The fox, the dog, and the lake.

Once, in a small forest, a young dog befriended a young fox. They would frolic and play by the side of the lake. After tiring each other out, the fox and the dog would sit and chat about the future while staring out onto the lake.

"I am going to set out to explore the world to find adventure beyond this mere forest!" exclaimed the dog.

The fox was curious as to what his friend intended to seek out, and so asked, "What is it that you wish to find?"

"I don't know," the dog replied without so much as a second thought. "But surely I will know when I do."

The fox nodded and continued to stare at the still water. In this way he sat when the day finally came for the two friends to part ways.

The dog was concerned for the fox's seemingly complacent attitude, and urged his friend to accompany him on his journey. The fox politely declined with a smile.

"Not knowing what I seek, I prefer to sit by the lake, where I know I can be content," the fox said.

A few years passed, and while wandering through the forest, the dog saw the fox sitting by the lake as he always did.

"Still sitting by the lake I see?" the dog inquired of his friend, thinking to boast about his many adventures.

"Indeed." The fox beamed. "I am waiting for my beloved, as we are to meet here before finding a meal. And what of you, my good friend?"

The dog recounted a few of his more interesting stories to the fox, but felt uneasy about his own lack of a family. Unable to deal with the feeling the emptiness, he decided to travel again beyond the reaches of the forest with no particular goal in mind.

The friends bid each other farewell once more. Several more years passed before they met again, this time each near the end of his life.

The fox still sat by the lake, now languishing in his final days. The dog approached him and without so much as a greeting began to pour lamentation upon his old friend.

"Woe is me," the dog cried, "for I have done little with my life, and have fathered ungrateful whelps."

Nodding, the fox sat in silence for some time. Finally, he said, "I cannot say I have any complaints. My beloved has passed on, and I fear I am not long after. But we shall be survived by a beautiful son and daughter. And my best friend has come to visit me one last time. I can go in peace."

The dog puzzled over this. "Every time I see you, you are simply sitting here by the lake. And yet you seem perfectly content with your life. How can that be?"

The fox shrugged. "When you left, I was so lonely. So I stayed here, and my beloved happened upon me. Recently, I had thought to see you again, and started to come here again. And here we both are. I could never force myself to go looking for something without knowing what I was looking for, and perhaps that is just as well."

The dog nodded and sighed. At least, realizing what his friend had always known, he decided to stay by the lake with his friend until their end of days.