One winter evening, the forester Stepan heard a noise under the fence, and when he stepped outside his cabin, he saw an exhausted wolf. He thought for a moment, then brought it some frozen meat, as the forest was unusually empty that winter, making it very difficult for animals to find food. The animal’s behavior immediately seemed unusual to the forester. Predators live in their own territory, hunt there, and rarely approach humans unless they are extremely hungry.
The wolf came to eat more and more often, and the villagers even began to insult the forester—no one wanted to see a wild animal in the village. But Stepan paid no attention and continued to feed the animals. He realized that when the wolf was hungry in winter, it became more dangerous for the village. After a while, the wolf’s visits stopped. Everyone was happy except for Stepan—he had already grown used to his visitor and even missed it a little.
It was only two months later that the forester heard a familiar growl outside the window. The man rushed into the yard and suddenly saw that the she-wolf had brought along two younger members of the pack. The animals stood in silence, watching Stepan.
Suddenly, the forester realized that the she-wolf had probably fed the young pups with the meat he had given her all winter. And now, the whole pack had moved to a new place, and the wolf had come to say goodbye. Stepan was right: since then, no wolves have been seen in the area.
