You still talk about your first grouse. Of course, Andre laughed. And remember when I fell through the ice on the lake? He trailed off as Sever emerged from the house.
The wolf stopped in the doorway, eyeing the newcomers. Oh my god, Andre whispered. That’s your pet? Maxim nodded.
Sever, come here, meet them. The wolf slowly approached, sniffing the air. Irina instinctively stepped behind her fiancée.
Grandpa, I get it. But having a wolf in the house? That’s too much, Andre said, glancing at Sever, who studied them silently. He’s calm, Maxim replied, and a better guard than any dog.
Since he’s been with me, not a single theft in the village. As if understanding the conversation, Sever walked up to Andre and sat in front of him, locking eyes. See, he accepts you, Maxim smirked.
He senses the bloodline. Andre cautiously reached out. The wolf hesitated, then allowed himself to be petted.
Irina, however, kept her distance, watching the massive animal with unease. He scared me, she admitted that evening, when they were alone in their room. So big, and the way he looks, like he sees right through you.
Don’t be afraid, Andre hugged her. If Grandpa says he’s safe, then he is, and if anything, I’ll chain him up. Irina leaned into him.
Are we really going to live here, so far from the city, from civilization? Just for a while, Andre reassured her. While Grandpa gets treated, we’ll look after the house, then decide. Maybe we’ll move to the city.
But you know? He looked out the window at the stars glimmering in the night sky. There’s something special about this place. I remember coming here as a kid for the holidays.
The tiger, it pulls you in. Three days later, Maxim packed his few belongings and left with his daughter for a kutsk. Before leaving, he spent a long time stroking Sever’s thick fur.
Keep watch over the house, he told the wolf. And over them too, he nodded toward the young couple. They’re your family now.
Sever watched the car until it disappeared around the bend. Then he slowly returned to the yard and sat on the porch like a sentinel on duty. In January, Maxim settled in with his daughter in Irkutsk.
The young couple began making the house their own. Andre transferred to the local emergency unit, and Irina started teaching at the village school. A fragile truce settled with Sever.
He accepted Andre as the new master, but remained wary of Irina. She didn’t bother him, and he kept his distance. At first, Irina struggled to adjust to life in a tiger village.
A city girl, she’d never lived where the nearest cinema was three hours away, and the only store followed the owner’s mood more than a schedule. Andre, I can’t live like this, she complained during the first weeks. Everyone here’s known each other since birth, and they look at me like I’m an outsider.
They’ll get used to you, Andre reassured her. Just give it time. The people here are good, they just don’t open up right away.
Gradually, Irina started to settle in. She was warmly welcomed at the school. The primary school teacher was worth her weight in gold in a village where the youth were eager to leave for the city.
The children were drawn to the young, energetic teacher, and their parents gratefully noted how the approach to education had changed. You make the lessons so interesting, Irina Sergeevna, one mother told her. My Dima didn’t want to read at all before, and now he asks for books himself.
Irina smiled, feeling a warm glow inside from those words. Maybe I’m not such a city girl after all, she thought. The house was slowly becoming her own too.
Irina started a small renovation, new wallpaper in the bedroom, the kitchen repainted, squeaky floorboards fixed. Andre joked that grandpa won’t recognise his den when he gets back. Their interactions with neighbours also gradually improved.
People in Sosnovka were all kinds, some native Siberians whose ancestors had founded the village back in the Tsar’s days, others newcomers escaping the noise of the city or chasing the romance of the Their elderly neighbour, Anna Illinichna, often dropped by with a jar of pickles or homemade liqueur. You two live here all alone, she would say, giving the house a scrutinising look. You should have kids, what’s a family without children? Irina would smile shyly while Andre winked at her from behind the neighbour’s back.
They were planning a family, but still settling into their home. Everything changed in March when Irina shared the joyful news she was pregnant. Andre beamed with happiness, already planning how he would teach his son, he was sure it would be a boy, to fish and venture into the taiga.
We’ll have the most tiger-bred baby in Sosnovka, he said, kissing his wife. I’ll teach him everything grandpa taught me. Irina just shook her head, but deep down she was happy about her husband’s enthusiasm.
That was why she fell in love with him, his zest for life and joy in simple things. One evening, as Irina sat reading in a chair, Sever suddenly approached and gently laid his head on her lap. She froze in surprise.
In all those months, the wolf had never shown her much attention. Andre, she called quietly, come look. Seeing the scene, her husband chuckled in amazement.
Well, well. Grandpa always said wolves have a special sense. He must have realised you’re pregnant.
You think so? Irina asked doubtfully, touching the wolf’s grey fur. I’m sure of it, Andre nodded. They can sense these things.
He recalled how, during his grandfather’s time working in a nature reserve, wolves avoided rangers with guns but approached peacefully those who came and pee. From that moment on, Sever’s behaviour changed. He followed Irina everywhere, slept by their bedroom door, and closely watched her whenever she stepped outside.
Light a bodyguard, Irina laughed, already used to his protective presence. She even began talking to him about her plans, her dreams, the children she taught. You know Sever, he once said, stroking her growing belly.