The elderly woman wiped the sweat from her brow as she gazed at her husbands motionless body lying on the cart. For years, he hadnt been able to rise from his simple straw bed, couldnt eat without help, couldnt speakonly breathed heavily and stared with cloudy eyes at the ceiling.
To her, he had long been a burden. Once, hed been a strong man, a provider, a protector. But time had taken everything from him. Now, he only consumed what little food they had, giving nothing in return.
One day, after chopping firewood and enduring endless complaints and sleepless nights, she decided enough was enough. She hauled him onto the cart and drove deep into the woods, where rumours spoke of wolves, and left him beneath an old, withered oak.
“Forgive me, old man,” she muttered without tears, “I cant bear it any longer Survive if you can.”
And she walked away.
As the last creak of the wheels faded into the distance, the old man understoodhe was alone. Utterly alone. In the heart of the woods, surrounded by hungry wolves.
The cold seeped into his bones. The ground was damp and icy, the night air cutting through his skin.
A lump rose in his throat. He couldnt even call outhis voice was gone. He lay there, staring up at the dark sky through the branches. Hungry, thirsty, dreaming of a single drop of water.
Then, suddenly, he heard something terrifying
At first, faintlike a twig snapping, paws creeping. Then closer. One, then another, and another. Heavy steps. The wind howledor was it a wolf?
Fear gripped him. His heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst. Wolves. Shed left him here for them to tear him apart.
A figure emerged from the shadows. Grey, large, with gleaming eyes that held a cold fire. A wolf.
It stopped and stared at him. But then, something unexpected happened.
The old man wanted to shut his eyes, to escape the sight of the beast, but he couldnt. This is the end, he thought. The wolf will devour me alive.
Yet the wolf didnt lunge for his throat, didnt bare its teeth. Instead, it stepped closer, then lay down beside himso near he could feel the warmth of its thick fur.
The creature took a deep breath, closed its eyes, and went still, only its ears twitching now and then.
At first, he couldnt believe it. But then, he felt the heatstrong, aliveradiating from the wolfs body.
Half-dead and frozen, he pressed himself against the animal.
The wolf didnt leave. The wolf kept him warm.
And all through the night, they lay like thattwo forgotten souls, cast aside by the world, yet finding each other in the dark woods.
A lesson learned too late: even in the coldest of hearts, warmth can still be foundsometimes where you least expect it.
