Wild dogs were animals that lived far from humans. They lived in the woods where they had their dens. They lived in packs. That means there were always more of them, like a bigger dog family. They never paid any attention to people. They didn’t go anywhere near them. Until one day, when everything changed.
There was a boy in town that everyone called the Forester. That’s because he loved going into the woods every day. He watched the animals, picked berries and learned to recognize the plants that were there. His parents were glad that he liked the forest so much, so they let him wander around in it. The Forester liked the forest very much. If he could, he would have lived there.
But one afternoon when he went into the forest, something happened. He was walking through his favorite clearing when all of a sudden, the sky clouded over. In a second, the clouds rolled in, so black that it surprised him. He didn’t have time to hide anywhere, the first few drops fell on him in an instant. Suddenly, lightning appeared in the sky and thunder rumbled all around. Before the Forester pulled himself together, a huge thunderstorm began. The Forester started running towards home. The raindrops were soaking his skin. The wind was blowing in his face. Everything was making his way difficult, and he couldn’t see a step because of the storm.
He ran and ran, when suddenly his foot slipped on the mud. He fell so fast he didn’t have time for anything. The moment he fell, he hit his head on a rock. Now the Forester was lying in the mud on the ground in the forest. It was still raining on him. He was getting cold and dizzy, and his leg hurt so much that he couldn’t get up. He didn’t know what to do.
Suddenly he felt a cold snout. Something was sniffing him. Despite the rain and the headache, he couldn’t see who it was. Then he just felt the animal grab him by his jacket and gently pull him into the cave, a shelter from the rain. When the Forester realized it wasn’t raining on him anymore, he fell asleep from exhaustion.
By the time he woke up, the storm was gone. He wasn’t even that cold. He looked around and realized there were wild dogs lying on top of him and around him. They were warming him with their bodies and keeping an eye on him. The Forester had never seen such a pack before. He knew that wild dogs lived somewhere in the forest, but no one had ever seen them.
“Thank you! You saved me,” he said, stroking them warmly. Then the biggest of them stood up and supported the Forester. He slipped under him slightly so that the boy was just touching the ground. Slowly he walked with him towards the town. The rest of the pack followed them.
In the meantime, the parents were looking for the Forester and were very worried about him. When they were at their most desperate, they saw a pack of dogs approaching from the forest, the largest of them carrying their son on its back. The parents ran to the dogs. They took the Forester in their arms and hugged him with tears in their eyes. The dogs stood there waiting to see what would happen. At that moment, the Forester turned to them and called out: “Don’t be afraid! Come to me!” As the pack approached him, he continued, “Thank you so much. I couldn’t have made it without you. As soon as I’m well, I’ll come to you. I will bring you the best dog treats and you can come to town anytime. No one will hurt you here. I promise you that.” He petted each dog and they licked his face in return.
As soon as the Forester was well, he kept his word. He went to his rescuers and brought them treats. The dogs welcomed him into their pack and waited for their human friend every day at the edge of the forest.
