In the days of samurai, an elderly couple, Monku* and Daikon*, lived in the shadow of Mount Fuji. They shared their straw-thatched cottage with a scraggly yellow cat named Nezumi. Nezumi’s job was to protect the rice shed from hungry rats. But Nezumi was old and had allergies. Her ratting days were over.

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Nezumi didn’t know she was about to make two unlikely friends. These unlikely friends would help solve her problem. Nezumi’s adventure began with a neighbor’s visit one morning.

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A sharp knock sent Monku to the cottage door. He opened it and found his neighbor, Taiko*, there. Taiko was with his ancient, gray, woolly watch dog, Baka. Baka’s job was to guard the hen house from foxes at night.

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But Baka fell asleep every night, and as we know, foxes never sleep at night.

Rats and foxes were a problem for Nezumi and Baka. Everyone knows cats and dogs don’t get along. This changed when Monku complained to Taiko about Nezumi’s ratting skills.

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“Why do I keep that snaggle-toothed cat?” Monku asked, tugging his stringy white beard angrily.

“She’s not a good ratter?” Taiko asked.

“Rats could drum dance on her head with no worries.”

Nezumi rubbed against Monku, hoping for some affection.

“All she does is beg for attention,” Monku grumbled.

“You think that’s bad?” Taiko slapped the ground with his bamboo cane. “Chickens vanish from my henhouse and not one yip from Baka. What a useless dog!”

“So that’s why you named him Baka?” Monku laughed.

“He acts foolish, so I named him Foolish,” Taiko said. “It’s no worse than naming your cat Rat.”

“Nezumi is a rat’s best friend. What better name than Rat?”

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Monku picked the meowing cat up and marched to the rice shed. He plopped Nezumi down.

“Look—you useless cat!” he said, pointing to holes chewed in a straw rice bag. “Your rat friends have stolen rice again. Catch rats, or I’ll get another cat!” Monku declared before stomping away.

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Nezumi decided to ask Baka’s help. She found Baka napping under a gingko tree behind the cottage.

“What brings you around, cat?”

“My master wants me to catch rats.”

“Isn’t that what cats do?” Baka yawned.

Here was another perfectly good morning of sleep ruined by this silly cat.

“My sniffer doesn’t work. I sneeze when I get near rats, and they run away.”

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Nezumi marched back and forth in front of Baka, worrying about what to do.

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“You think you have problems?” Baka shook himself awake. “My master wants me to stay up guarding chickens all night.”

“Isn’t that what dogs do?”

“Why should I stay up watching chickens sleep? That’s silly!”

“How does your master know you aren’t guarding chickens at night? Doesn’t he sleep, too?” Nezumi asked.

“Of course—he sleeps. The chickens sleep. Why shouldn’t I sleep? But my master counts the chickens every morning. One is always missing. He blames me. It’s not my fault they wander off at night.”

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“What can we do?” Nezumi asked. “Our masters might toss us out and get new pets.”

“We could ask Fox,” Baka suggested.

“Fox? Fox is always playing tricks. You can’t trust Fox,” Nezumi said.

“Fox is my cousin. And she is smart.”

“I know—you always say ‘smart as a fox,’” Nezumi sighed. “All right, let’s visit Fox and see if she can help us.”

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The two set off on the forest trail. They found Fox dozing in front of her den. Fox saw the visitors, and her ears pricked up. She recognized Cousin Baka but had never seen a cat before.

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She licked a sharp tooth but thought, Nope! Too old—too skinny. No meal there.

“What brings you visiting, Cousin?” Fox asked.

“Our masters are angry with us. Nezumi’s master is upset because she can’t catch rats. My master is mad because chickens go missing when I sleep.”

“We might lose our home if something isn’t done,” Nezumi said.

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Fox chuckled about the missing chickens. No reason to tell Baka about that.

“Two-legs are like that,” Fox said. “They’ll toss you out when they think you’re useless.”

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“What can we do?” Nezumi asked. “We can’t live in the forest like you.”

“True, but…” Fox swished her tail thoughtfully.

“But what?” Baka asked.

“Do me a favor, and I’ll help you.”

“We’ll do anything if you help us,” Nezumi pleaded.

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“A bear, a monkey, and a boar bully me whenever I leave my den to hunt,” Fox explained. “Look—I’m skinny as a snake.”

“They’re big and strong,” Baka said. “What can we do?”

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“I have a foxy idea.”

Baka and Nezumi listened to Fox’s plan.

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Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Monkey and Boar were waiting at Bear’s favorite tree.

“Bear is late,” Monkey said, hopping from branch to branch above Boar.

Boar trotted impatiently around the tree, churning up mud.

“Bear told us to wait here. We’ll pester Fox when she joins us,” Boar said.

“Pestering Fox is fun, but I’m sleepy from branch hopping. How about a nap, Boar?”

“That’s a splendid idea, Monkey,” Boar said. “I’m a big napper. And this mud hole is perfect for napping.”

“I prefer tree limbs—high and safe, thank you,” Monkey said.

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The two were soon snoring.

Nezumi, Baka, and Fox came along and discovered Monkey and Boar sound asleep. Fox winked at Baka and Nezumi. It was time to put her plan into action.

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She tiptoed up to Boar and gave a mighty yip. Boar shot into the air, hitting his head on Monkey’s branch and shaking Monkey awake.

Boar fell to the ground with a prodigious, thumpy squeal.

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At the same time, Nezumi crept up the tree and pounced on Monkey’s back with a yowl. Monkey thought a panther was attacking. He leaped down, landing on Boar’s back.

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Boar shot into the forest, his tail scared straight as a maypole. Monkey clung to Boar like a jockey as the two escaped the terror behind them.

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Bear arrived as Boar and Monkey disappeared into the bushes. Baka jumped out from behind a bush and nipped Bear’s tail.

Baka howled and Fox yipped.

Bear thought it was a hungry wolf pack. She lumbered away in panic, following Boar and Monkey into the forest. The bully gang didn’t stop running until they were two forests away.

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“I have my forest back,” Fox yipped with glee.

“Now, will you help us?” Nezumi asked.

“A deal is a deal! Go home. I’ll meet you soon. I have an errand to do first.”

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Fox hopped away on her mission.

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Nezumi paced nervously behind her master’s cottage, waiting for Fox. Fox came trotting out of the woods at dusk carrying a stick in her mouth. A rat was hanging by its tail at the end of the stick.

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Rat winked at Nezumi.

Nezumi wondered why Rat was so cheerful.

“Nezumi, give Rat some rice each day, and he will let you parade him around your master’s yard. That will prove you’re a good ratter,” Fox explained.

Nezumi yowled with joy and scurried off with her rat stick.

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Fox rubbed her paws together. Her plan was working. She hopped away to Baka’s home and told Baka about Nezumi’s rat stick.

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“That’s fine, but what about me?” Baka asked.

“Come along. I have another foxy idea.”

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“Look!” Daikon pointed at Nezumi parading across the yard with her rat stick.

“I guess Nezumi is a good ratter,” Monku mumbled in amazement.

Fox arrived at Baka’s home at sunset. She licked her pointy teeth as a fat chicken pecked across the yard.

“Bark up a storm when the moon is full,” Fox said. “Then sleep like always. I’ll do the rest.”

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Baka wagged his tail in agreement, wondering what Fox was up to.

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Baka barked and howled when the moon came out. Taiko awoke and tossed and turned at the noisy barking. He buried his head under a pillow to drown the yapping out. He finally fell asleep.

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Taiko visited the yard the next morning in a foul mood. Baka was sitting in the yard, wagging his tail.

“Why did you bark last night, you useless dog?” Taiko complained.

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He counted chickens pecking in the yard as usual. One was missing.

“That pesky fox has been here again! Why didn’t I get up when you barked?” Taiko sighed. “Maybe you are good for something.”

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Baka barked each night before sleeping. Taiko would run out and count chickens. Taiko became used to Baka’s barking and often slept through it. He would grumble about a missing chicken now and then. But he knew it was because he slept through Baka’s barking.

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So, three unlikely friends met one day and helped each other when trouble came visiting.

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Nezumi paraded her rat stick each morning, proving she was a good ratter. And Baka barked every night before he went to sleep like a good watch dog.

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And Fox?

Fox had her forest back to herself and sometimes enjoyed a tasty chicken dinner.

After all, a fox is a fox.