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Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)

36. THE SHEPHERD, THE WOLF CUB AND THE WOLF
Perry 267 (Chambry 314)

A shepherd found a new-born wolf cub. Taking it home, he raised it with his dogs. After the cub had grown up, he would join the dogs in the chase if a prowling wolf ever stole one of the sheep. When the dogs were no longer able to keep up with the other wolf and turned back for home (as sometimes happened), the wolf would continue the chase until he caught the other wolf and received an equal share of the prey, true to his wolf's nature. Then he too would go back home. If, however, no wolves came to seize the sheep, he would secretly slaughter one of the sheep and eat it together with the dogs. When the shepherd finally guessed what was happening, he hanged the wolf from a tree and killed him.
The fable shows that a wicked nature does not produce a good character.

Note: Compare the Greek proverb 'Thief knows thief, wolf knows wolf' (Aristotle, Eudemian Ethics 1235).

Source: Aesop's Fables. A new translation by Laura Gibbs. Oxford University Press (World's Classics): Oxford, 2002.
NOTE: New cover, with new ISBN, published in 2008; contents of book unchanged.