Forest Sojourn

A day for thought, during which —
almost unthinkingly — he spares
a fish, a raven, and a fox:
with each lined up in his sights,
he lets them talk him out of shooting.
In return, they pledge their help.
The raven suggests a camouflage…
Straight off, the Princess raids the nest,
cracks the egg in question.
The fish carries him in its belly…
The Princess hooks the fish — slits
the case wide open. And the fox?
The fox has a plan involving
a magic stream, shape-changing,
a mysterious trip into town…
He tap-dances as he explains;
his eyes look sublimely tricky:
"We'll settle the details later.'