Max kicked the ground as he headed out north to the fields with his brothers. He thought taking care of the sheep was boring. He had always been allowed to stay home, but today his older brothers needed his help. They paused by a small huddle of sheep.
“Max, if you see the wolf, give the special call we taught you,” Cedric said.
“We’ll come chase him away,” Steven added.
The older brothers trudged over the hill and out of sight to take care of their sheep. Max settled down at a picnic table to watch his own small flock of sheep as they nibbled the grass. Soon he yawned. He was bored, and he wondered how fast his brothers would appear if a wolf showed up.
“Wolf! Brothers, come! The wolf is here!” Max yelled.
Quickly, the figures of his brothers appeared at the top of the hill. Cedric was running so fast that he could barely catch his breath when he got to Max. Max laughed so hard that his sides hurt.
“Just kidding!” he said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
“Don’t make up stories,” Cedric grumbled.
Disgusted, his brothers returned to their sheep. As soon as they were gone, however, Max saw the dark form of the wolf lurking in the tree line.
“Wolf! Brothers, come! The wolf really is here!” Max yelled.
Max peered anxiously at the top of the hill, but his brothers didn’t come.
“Brothers, why won’t you come?” Max yelled, but there was only silence. Max watched the wolf sadly, regretting the joke he had played on his brothers.