Use the paragraph to answer the question.

However, the fox bid him be of good cheer, and said, "I will help you; lie down there, stretch yourself out quite stiff, and pretend to be dead." The horse did as he was told, and the fox went straight to the lion who lived in a cave close by, and said to him, "A little way off lies a dead horse; come with me and you may make an excellent meal of his carcass." The lion was greatly pleased, and set off immediately; and when they came to the horse, the fox said, "You will not be able to eat him comfortably here; I’ll tell you what—I will tie you fast to his tail, and then you can draw him to your den, and eat him at your leisure."

In three to five sentences, explain what inference can you draw from the text. Provide textual evidence to support your answer.

(4 points)

From the text, we can infer that the fox is clever and manipulative, using deception to protect the horse from being eaten by the lion. The fox tells the horse to pretend to be dead and then lures the lion to the horse's location. The fox even proposes a plan to help the lion eat the horse comfortably by tying the lion to the horse's tail. This shows that the fox is cunning and resourceful. Textual evidence to support this inference is found in the lines "The fox bid him be of good cheer" and "I will help you."