The story of the Snow Wolf
Anyone who has ever heard a wolf howl under a full moon will tell you that their blood ran cold from this drawn-out, melancholy music that reverberated off the cold rocks and penetrated right under the skin.
Many people, and some demons, are afraid of wolves, considering them ruthless predators who will not fail to surround a lone wanderer and tear him to shreds. But there are few who have actually encountered wolves. They will most likely tell you that if you are afraid of wolves, do not go into the forest, and that gray predators will most likely run away at the sight of a terrible two-legged monster. Especially if this monster suddenly has a longer stick in his hands. However, wolves are different from wolves.
Among the northerners there are dark legends about huge and fierce snow wolves. They appear only at night, come along with a blizzard, and the next morning they disappear without a trace. Except for the traces of the bones of their victims. Legends say that snow wolves are huge, fearless and ferocious, and their eyes glow with an otherworldly yellow fire in the darkness of the night. Seeing a snowy samum in the distance, the northerners close the shutters and turn off the lights in order to ward off trouble and not attract snow wolves. However, legends are only meant to be exaggerated. One way or another, there are no real eyewitnesses of an attack by snow wolves. For natural reasons, one must think...
However, sometimes you can meet rare bone hunters on your way. This small tribe lives farthest in the north, on the coast of the eternally frozen sea. They don't like to talk about themselves, but others talk a lot about them. They say that hunters travel across the ice that compresses the outlying waters, and track down unprecedented creatures that have no name. Some people think that these are nimble snow leopards, others that they are gigantic hairy elephants with tusks capable of breaking centuries-old ice floes, although it is clear to the ignorant that there are no hairy or fanged elephants in the world, and some even say about ice dragons. But who the rare bone miners actually hunt remains a mystery, while the bone itself is regularly supplied to the markets of the southern lands.
One thing is certain about these hunters - they invariably travel on the backs of huge wolves with yellow eyes. Such a wolf can run non-stop for days on end, chasing down prey. And the more wolves in the pack, the more coordinated and quickly they overtake the target. These wolves do not know fatigue, they are unfamiliar with pity, and they do not recognize anyone except their rider. Some believe that these are the legendary snow predators, tamed by hunters, while others do not believe this. But everyone unanimously agrees with the name that the hunters themselves call their animals - tireless pursuers.
Sometimes, in a good year for adventurers, bone hunters bring with them the puppies of their tireless pursuers to auction and sell them to the heroes. If you are lucky enough to get such an animal, and have the patience to feed and raise it, then know that it will become your devoted friend and will rush you through any obstacles towards your goal.
The main thing is not to put your hands in his mouth, and make sure that he looks less into the forest. Just in case. It certainly won't be superfluous.
