Once upon a time there lived a hunter. He was accurate, dexterous and lucky. I never returned from a hunt without catch. But one day he wandered through the forest all day, and did not come across any game. It’s getting dark, it’s time to go home, but the hunter can’t get out of the forest - he’s lost in the thicket. He wandered and wandered and found himself in a large clearing. In the clearing there is a tall tower, without windows, without doors. Suddenly the wall of the tower parted, a small roe deer jumped out into the clearing and stood right in front of the hunter. The hunter shot an arrow and killed her.
He hung his leather skin with bread on a tree and lit a fire. He cut a skewer from a branch, threaded pieces of meat onto it and began to fry. As the kebab hissed over the fire, the hunter reached into his fur to get some bread, and when he turned around, he couldn’t believe his eyes - the pieces of meat began to grow together and suddenly turned into a living roe deer! The roe deer looked at the hunter, as if
reproachfully, and disappeared behind the trees
- Well, miracles! - exclaimed the amazed hunter.
Then the wall of the tower parted again, and an unknown voice said:
- Are these miracles? The hunter from Lilo has seen real miracles!
The hunter returned home and from then on stopped going into the forest - he kept thinking about what had happened. Finally, he decided to find the hunter from Lilo and ask him what miracles he had seen.
The mother baked bread for the hunter and packed it for the journey.
The hunter walked a long way, wore out the kalaman1 and did not meet him on the way
Kalamani is a type of peasant shoe made from rawhide.
not a single living soul. His road led through many lands and finally led him to a high tower. The hunter from Lilo lived in this tower.
The owner warmly greeted the newcomer and treated him as expected. Our hunter told him what a miracle happened to him, told him about the roe deer from the tower without windows and doors and about the unknown voice that came from there.
“Tell me what miracles you have seen,” the guest asked.
owner.
“Okay, listen to what happened to me,” answered the hunter from Lilo. “I was about fifteen years old,” he began, “when my mother died.” The father married a second time. My stepmother didn't like me. No matter what I do, everything is wrong, she is dissatisfied with everything, scolds and beats me. I took it and complained to my father. He scolded his stepmother. And when the next day my father went hunting, my stepmother grabbed a whip and whipped me, saying: “Turn into a dog!” I can't even say a word
I didn’t have time - I turned into a dog. My father returned from hunting, and I came to him. You whined and rubbed against his lap. Then the stepmother jumped up and also hit her father with a whip, turning him into a dove. My father became a bird. How could a dove help me?
I lived as a dog in the yard. My stepmother kicked me, starved me - once every three days she would throw a dry crust and give me water. I was emaciated and could hardly drag my feet. I think we need to save ourselves. In the morning I quietly got out of the yard and trudged to the market. There, one kind butcher threw me a piece of liver. I grabbed the liver with my teeth and carried it to the fire - a barbecue was being fried nearby. I put a piece of liver on the burning coals and wait for it to roast. The butcher, understandably, was surprised that I prepared food in a completely human way, and took me into his house.
I served him faithfully, vigilantly guarding both home and family. The rumor about me - about an amazing dog - spread throughout the city. People came from everywhere to watch
at me.
A rich merchant once came to my master and said that something was wrong at home: someone was stealing his children. No matter what kind of guards he placed, that’s it.
Babies are also disappearing.
“Give me your dog for a while,” the merchant asked my owner, “maybe
she will catch the thief.”
The owner let me go to the merchant.
Just that day, the merchant’s wife gave birth to a son. I was on guard all night. In the morning I look - out of nowhere, the old hunchbacked woman is sneaking towards the cradle! But the mother and nanny are sleeping and don’t hear anything. I rushed at the hunchback and knocked her down,
did not allow the child to be taken away.
“Let me go, son of the hunter, I will repay you with goodness,” whispered the old woman.
I was surprised how the hunchback knew that I was human, and I let her go.
Morning has come. The merchant saw that the baby was not missing, and to rejoice he loaded me with a full khurdzhini of gold.
“Go,” he says, “bring it to your owner.”
I went, but not to the butcher, but home, to my stepmother. I think
Maybe she’ll take pity on me when she sees how much gold I brought her and will return me to my human form.
I brought gold to my stepmother. She laughed with joy, but kept the dog, and in gratitude she allowed him to lie at the doorstep of the house and promised to feed him well.
I lost hope of salvation!
One day a flock passed by our house - shepherds were driving sheep to mountain pastures.
I liked a kind-looking young shepherd, and I followed him. The shepherd didn’t drive me away, he even stroked me on the head.
By evening we were already in the mountains. The shepherds slaughtered a sheep for dinner. They threw a heart and a liver to their dogs, and one bone to me.
At night it poured torrential rain. The wolves became emboldened and approached the sheep from all sides. The shepherd dogs ate to their fill and slept like a dead sleep, and I fought with the wolves all night. A lot of them approached the pen. He strangled five, the rest fled. In a word, I saved the sheep that night. In the morning I grabbed the young shepherd by the half of his neck with my teeth and dragged him to the place of the night battle,
showed dead wolves. From that day on, the shepherds cared for me in every possible way__
They even slaughtered a sheep for me.
One day, in thick fog, the sheep scattered along the distant slopes. The shepherds ran in and began to gather their flock. I also rushed around helping them. I drove several dozen sheep to our paddock, but there were no shepherds - they managed to migrate
move to another place. Without thinking twice, I took the sheep home and tried once again to appease my stepmother.
The stepmother was pleased with the spoils, but still did not take pity - she was very malicious. She whipped me with a whip and said:
“Become a quail to be eaten by kites!”
She turned me into a quail.
I flew away from my home - what could I do there?
Threshing was going on. The peasants carried sheaves to the threshing floor. I sat down by the road and began to peck grains from the fallen ears. Suddenly a kite appeared in the sky. I fluttered up and sat on the shoulder of a guy walking past. He brought me to his home. He called his grandmother and said:
“Roast the quail,” and he went to unload the cart.
The old woman took me in her hands and whispered:
“So you came to me, son of a hunter!”
I recognized her. It was the same hunchback who carried the merchant’s babies.
“Now I will repay you with kindness,” said the old woman and hid me under the bowl.
And when the guy left the yard, she let him out and said:
“Run home, but fly into the room through the window. In the right corner hangs your stepmother's whip, rub it and you will turn into a human. Then take the whip and whip your stepmother. Turn her into a donkey and let her work for you.”
I listened to the hunchbacked old woman and did as she said.
The hunter from Lilo finished his story and led the guest into the yard.
- Look how I paved the yard! Look how tall my tower is! I can’t count how much stone and sand my donkey dragged. These are the miracles I have experienced!
Joy is here, grief is there. Bran for them, flour for us.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru