**Diary Entry 12th November**
The forest was swallowed by an eerie darkness. Beneath the gnarled branches of an ancient oak, an old man sat hunched on the damp earth. His breath came ragged, his hands trembled from the cold, and his eyes brimmed with despair. His own children had brought him here and left him like worthless rubbish.
For years, they had waited for his death. The inheritancea grand house, acres of land, and a tidy sumwould be theirs. But the old man refused to die. So, they decided to hasten his end, abandoning him deep in that lonely wood with neither food nor water, hoping the wild beasts would do their work and the authorities would call it a tragic accident.
Propped against the tree, the poor old man flinched at every sound. The wind howled in the distance, but beneath its whispers came another noisethe chilling cry of wolves. He knew his time was near.
“Dear Lord is this truly how it ends?” he murmured, clasping his hands in prayer.
Just then, a twig snapped. Then another. Footsteps drew closer. The old man tried to stand, but his frail body failed him. His eyes strained against the gloom until, from the undergrowth, a wolf emerged.
The creature padded slowly onto the path. Its coat gleamed silver under the moonlight, its eyes burning like embers. Baring its fangs, it crept nearer.
*This is it*, the old man thought.
He shut his eyes and prayed aloud, bracing for the sting of sharp teeth. But thensomething unimaginable happened.
The wolf did not attack. It edged closer, stopping just beside him then bowed its head and let out a soft whine, as if speaking to him.
Bewildered, the man reached out a shaking hand. To his astonishment, the wolf did not retreat. Instead, it allowed him to stroke its thick fur.
Then, memory struck. Decades ago, when he was still strong, he had found a young wolf trapped in a hunters snare. Risking his own life, he had pried open the cruel metal jaws and freed the creature. The wolf had fled without a backward glance yet, it seemed, it had never forgotten.
Now, this lone predator stood before him like a humble servant. The wolf crouched lower, its message clear: *climb on*.
With great effort, the old man clung to the beasts neck. The wolf rose and carried him through the blackened woods. Branches cracked beneath its paws, shadows of other creatures lurked nearbyyet none dared approach.
After a mile or so, a flicker of light appeared ahead: a village. Hearing the commotion, people rushed out and gasped at the sight before thema great wolf gently laying a frail but living man at their doorstep.
Once inside, surrounded by kind faces, the old man wept. Not from fear, but from the bitter truth that a beast had shown more humanity than his own flesh and blood.
**Lesson learned:** Cruelty wears many faces, but so does kindnesssometimes in the most unexpected forms.
