The forest was swallowed by a deep, eerie darkness. Beneath the gnarled branches of an ancient oak, an old man sat on the damp earth. His breath was labored, his hands shook from the cold, and his eyes brimmed with despair. His own children had brought him here and abandoned him like worthless rubbish.
For years, they had waited for his death. The inheritancea grand house, land, and moneywould be theirs. But the old man refused to die. So, they decided to hasten the end: they left him in the heart of 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, slumped against the tree, flinched at every sound. The wind howled in the distance, but beneath its whistle came another noisethe cry of wolves. He knew his time was near.
“Dear Lord is this truly how it ends?” he whispered, clasping his hands in prayer.
Just then, a twig snapped. Then another. Footsteps drew closer. The old man tried to rise, but his body failed him. His eyes strained against the dark until, suddenly, a wolf emerged from the undergrowth.
The creature padded slowly onto the path. Its fur shimmered under the moonlight, and its eyes glowed like embers. Baring its fangs, it crept nearer.
“This is the end,” thought the old man.
He shut his eyes and prayed aloud, bracing for the sharp sting of teeth. But then, something unimaginable happened.
The wolf did not attack. It approached until it stood beside him, paused then lowered its head and let out a soft whine, as if speaking to him.
Bewildered, the man stretched out a handand to his astonishment, the wolf did not retreat. Instead, it allowed him to stroke its thick fur.
Then, the old man remembered. Many years ago, when he was still strong, he had found a young wolf trapped in a hunters snare.
Fearless, risking his own life, he had pried open the cruel metal jaws and set the creature free. The wolf had fled without looking back but it seemed it had never forgotten.
Now, this lone predator bowed before him as if acknowledging its savior. The wolf crouched lower, making its message clear: climb on.
With great effort, the old man clung to the wolfs neck. The beast rose and carried him through the shadowed woods. The old man heard branches crunch beneath the wolfs paws, saw shapes of other creatures lurking, yet none dared come near.
After a few miles, a light appeared aheada village. People, startled by the commotion, rushed out and beheld an astonishing sight: a massive wolf gently laying an old man, weak but alive, at their doorstep.
When the old man was safe under a roof, surrounded by kind faces, he wept. Not from fear, but from the bitter truththat a beast had shown more humanity than his own flesh and blood.
In the end, kindness given is never wasted, and even the wildest hearts remember a debt of mercy.
