A long time ago, when men and animals spoke the same language, a head of the family lived with his old mother, his dog, his ox, his goat, his horse and his rooster.
 One day, someone comes to tell him of the death of his colleague from the neighboring village. He decides to go to the funeral to pay him a last tribute. He recommends to his dog: "watch over my mother, stay on her doorstep, and if you need help, call the other animals". And he leaves.
 A few days go by without incident. One morning, the dog hears a strange noise in the hut: two lizards on the ceiling are fighting over the corpse of a fly. The dog would like to intervene but he cannot leave his place. He calls for help, the rooster, who ignores his request. The same goes for the goat, the horse and the ox. All consider the thing of little importance and unworthy of wasting their time. The dog said to them, however: "there is no small quarrel, just as there is no small fire".
 Meanwhile, the lizards continue to fight, so much so that one of the two falls on the oil lamp, which sets the bed of the old mother on fire. A terrible fire breaks out. The neighbors barely save the lady, but she is all burnt.