Two children, a brother and sister, were turned out into the woods as their stepmother wanted to lose them. As they wandered through the forest, the boy became thirsty and saw that water had gathered in the pawprints left by a fox. His sister warned him not to drink from them. Then they came across tracks left by a bear. The boy wanted to drink from the water that had gathered within them but again, his sister warned him about drinking the water from the animal tracks. Finally they came upon deer tracks, the boy was so thirsty, he could not help himself and drank the water from the depression the hoofs had made. He then turned into a golden stag. He carried his sister cradled between his antlers, then made a nest for her in a tree where she stayed until she grew up.