September walked hastily across the Sayan Mountains. The days have become shorter, the nights longer and colder.
Sokhaty hears: the wapiti screams loudly all night, makes calling sounds, and disturbs sleep. Animals, like people, make themselves known to each other, call, meet, talk to each other, bask and caress. “Wait,” the elk thinks, “tomorrow I’ll meet and talk to you...” The next day in the morning the elk went to a watering hole and then met a wapiti. Says:
- Why are you, friend, screaming all night?
“Well, I’m calling my friend, she’s lost somewhere,” the wapiti replies. He stood for a while and decided to explain to the elk: “Do you think I’m giving myself away with my scream?” Uh, no. No matter how much I scream, I have fat in my legs, they are my strength. No animal will catch up... And what are you worth? I’ll see, your nose is so swollen, your lip is thick, drooping... Sokhaty decided not to let himself be offended: “No matter how I swollen my nose and lower my lips, they are my strength.” I can smell the enemy hundreds of steps away and can run without stopping across the entire mountain pass...
Sokhaty and wapiti separated. Each of them talked about what makes him alive: one has powerful legs, and the other has a strong sense of smell and light breathing.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru