З життя
Abandoned in the Woods by His Own Children, the Old Man’s Fate Takes a Shocking Turn When the Wolf Arrives

The forest was swallowed by a deep, unyielding darkness. Beneath the gnarled branches of an ancient oak, an old man sat upon the damp earth. His breath was laboured, his hands trembled from the cold, and his eyes brimmed with despair. His own sons had brought him there and abandoned him like worthless rubbish.
For years, they had waited for his death. The inheritancea grand house, fertile lands, and a fortune in poundswas meant to be theirs. But the old man refused to die. So they hastened his end, leaving him in that lonely wood without food or water, hoping wild beasts would do their work and the constables would deem it a tragic accident.
The poor old man, slumped against the tree, shuddered at every sound. The wind howled in the distance, but beneath its wail came another noisethe cry of wolves. He knew his time had come.
“Dear Lord is this truly how it ends?” he whispered, clasping his hands in prayer.
Just then, a branch cracked. Then another. Footsteps drew near. The old man tried to rise, but his limbs failed him. His eyes strained against the blackness until, suddenly, from the undergrowth, a wolf emerged.
The beast stepped slowly onto the path. Its fur gleamed silver in the moonlight, its eyes burning like embers. Baring its fangs, it edged closer.
“This is the end,” the old man thought.
He shut his eyes and prayed aloud, bracing for the bite of sharp teeth. But then, something unimaginable happened.
The wolf did not attack. It padded forward until it stood beside him, paused then lowered its head and let out a soft whine, as though speaking to him.
Bewildered, the man reached outand to his astonishment, the creature did not retreat. Instead, it allowed him to stroke its thick fur.
Then, he remembered. Long ago, when his strength had not yet faded, he had found a young wolf caught in a hunters trap. Risking his life, he had pried open the cruel iron jaws and set the beast free. The wolf had fled without a backward glance yet, it seemed, it had never forgotten.
Now, the lone predator bowed before him as if to a saviour. The wolf crouched lower, its meaning clear: climb on.
With great effort, the old man clung to the creatures neck. The wolf rose and carried him through the shadowed woods. The man listened to the crack of twigs beneath its paws, saw the shapes of other beasts lurking near, yet none dared approach.
After a few miles, a light appeared aheada village. Hearing the commotion, the villagers rushed out and beheld a sight beyond belief: a great wolf gently laying an old man, weak but alive, upon their doorstep.
Once sheltered beneath a roof, surrounded by kind faces, the old man wept. Not from fear, but from the bitter knowledge that a beast had shown more humanity than his own flesh and blood.
