The forest was swallowed by an inky blackness. On the damp earth beneath an ancient oak sat an old man. His breath was laboured, his hands shook from the cold, and his eyes brimmed with despair. His own children had brought him here and abandoned him like rubbish.
For years, they had waited for his death. The inheritancea grand house, land, and moneywould be theirs. But the old man wouldnt die. So they sped up the end: they left him in that lonely forest without food or water, hoping wild beasts would do their work and the police would call it a tragic accident.
The poor old man, leaning against the tree, flinched at every sound. In the distance, the wind howled, but beneath its whistle came another noise: the cry of wolves. He knew his end was near.
“Dear God is this truly how it ends?” he whispered, clasping his hands in prayer.
Just then, a branch snapped. Then another. Footsteps drew closer. The old man tried to rise, but his body wouldnt obey. His eyes searched the darkness until, suddenly, between the bushes, a wolf emerged.
The creature stepped slowly onto the path. Its fur gleamed under the moonlight, and its eyes burned like embers. It bared its fangs and edged closer.
“This is it,” the old man thought.
He shut his eyes and began to pray aloud, bracing for the sting of sharp teeth. But then, something unimaginable happened.
The wolf didnt attack. It moved beside him, paused then bowed its head and gave a soft whine, as if speaking to him.
Baffled, the man reached outand to his astonishment, the beast didnt retreat. Instead, it let him stroke its thick fur.
Then, he remembered. Years ago, when he was still strong, hed found a young wolf trapped in a hunters snare. Risking his life, hed pried open the deadly jaws and set it free. The wolf had vanished without a backward glance yet it had never forgotten.
Now, this lone predator bowed before him like a saviour. The wolf crouched lower, its message clear: climb on.
With great effort, nearly spent, the old man clung to the animals neck. The wolf rose and carried him through the darkened woods. The man heard twigs snap beneath its paws, saw shadows of other creatures stirring nearby, yet none dared approach.
After some miles, a light appeared ahead: a village. Hearing barks, people rushed out and saw the unbelievablean enormous wolf gently laying an old man, weak but alive, at their gates.
When the old man was safe under a roof, surrounded by kind souls, he wept. Not from fear, but from knowing a beast had shown more humanity than his own flesh and blood.
A lesson, hard-learned: even the wildest hearts remember kindness.
