said, "How can you have the nerve to come and drink?" Hearing this, the Rooster turned red and ran away.
But the feeling of thirst was truly unbearable. After a while, the Rooster couldn't resist coming back. Seeing that all the other animals had left, he quickly crawled to the well and started drinking. Fearing someone would discover him, he took a sip, then lifted his head to look around, acting just like a thief.
Even to this day, the rooster drinks this way—taking a sip, then lifting its head to look around.