Tiger's Tale

“I’ve heard stories of music taming savage beasts, but I don’t think you’re too savage at all, are you? How could you be when you purr like a house cat?”
Purr?  Veru was horrified to realize at that moment that a telltale rumble was indeed coming from her chest.
How humiliating!  Worse than that, she couldn’t seem to stop it.

When you’ve spent time with God’s creatures, you learn they have souls. And what makes their souls less important than mine?

Beauty wasn’t earned. It just was or wasn’t.

Their parents had taught them that in matters of diplomacy, trust was never given outright.
Not to anyone. Betrayal was the expectation.
You prepared for it. You planned for it.
And if it didn’t happen, you counted yourself lucky.

if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a leader and as a mother, it’s that you don’t always get to see the fruits of your labor.

Still, you plant in the spring and look forward with faith in the summer that the rains will come and the sun will warm the ground and that there will be a harvest in the fall.”

Once you enter the edge of the forest, you’ll be tempted by viands of every type you can imagine.

You’ll see pools of kefir, sbiten, kvass, or vzvar in cavities of rocks, borscht and ukha swelling up in tree stumps, stuffed blintzes and pierogi mushrooming in flower clusters or out of tree bark or hanging from leaves, and cream-covered smetannik adorning trees like snow.

Do not be tempted by this. Don’t even touch this food.
It is a wurdulac trick. This is how they find you.

Как только ты войдешь на опушку леса, тебя будут прельщать всевозможные яства.

Ты увидишь пруды кефира, сбитня, кваса или взвара в расщелинах камней, борщ и уху, вздувающиеся в пнях, блины с начинкой и вареники, растущие в соцветиях, на коре или висящие на листьях, и сметанник в сливках, украшающий деревья, словно снег.

Не поддавайся этому соблазну. Даже не прикасайся к этой еде.

Это уловка вурдалака. Вот так они тебя и найдут.

“If you want to survive,” he cautioned in a gravelly voice, “I’d suggest trying to be more like a tree.”

“I don’t understand,” Nik said in reply.“

“Exactly. Humans are nearly incapable of remaining silent. They are too desperate to be seen. Too anxious to be adored.“

Деревья говорят только тогда, когда хотят сказать что-то очень важное. Мудрость приобретается десятилетиями. Если уж говорить, говорите молча; в противном случае смотрите, наблюдайте, слушайте, учитесь. Те, кто живёт дольше всех, — самые осторожные и наблюдательные.
Если хочешь выжить, нужно освоить этот навык.

Люди практически не способны молчать.

Они слишком отчаянно хотят, чтобы их видели. Слишком жаждут, чтобы их обожали.

Они не понимают, что те, за кем наблюдают и кем восхищаются, — это те, кого срубают в расцвете сил.

As Nik was well aware, there were more terrible things in the world than death or pain. Many more terrible things.

If they only knew how much had been done on their behalf. But the younger never did. They never appreciated the sacrifices of their elders. Not until they learned their own life lessons.

Veru had an intense desire to see, taste, and experience everything the world had to offer.
She wanted to meet the people, learn their customs, taste different foods, and study new languages.