Reedle Откройте в мобильном приложении
Понятно
Понятно
Для того чтобы воспользоваться закладками, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Отмена
Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Отмена
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
Отмена
271
The
she-wolf
had
by
now
developed
a
ferocious
temper
.
Her
three
suitors
all
bore
the
marks
of
her
teeth
.
Yet
they
never
replied
in
kind
,
never
defended
themselves
against
her
.
They
turned
their
shoulders
to
her
most
savage
slashes
,
and
with
wagging
tails
and
mincing
steps
strove
to
placate
her
wrath
.
But
if
they
were
all
mildness
toward
her
,
they
were
all
fierceness
toward
one
another
.
The
three-year-old
grew
too
ambitious
in
his
fierceness
.
He
caught
the
one-eyed
elder
on
his
blind
side
and
ripped
his
ear
into
ribbons
.
Though
the
grizzled
old
fellow
could
see
only
on
one
side
,
against
the
youth
and
vigour
of
the
other
he
brought
into
play
the
wisdom
of
long
years
of
experience
.
His
lost
eye
and
his
scarred
muzzle
bore
evidence
to
the
nature
of
his
experience
.
He
had
survived
too
many
battles
to
be
in
doubt
for
a
moment
about
what
to
do
.
272
The
battle
began
fairly
,
but
it
did
not
end
fairly
.
There
was
no
telling
what
the
outcome
would
have
been
,
for
the
third
wolf
joined
the
elder
,
and
together
,
old
leader
and
young
leader
,
they
attacked
the
ambitious
three-year-old
and
proceeded
to
destroy
him
.
He
was
beset
on
either
side
by
the
merciless
fangs
of
his
erstwhile
comrades
.
Forgotten
were
the
days
they
had
hunted
together
,
the
game
they
had
pulled
down
,
the
famine
they
had
suffered
.
That
business
was
a
thing
of
the
past
.
The
business
of
love
was
at
hand
--
ever
a
sterner
and
crueller
business
than
that
of
food-getting
.
273
And
in
the
meanwhile
,
the
she-wolf
,
the
cause
of
it
all
,
sat
down
contentedly
on
her
haunches
and
watched
.
She
was
even
pleased
.
This
was
her
day
--
and
it
came
not
often
--
when
manes
bristled
,
and
fang
smote
fang
or
ripped
and
tore
the
yielding
flesh
,
all
for
the
possession
of
her
.
Отключить рекламу
274
And
in
the
business
of
love
the
three-year-old
,
who
had
made
this
his
first
adventure
upon
it
,
yielded
up
his
life
.
On
either
side
of
his
body
stood
his
two
rivals
.
275
They
were
gazing
at
the
she-wolf
,
who
sat
smiling
in
the
snow
.
But
the
elder
leader
was
wise
,
very
wise
,
in
love
even
as
in
battle
.
The
younger
leader
turned
his
head
to
lick
a
wound
on
his
shoulder
.
The
curve
of
his
neck
was
turned
toward
his
rival
.
With
his
one
eye
the
elder
saw
the
opportunity
.
He
darted
in
low
and
closed
with
his
fangs
.
It
was
a
long
,
ripping
slash
,
and
deep
as
well
.
His
teeth
,
in
passing
,
burst
the
wall
of
the
great
vein
of
the
throat
.
Then
he
leaped
clear
.
276
The
young
leader
snarled
terribly
,
but
his
snarl
broke
midmost
into
a
tickling
cough
.
Bleeding
and
coughing
,
already
stricken
,
he
sprang
at
the
elder
and
fought
while
life
faded
from
him
,
his
legs
going
weak
beneath
him
,
the
light
of
day
dulling
on
his
eyes
,
his
blows
and
springs
falling
shorter
and
shorter
.
277
And
all
the
while
the
she-wolf
sat
on
her
haunches
and
smiled
.
She
was
made
glad
in
vague
ways
by
the
battle
,
for
this
was
the
love-making
of
the
Wild
,
the
sex-tragedy
of
the
natural
world
that
was
tragedy
only
to
those
that
died
.
To
those
that
survived
it
was
not
tragedy
,
but
realisation
and
achievement
.
Отключить рекламу
278
When
the
young
leader
lay
in
the
snow
and
moved
no
more
,
One
Eye
stalked
over
to
the
she-wolf
.
His
carriage
was
one
of
mingled
triumph
and
caution
.
He
was
plainly
expectant
of
a
rebuff
,
and
he
was
just
as
plainly
surprised
when
her
teeth
did
not
flash
out
at
him
in
anger
.
For
the
first
time
she
met
him
with
a
kindly
manner
.
She
sniffed
noses
with
him
,
and
even
condescended
to
leap
about
and
frisk
and
play
with
him
in
quite
puppyish
fashion
.
And
he
,
for
all
his
grey
years
and
sage
experience
,
behaved
quite
as
puppyishly
and
even
a
little
more
foolishly
.
279
Forgotten
already
were
the
vanquished
rivals
and
the
love-tale
red-written
on
the
snow
.
280
Forgotten
,
save
once
,
when
old
One
Eye
stopped
for
a
moment
to
lick
his
stiffening
wounds
.
Then
it
was
that
his
lips
half
writhed
into
a
snarl
,
and
the
hair
of
his
neck
and
shoulders
involuntarily
bristled
,
while
he
half
crouched
for
a
spring
,
his
claws
spasmodically
clutching
into
the
snow-surface
for
firmer
footing
.
But
it
was
all
forgotten
the
next
moment
,
as
he
sprang
after
the
she-wolf
,
who
was
coyly
leading
him
a
chase
through
the
woods
.