Читать книгу The Secrets Of Friendship. Fairy Tales From Magic Forests - Nataliya Vasilyeva - Страница 3

Bear cub Barry and wolf pup Grey were best friends and went to the same school. Wolf pup Lance was Grey’s classmate and neighbour. He was a bully and a show-off, and his only friend bear Oik was also a bully. Lance and Oik often teased Grey and took him as a weakling, maybe because Grey was raised well by his parents and never responded to rudeness.

Once, the school director announced that in a month’s time, in the forest, there would be a running competition among the wolf pups. Hearing this, Lance wanted to offend Grey again, so attracting the attention of all his classmates, he said loudly, «Grey, do you really want to compete with me? You’re a weakling, and cannot even stand up for yourself! You don’t have the guts for that!»

I must say that Grey at the beginning thought of taking part in the race, but after such mockery by Lance, he began to doubt that he could win the race. Upset, Grey went home.

The words of Lance filled his mind, and he was so focused on them, that he didn’t hear Barry knock on the door. The door to the house was open, so the concerned bear went inside. He saw his sad and thoughtful friend and asked, «What happened?»

Grey did not want Barry to find out that he was being nicknamed «Weakling». He was ashamed to admit that he could not stand up for himself.

«Everything is fine. I’m just tired,» Grey lied, feeling ashamed of himself.

Barry had known his friend for a very long time and knew that something was bothering him. He decided to distract Grey from his sad thoughts and asked him, «Are you going to participate in the competition?»

«No, I won’t,» answered the wolf.

«Why not? You run fast,» the surprised bear continued to ask his friend.

“Yes, but not faster than the other wolves run,” muttered Grey.

Barry felt that his best friend was not sure of himself, and said, “Be more confident, you can do it. I’ll train you a little, and you’ll definitely win.”

Grey thought, “If my friend assures me of my victory, why not take a chance?” and the wolf agreed with Barry to start training him.

On the day of the competition Lance ran up to Grey and wanted to mock him, but Grey showed his teeth and growled, demonstrating his willingness to stand up for himself. Lance did not expect such resistance and retreated, and Grey finally lost his uncertainty and was now absolutely ready to compete. He was the first to finish, but shared his victory with his friend Barry.

Why do you think this happened? Because the bear helped his friend to gain the confidence that was necessary to win. And that’s how true friends act!