CHAPTER 1: ABANDONED TO THE WOLVES
The wind howled through the ancient forest as darkness slowly swallowed the last traces of daylight.
Walter Thompson lay motionless on a wooden cart beneath a dead oak tree. At seventy-three years old, he could no longer walk. Years of hard labor on his small farm had left his body broken. A stroke had stolen his speech, and arthritis had twisted his limbs until even moving a finger became painful.
For months, he had depended entirely on his wife, Martha.
At first, she cared for him.
Then she tolerated him.
Eventually, she resented him.
Every meal she brought felt like a burden. Every sleepless night deepened her bitterness. Every glance at her husband reminded her of the life she believed he had stolen from her.
That morning, something inside her finally broke.
Without telling anyone, she loaded Walter onto an old cart and dragged him deep into the forest miles from their village.
The place had a frightening reputation.
People whispered about wolf packs that hunted there after dark.
When she reached a clearing beneath an ancient oak tree, she stopped.
Walter watched silently.
His cloudy eyes begged for mercy.
Martha looked away.
"I can't do this anymore," she whispered.
Then she turned around and left.
The sound of the wagon wheels slowly disappeared.
Walter was alone.
Completely alone.
The cold ground seeped into his bones. Hunger twisted his stomach. His throat burned from thirst.
Hours passed.
Darkness deepened.
Then he heard it.
A twig snapped.
Another.
Then several more.
Heavy footsteps circled through the shadows.
His heart pounded.
Wolves.
The stories were true.
A pair of glowing eyes appeared between the trees.
Then another.
And another.
A large gray wolf slowly stepped into the moonlight.
Walter closed his eyes.
This was the end.
But instead of attacking...
The wolf sat down.
It simply stared at him.
Minutes passed.
Neither moved.
Then something even stranger happened.
The wolf walked closer, lowered its head, and gently nudged Walter's hand with its nose.
The old man froze.
The animal's eyes contained no hatred.
No hunger.
Only curiosity.
Behind the wolf, several others emerged.
Yet none attacked.
Instead, they formed a loose circle around him.
As if protecting him.
Walter could not understand what was happening.
Neither could the wolves.
But somewhere deep inside the pack leader's memory, a forgotten image had awakened.
Many years ago...
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A young farmer had saved a dying wolf cub trapped in a hunter's snare.
And that farmer had been Walter.
