On opposite sides of a dark forest lived two girls named Olga and Lidia, bound by a friendship as old as their earliest memories. Throughout spring, summer, and autumn, the forest welcomed their laughter as they crossed its paths to visit one another, sometimes meeting halfway to play beneath the canopy of leaves. But when winter arrived, everything changed.
The cold months brought strict rules. Since the girls could remember their first steps, their fathers had forbidden them from entering the forest alone during winter. The warnings were always the same: wolves prowled the frozen woods, desperate with hunger as their usual prey vanished into hibernation. A lone child would be easy prey for starving predators. The fathers spoke with such conviction that the girls never questioned their words.
Winter meant loneliness for Olga and Lidia. The snow-covered months stretched endlessly without their cherished visits. Sometimes, when a fresh snowfall blanketed the earth overnight, Olga would plead with her father to escort her across the forest. He owned a shotgun and understood his daughter’s longing, so occasionally he would find time to accompany her to Lidia’s home. These visits were rare treasures that made the isolation bearable.
If you liked this story, see our Central African folktales collection
The year the girls turned fourteen, Olga’s mother was heavily pregnant with twins. One morning, Olga woke to that peculiar brightness that only snow creates—a crisp, white light filtering through the window that announced the world had transformed overnight. She leaped from her warm bed, her bare feet shocked by the icy floor, and rushed to confirm what she already knew. The garden lay buried beneath a pristine white blanket, the forest beyond it transformed into a winter wonderland.
Excitement surging through her veins, Olga searched for her parents. She called through every room, but the house stood eerily silent and empty. At the back door, she cracked it open and called into the frigid morning air, but only her muffled echo answered, bouncing off distant tree trunks. Shivering, she closed the door, her mind racing. Where had they gone without telling her?
Wrapped in her warmest layers, Olga trudged to the garden shed through the crunching snow, too anxious to appreciate its beauty. Inside, she checked the spot where her father kept his shotgun. It was gone. Her heart sank with understanding—her parents had crossed the forest, undoubtedly headed to Lidia’s house where her friend’s mother, a doctor, had been monitoring the pregnancy.
But why leave so early? Why not wake her? Something was wrong.
Without hesitation, Olga buttoned her coat and stepped into the falling snow. Icy flakes clung to her hair as she followed her parents’ fading footprints out the gate and toward the forest. She knew every twist and turn of the path so intimately that the snow-covered ground didn’t frighten her, yet an involuntary shiver of fear crept up her spine. She had never walked these woods alone in winter.
The bare branches seemed to reach for her like skeletal fingers. The wind whistled between the trees, following her like a ghost. Her breathing quickened, her footsteps thundered in her ears like gunshots, and her heart pounded against her ribs.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from behind snow-laden bushes. Olga leaped back, expecting fangs and claws, but instead saw a man wrapped in thick fur with a wide-brimmed black hat and a rifle slung across his shoulder.
“Didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, his voice low and rough. He pushed back his hat brim, revealing thick gray eyebrows, hollow cheeks, and a long white scar cutting from his bottom lip to his chin. “You shouldn’t be out here alone. It’s dangerous for little girls like you.”
“I’m not little,” Olga retorted, “and I know it’s dangerous.”
“You should listen to your father,” the man said, his lip curling to reveal chipped, yellowing teeth. “He’s right to warn you.”
“I need to go,” Olga said, attempting to move past him.
He stepped in front of her, grinning in a way that made her stomach turn. “Now, now. I can’t leave a little girl like you to wander off alone, can I?”
“I’ll be fine. I know the way.”
“Why don’t I walk with you? Just to be sure.”
Terror prickled across Olga’s skin. She tried to pass him again, but he seized her arm and yanked her backward. She cried out, her voice echoing through the trees. As she struggled, the thunder of approaching feet made her turn just as an enormous gray wolf launched herself at the man’s throat. Within seconds, he lay face-down in the snow, bright red blood staining the white ground around him.
The wolf turned to Olga, who stood frozen, certain she would be next. Her father’s warnings screamed inside her head.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Olga blinked, looking around for the speaker. But there was no one, only the wolf, whose muscles had relaxed, her eyes still fixed on Olga.
“I…I’m sorry?” Olga stammered.
“It’s all right. You’re safe now,” the wolf said calmly.
“I don’t understand. Aren’t you going to kill me too?”
The wolf made a sound like laughter. “Of course not! I have all the food I need right here. Besides, you’re no threat to us. Not like these men who hunt us for our fur, shooting us down and leaving our meat to waste. Such wasteful creatures.”
Olga shook her head in disbelief. “Are you saying that if I met any wolf in this forest, I’d be safe?”
The wolf seemed to smile. “That’s right. Your mother knows this. I’m surprised she never told you.”
“You know my mother?”
“She walks here all year round, Olga. She knows she’s safe among us. Women and wolves have been allies in this forest for centuries.”
“Then why does my father tell me to stay away? Why has he taught me to fear you?”
“Because he still believes we’re dangerous, because he himself is a danger to us. Your mother has tried to convince him, but he won’t listen. Peace exists only when neither side threatens the other. As you’ve just seen, this forest isn’t entirely safe—not when men roam with guns and cruel intentions.”
Olga’s mind spun with revelation, but suddenly she remembered her urgency. “I must go! My parents crossed the forest this morning. I think something’s wrong with my mother.”
“I’ll walk with you,” the wolf said. She threw back her head and released a piercing howl that ricocheted between the trees. Within moments, rustling filled the forest as wolves emerged from all directions. They each nodded to Olga before surrounding the dead man’s body.
“We should go,” said the wolf.
They walked swiftly through the frozen woods, their conversation exhausted. When they reached the cottage on the far side, the wolf stopped.
“This is where I leave you.”
“Thank you.”
“I wish good health to all your family.”
Olga smiled. “And I to yours.”
As the wolf disappeared into the trees, Olga heard her father’s voice calling from the cottage. He ran up the path toward her, having spotted the departing wolf.
“Olga! Be careful!”
But by the time he reached her, the wolf had vanished.
“It’s all right,” Olga said. “I was safe with her.”
Her father stared in confusion, and only then did Olga notice the tears streaming down his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, suddenly frightened. “Father, what happened?”
To her surprise, he smiled through his tears. “You have a new brother and sister. Come inside and meet them.”
Olga never convinced her father that wolves were harmless. Instead, she and her mother raised the twins with the truth, teaching them respect for all forest creatures. Now when winter falls, Olga still crosses the forest to visit her friend, knowing the wolves will always protect her.
The Moral
This story teaches us that fear is often passed down through generations without question, but wisdom comes from experience and open hearts. Traditional beliefs about danger may sometimes mask deeper truths about alliance and mutual respect. Women and wolves both historically misunderstood and feared share a bond of protection when given the chance to coexist peacefully. The real predators are not always the ones we’ve been warned about, and true safety comes from understanding nature rather than fearing it. Sometimes the monsters we’re taught to fear are allies, while those who appear civilized harbor the real threat.
Knowledge Check
Q1: What is the significance of the alliance between women and wolves in this story?
A: The alliance symbolizes mutual respect and understanding between two groups historically misunderstood by patriarchal society. Both women and wolves have been unfairly portrayed as dangerous, when in reality they protect each other from actual threats men with guns and cruel intentions. The centuries-old bond represents how marginalized groups find safety in solidarity.
Q2: Why does Olga’s father warn against wolves while her mother knows they’re safe?
A: This represents generational and gendered knowledge. Olga’s father clings to traditional fears and sees wolves as threats because he himself is armed and poses danger to them. Olga’s mother, however, has direct experience walking among wolves year-round and understands the truth. The father’s refusal to listen symbolizes how fear-based beliefs persist despite contrary evidence.
Q3: What does the man with the scar represent in the fairy tale?
A: The scarred man represents the true predator in the forest not the wolves, but men with violent intentions toward vulnerable women and children. His appearance subverts the traditional “Big Bad Wolf” trope by showing that human men, not wild animals, are often the real danger to young girls in isolated places.
Q4: How does this story reinterpret traditional fairy tale warnings about forests and wolves?
A: Traditional tales like “Little Red Riding Hood” use wolves as metaphors for dangerous men, teaching girls to fear the forest. This retelling makes the metaphor literal: actual wolves are allies, while the real wolves (predatory men) disguise themselves in human form. It empowers rather than frightens, teaching girls to trust their instincts and recognize true threats.
Q5: What is the symbolic meaning of Olga crossing the forest alone despite her father’s warnings?
A: Olga’s journey represents female coming-of-age and breaking free from limiting patriarchal rules designed to keep women dependent and confined. By crossing the forest alone, she discovers truth through experience rather than accepting inherited fear. Her act of defiance leads to wisdom, alliance, and ultimately the protection of future generations (her twin siblings).
Q6: Why is it significant that Olga’s mother is giving birth during this story?
A: The birth of the twins symbolizes new life and new ways of thinking. Just as Olga is “born” into awareness about the wolves, her siblings will be raised with this truth from the start. The timing suggests that breaking cycles of fear-based teaching must happen at the moment of new generation, ensuring children inherit wisdom rather than unfounded fear.
