“Come on! There! At the Walnut! With me!” Junior screamed at the doorstep.
“What?!” the brothers asked together.
“The best! At twelve! The Glade!” Junior waved his hooves, running around the house.
Major sighed, caught Junior and washed him properly. Having calmed down under the influence of the water, Junior finally explained what was the matter.
“We shouldn’t take part in this competition,” Middle wailed, rearranging jars and pots. “We won’t win anyway. Okay, I agree, let’s build a house, but without any competitions! Or even better we just stick to picking mushrooms like the other animals…”
“But if we win, we’ll get our piggy bank back!” Junior shouted. “We’ll buy bicycles and open a pastry-shop! We’ll become the main builders in the forest, and everyone will respect us!”
Middle and Junior the piglets looked at their older brother with a question in their eyes.
“We can go and just have a look,” Major decided. “Okay! Porridge, blueberries, milk and let’s go!”
* * *
The big forest clock struck twelve. The Walnut Glade was crowded.
Aunt Elk and her two twin daughters were eating salty popcorn from a pack. Athletic hares sat with bags of carrot slices.
In Middle of the Glade there was a table covered with a white tablecloth, also a jar of water, and two self-important ferrets were sitting at the table.
“Applicants for the competition are requested to step forward, please!” the fatter Ferret said.
An otter walked past the piglets, followed by someone tall in a black cloak.
“Come on,” Junior whispered, poking Major in the side. “This is our chance to become Chief Builders!”
“Don’t,” Middle grabbed his elder brother by the jacket from the other side. “It’s too hard! We have no experience at all!”
Major thought about it… Middle was right. It’s hard to win the competition. But was it easy to raise brothers? To build a stone house? To protect it from Wolf? But he did it all and succeeded. Maybe all the best things in the world are difficult at first?
He closed eyes, pushed his brothers a little and stepped forward.
“Dear competitors!” Fat Ferret addressed animals. “Please introduce yourselves.”
“I am Otter,” Otter said politely. “I built ten houses on the shore of the lake.”
Someone in a black cloak chuckled.
“Thank you,” Thin Ferret said. “Your turn.”
“We’re piglets,” Junior said. Suddenly he got nervous and decided to check with his brothers. “We are piglets, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are piglets,” Major confirmed. “We have built three excellent houses.”
Someone in a black cloak chuckled again.
“We’ve built three excellent houses,” Major continued. This black-cloaked creature began to annoy him. “And we’re ready to build more!”
“And what about you?” Fat Ferret turned to this very someone in a black cloak.
The black-cloaked turned. Something red sparkled.
“I am Fox,” the third competitor purred. “And I am very pleased to take part in such a wonderful competition, especially since it is held by such respectable organizers!”
Fat Ferret straightened up. Thin Ferret took a sip of water from the jar. The middle piglet felt an unpleasant chill.
“Beautiful and comfortable houses for all the animals are very important,” Fox continued. “The materials have to be the best, don’t you think so, colleague?” Fox turned to Otter.
Major felt a bit sick in his stomach.
“Only professional, talented, masterful builders should work for our dear, respected, beloved forest residents!” Fox finally finished.
The ferrets applauded. Junior shuddered because his tail started to itch.
“Tell us about your projects,” the ferrets said to all the competitors.
“I will build houses for forest residents on the river,” Otter began the presentation. “I will use the best logs and clay. Everyone will get separate apartments with a water entrance. It’s very convenient, and fresh fish will go straight to the kitchen!”
The ferrets looked at each other.
“And how will the animals that can’t swim enter their apartments?”
Otter thought for a moment.
“We’ll have to give them swimming rings,” she stated authoritatively. The ferrets wrote something down in their notebooks.
Next was the piglets’ turn.
“Well,” Major began. “We’ll build house. Good house…” and suddenly he was lost for a moment. It turned out it was not easy to tell a whole crowd about your idea.
“We will build house, and we promise,” Junior added excitedly, “we promise that… we will build house!”
The animals waited. Thin Ferret unwrapped the candy, and the paper rustled very loudly in the silence.
“We have been living in this forest all our lives,” Middle said. “We value your trust and we will build this house as if it was our own!”
The first autumn wind came. Suddenly the piglet remembered that the house he had built for himself had been blown away by Wolf, and it seemed to him that everyone else thought the same thing.
“All right,” the ferrets said. “Please, dear Fox, please, continue.”
“Thank you,” Fox regally said, and took a graceful step towards the big oak tree. Suddenly she pulled out from the depths of her cloak a piece of paper rolled up in a tube and, unfolding it, stuck it to the trunk with snaps.
The poster had the words all in capital letters, “IMAGE. PRESTIGE. DESIGN”, and in rather smaller letters, “The Newest Technology”, and in very small letters, “First Class! High Quality!”.
“Dear forest residents!” Fox said, elegantly clearing her throat. “The residential complex ‘Wise Fox’ is boldness and uniqueness. The latest technology.” Fox pointed to the poster. “Luxurious views. Legendary landmarks. Suitable colors.”
“What are they?” the hares asked.
“White, snowy, porcelain, marble and silver,” the Fox said frankly. Seeing that the hares didn’t understand, Fox added: “No yellow, green… or,” Fox glanced at the piglets, “like… how do they call it… oh, pink.”
“But we like pink,” the twin elks got sad.
Fox looked at them carefully