The snow crunched beneath her paws, the frost burned her skin, her breath turned into a cloud of white steam. Tia walked for a long time, not knowing where, only forward. Her body was heavy, full of life—she was waiting for the puppies, and this was the only thing that kept her going. She understood: she couldn’t lie down, she couldn’t freeze, otherwise they would all p.e ŕish.
The trees bowed under the weight of the frost, the wind howled, as if trying to drown out her faint moan. She walked until she felt she had no more strength. Then she sank down into the snow and closed her eyes. The world slowly faded, but suddenly a light shone amid the whiteness.
People.
They approached cautiously; one knelt, extended his hand, and said:
«Quiet, girl. Everything will be alright.»
Tia didn’t recognize these voices, but there was something in their warmth that made her want to believe. They carefully picked her up, covered her with a warm blanket, and took her to the shelter. There, among the walls and care, a miracle happened: she gave birth to fifteen puppies. All alive. All breathing. Little warm bundles, greedily seeking milk.
The rescuers watched and c.r ìed. No one believed she would survive. But Tia didn’t give up. Her heart beat only to save her babies.
Days passed. The puppies grew. Tia, though tired but happy, surrounded them with care. People brought food, clean bedding, and helped. For the first time in her life, she felt like she wasn’t alone. And then something inexplicable happened.
One night, when it was snowing again outside, the shelter suddenly became unusually quiet. The puppies were sleeping, and Tia raised her head and heard a distant ringing. It was like bells, like the wind, like music all at once. Light filled the room, and a figure appeared before her—not quite a person, not quite a shadow.
«You endured,» said a voice, soft and infinitely kind. «You proved that a mother’s heart is stronger than cold and d.e αth.»
Tia wasn’t afraid. She merely looked down at her children and sighed. «I want only one thing… for them to have life. For them to know the love I never knew.»
The figure smiled. Light spilled into the room, and each puppy’s body glowed with a soft radiance. They began to grow before her very eyes: their paws stretched, their eyes opened, their fur thickened. In a matter of minutes, fifteen adult dogs stood before Tia, strong and beautiful. Each had its own coloring, its own look, but they all shared one thing: an unusual radiance in their eyes, as if they held a piece of miracle.
«They are no longer helpless,» the voice said. «They will guard this world, bring goodness to it. Each of them will find a home, but they will always remember you.»
Tia felt a lightness fill her body. The frosty heaviness vanished, the p.a ìn subsided. She stood up, looked at her grown children, and smiled for the first time.
Since then, legends have been told about them. People told of a dog who once led a lost child out of the forest. Another, of one who saved a family from a burning house. A third, of one who found a lost old man and led him to the village.
And always, in the stories, there was Tiya—a wise dog with eyes full of light. Some saw her in snowy fields, others on the road, leading dogs forward. No one knew whether she was truly alive or had become a guardian spirit.
But everyone believed in one thing: her heart, having survived the cold and loneliness, became the heart of an entire pack. And as long as her children walk the earth, there is still a little more kindness in the world.
Tiya was more than just a dog. She became a legend.
➕
