“You’ll die, mama. I need to get you tumwood elixir,” the woman said.
“Child, better I die than to lose my two precious gems to Father Frost,” came the reply.
Winter came hard and fast this year. Granny went out to gather firewood and stepped on a fallen limb, piercing her leather boot.
“That infection will take you by dawn if I don’t hurry,” said the woman as she closed the door behind her.
The sun warmed her skin and gave the daughter hope she could be back before dusk.
“How are you holding up, Meshka?” asked the woman as she adjusted the infant’s sling.
With no high drifts to cross, the woman and baby reached the wise woman’s home in record time.
“Brave child to go out walking with the wolves about,” said the wise woman.
“No choice, I’m afraid,” she replied.
With the tonic in one hand and the other wrapped around her baby, the woman headed back home.
“Just over the next rise, Meshka, and we’ll be safe from the howlers,” she remarked, then froze.
Behind her came a wolf’s labored breathing. The woman spun to face the beast and was stunned to see it was not attacking.
“Please, I must get this medicine home or my mother will die,” pleaded the woman.
“I must eat, or my cubs will starve,” the wolf growled.
“You need only one to feed you. If you kill me, you will be taking three,” the woman said.
“I know better than to ask for the wee one. It seems we’re at a crossroads,” the wolf said.
The woman thought frantically, then a smile spread across her face.
“I will offer you a deal. Leave us go, and I will give you our calf born this very day,” the woman said.
“I will honor your pledge, knowing that you are giving much more than a calf. You sacrifice your future,” the wolf replied.
“You are wise in the ways of man. I believe we will be blessed with a calf before the thaw,” said the woman.
“I will return in the morning to collect my spoil,” the wolf said, then disappeared into the trees.
After receiving the tonic, Granny’s fever broke, and she began to recover.
“Where are you going so early, child?” her mother asked.
“To pay a debt and save a life,” the woman answered.
“You have restored my faith in the bond between man and wolf. May you live a long and prosperous life,” said the wolf.
“You as well. Perhaps our offspring may know one another,” questioned the woman.
“Perhaps,” the wolf replied, then dragged the calf into the woods.
That spring, the farm was blessed with twin calves, and the next year the cubs and Meshka met. What happened is a tale for another time.
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