Industrious animal in a classic fable

As a detective, my first instinct when encountering a crossword clue is to break it down and analyze each element. The clue mentions an industrious animal, which suggests that the answer is a small creature known for its diligent work ethic. The second part of the clue refers to a classic fable, leading me to assume that the answer may be a character or creature from a well-known tale.

As I considered different animals that fit these criteria, the answer that immediately came to mind was the hen. A hen is known for its ceaseless work in laying eggs on a daily basis, and often features in classic fables such as “The Little Red Hen”, where her tireless work ethic is the focus of the narrative.

This deduction was further supported by the number of letters in the answer, with three spaces suggesting a short word like “hen”. Ultimately, my intuition was confirmed when I filled in the word and saw that it fit with other intersecting clues. As a detective, parsing clues and working deductively is both a science and an art, and finding the solution to this crossword was a satisfying combination of both knowledge and insight.