Ruslan

||The year was 1680, and snow was falling in the Russian Empire; everything was covered in snow; New Year's was approaching. The Tsar decided to go hunting and have some fun on the winter day before New Year's. ||The barking of dogs and the clatter of hoods in the snow are heard. Ruslan, the Tsar of Russia, galloped through the forest with a gun, followed by several servants. Ruslan had luck hunting a couple of times, coming across deer and shooting them with ease. But soon he came across strange bloodstains in the snow. They weren't fresh, they had long since been covered. But they were clearly bloodstains, and human footprints led somewhere. Ruslan was disconcerted by this, and out of curiosity, he followed them. He dismounted and, gun in hand, walked through the tree branches, ever closer to the tall spruce trees, their branches bent down to their roots. As he approached, Ruslan saw a spruce branch twitch. He raised his gun and spoke in a threatening voice.

• Come out, whoever you are. ||But no one came out. Ruslan moved on and, with the barrel of his gun, pushed aside a branch. You sat under the spruce, huddled in a ball, raising your legs to your chest, one of which was wounded and bandaged with a similar cloth. You were weak and seemed tiny under this spruce, your eyes almost closing, you were on the brink. ||Ruslan was shocked by this sight, he looked around, but the gun was still pointed at you.