Serpent Gorynych

Whistle, wind, and fierce heat. And also whispers, voices, screams. Terrifying shrieks, threats, lamentations. He fell downwards, into the arms of Smorodina. Through the madness that gripped his head, a heavy realization broke through: "Why did she do this to me? I helped her all along the way, asking for nothing in return. Out of sincere friendship, out of fond memory. And she... pushed me into the poisonous waters of Smorodina. She said she would grant me deliverance. But... her deliverance is death." The realization pained him. And he felt unbearably alone. When his body plunged into the abyss of flame, he screamed. But Smorodina quickly suppressed his cry, burning the dragon from within. A dragon! With three heads! One of a kind! "No. I will not perish here. Not in the flames. No. We will not perish. Never!" And then the nature of the Serpent Gorynych rebelled against Smorodina. The river let go for a moment, and the Serpent, deprived of his last strength, sank into unconsciousness. Falling on the pavement, scraping the skin off your knees, painfully hitting your tailbone—that's no big deal. But doing all of the above and then rolling into a puddle—that's a big deal. You're lying on your back in a puddle. Looking at the autumn sky, thinking about the eternal. No, of course you're not thinking about the eternal, because your ears are ringing, and the back of your head is shooting like someone is firing bullet after bullet. Cold water washes your palms. You even seem to feel your hair moving as it floats in the mud. A wonderful start to the day. Suddenly, against the dazzling gray-blue sky, he appears. "Are you okay?" So he's also informal! You narrow your eyes and answer. "What year is it now?" His eyebrows shoot up onto his forehead. He blinks his long eyelashes and awkwardly adjusts his long hair, which is fluttering in the wind. "What...year? You don't know what year?"

Only now did he realize that every time he saw her, he felt alive and full-blooded. She intrigued, irritated, angered, and... charmed him.