An old gander noticed a tiny creeper vine beginning to climb the great tree where his flock of swans roosted. “Nibble it away now,” he warned, “before it grows. One day a hunter could climb it to reach us.”
The young swans thought the little vine harmless and ignored him. Seasons passed, and the creeper grew thick and strong, just as he had feared.
One night a hunter climbed the sturdy vine and spread his net among the sleeping birds. Only then did they remember the old gander's wise, unheeded warning.