“I can see that,” smiled Cheese-eater ironically. “Look, where you are now because of that.”
“All right, I’ll try to. Please, forgive me, Father Forest for breaking off branches, stomping on flowers, hurting small animals and birds. I won’t do this again, I swear!” The Wolf laid back his ears apologetically.
In a minute the tops of the trees swayed, the leaves rustled, as if starting to talk in many voices.
The young trees that had caught the Wolf suddenly bent to different sides and gave way to him. Vovka and Cheese-eater seized the captive at once and got him out of the trap. The Wolf was hardly alive and frightened. He stood still, too scared to move. Then he realized that he was free and jumped up, ran to the nearest clearing among the trees and raced round. When the Wolf finally became breathless, he came up to his saviours and confessed, “I thought I would die there.”
“Troubles torture, but give you a good fortune,” said Cheese-eater. “You’ll be kinder afterwards.”
“I will be the kindest wolf in the world, I swear!” promised the Wolf.
“And now let’s get to the place where you have seen the werewolf,” said Vovka. “We’ve got to hurry up.”
“Let me take you on my back, I’ll get dear Cheese-eater and you to that place in no time,” offered the Wolf.
“No, no!” Vovka didn’t like that idea. “I am so big and you are not young.”
“Are you joking?! I used to carry Ivan-zharevich with the Fire-bird and the apples that bring youth, and then with Elena the Beautiful.”
Vovka put Cheese-eater on the Wolf’s back, then had a seat himself and held the Wolf’s neck tightly. The Wolf started to run, moving so fast that one couldn’t even see the trees; they were all merged in a green blur. “Wow!” Vovka was excited. “Cool! What a transport!”
Near a small river the Wolf stopped. Vovka helped Cheese-eater down and walked away from the path.
“I saw it over there,” showed the Wolf.
“Let’s go all together to the bushes where you were sitting,” said Vovka.
They hid in the bushes and looked around. The path was seen well, and they were safely hidden behind the bushes. It looked like the Wolf had been telling the truth – the path was clearly seen, and if that strange animal had been walking here, the Wolf could have seen it without being noticed himself.
“And now let’s take the path in the direction this creature went away,” ordered Vovka. “You, Cheese-eater, run along the road and look under the bushes and burdocks; maybe you’ll find something interesting there.”
