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The deer and the wolf

There was no wind, only the sound of the last of the leaves falling from the long dead trees onto the barren ground. The blood-red light of dusk clung onto the edge of the frame, as if trying to escape the dark clouds that were racing to cover the land. At the mountain’s foot, stood a shadow with antlers, desperately trying to catch the last few droplets of water with its mouth, as they fell in slow agony from the rocks, those that once made up a stream that came from the mountains and into the now dry lake bed. You could tell from the creature’s bleeding ankles that he was exhausted and had been on the move for days. With a sigh, after wrapping up the last drop with his tongue, the deer fell on his stomach and closed his eyes. Little was he aware of the pair of yellow eyes perched on him.

A twig cracked, and just as the deer managed to open an eye, a shadow lunged out of nowhere towards him. With a jolt, the deer scrambled to its feet, but as he reached the perimeter of the forest, his antlers got caught on the branches of a fallen tree. With a bent neck and kicking desperately, it wrestled to break free.

-  Keep still or you’ll make it worse– muttered the two yellow eyes just as two fangs and a wolf’s snout came into what little light was left.
- Please don’t eat me.
- I’ll help you.
- How will I know…

It had been too much for the tired creature. As he fainted, his antlers freed themselves and the wolf put him on his back. He took him to the cave in which he had been staying since the Day. When the deer woke up, he had leaves around his ankles and a bowl of

fresh water in front of him. 

-       You didn’t eat me.
-       No, I want you to stay with me. 
-       Why would I do that?
-      You blind? Have you seen anyone else since the Day? We are the only creatures alive, we’ll have to stick together if we want to survive.

Although the deer did not trust him, he was very injured to continue alone, so he stayed. They became friends and once the deer got cured, he became very strong while the wolf got more tired everyday, as there was nowhere for him to find food. Eventually, water also became very hard to come across. The wolf fell very ill one day, and the deer tried to do anything he could to help him, just as the wolf had once done for him. The deer went on big searches for supplies, but there was nothing left. One night, both fell desperately hungry, but kept it to themselves as they did not want to alarm the other. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, an acute pain in the deer’s leg woke him up only to see the wolf chewing on it.

-       You betrayed me!
-       Never! You chose to trust me even though you knew the inevitable.

The deer wanted to fight, but it was too late. A cry filled the cave as the wolf reached for his throat.

Moral: A leopard cannot change its spots.