Of course, Luka was already waiting for me, always knowing in advance when I would arrive. He was sitting on the porch, tinkering with something as usual. When I approached, he lifted his head.
"Well, there you are. Have some kvass after your journey," he nodded towards a jug standing in the shade.
I happily downed a cup.
"So, you've parted ways with your old life?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Something like that. You look lighter, as if a mountain's been lifted from your shoulders. It's the right decision, otherwise there'd be no peace for you or your family. This way, who knows, you might find yourself a she-bear, and you'll live happily ever after, raising bear cubs," he laughed.
"You mean, an actual she-bear?" I asked, worried without quite understanding why.
"Ah, I'm joking, forgive an old man. But you know, there's a grain of truth in every joke. What I mean is, maybe you'll meet a huntress or someone like that, someone you don't have to hide from. And who knows, maybe you really will settle down with someone. But truth be told, hunters usually live alone, and for a long time — unless some nasty creature cripples them, of course."
"You mean, longer than a human?"
"Much longer. The regeneration from the beast form plays a part. How old do you think I am?"
"Before, I thought maybe sixty. Now I don't even know what to think."
"To be honest, I don't really remember myself. But in my youth, I fought in the Patriotic War."
"You mean the Great Patriotic War of 1945?"
"No, the one in 1812, under Kutuzov, against Napoleon. I even made it to Paris."
"How old does that make you?"
"Like I said, I don't know. I didn't even know how old I was back then — I wasn't taught to read and write. But that was my last war; I stopped meddling in human affairs after that."
"And you've been alone all this time?"
"No, I've had pupils. And..." he paused, "...I had a love, you see."
Having said this, he fell silent for a long time. He sat there, having stopped working, staring at the ground. There was something in his silence that made me hesitant to break it. But suddenly, he started moving his hands again and spoke.
"She, you see, taught me to read and write. Yes, that was a long time ago. I met her in the forest — I saw her walking, looking around. Well, I darted behind the trees and followed her quietly. Until she shifted into a vixen and immediately sensed me. I stepped out, you see, and turned back into a man, and she into a maiden. And so, you see, we became acquainted. After that, I brought her to live in my hut. Though, I lived in a different place back then. And we lived, as they say, without a care. But she loved her kin very much, missed them. She said: 'I want to go visit them.' I tried to dissuade her, but she wouldn't hear of it. One day she went anyway. They started questioning her, like, how did you survive in the forest? And she went and revealed herself to them."
"And what happened?" escaped my lips when he fell silent.
"Nothing good. They stabbed her with pitchforks right then and there — her own kin, her father and brothers." He stopped again, staring at the ground. Suddenly he stood up. "I'm going to check the fishing weirs."
And he walked off towards the river. I remained sitting, digesting what I'd heard. Luka returned when I was already setting the table in the hut. He was back to his usual self, smiled, and said:
"Forgive an old man, I got a bit sentimental. It's a sad story. But I'll finish it, since I started. Afterwards, of course, I got angry and did some things in the heat of the moment. The villagers from three different settlements tried to catch me after that. So, I left that place. I live here now. Besides the beasts and you, no one knows I'm here."
"What about the local people?"
"Well, for one, they're far from here. And I have wards on all the paths — if I don't want someone to come, no one will find their way here. Besides, everyone thinks this swamp is impassable. And if I need to go somewhere, I only run as a fox. It's best to keep away from people. We, you see, aren't quite people anymore."
"Then what are we?"
"Who knows?" he answered in the same tone. "Not-people, I suppose."
"There's something else I wanted to ask..."
"Well, ask."
"Why did you choose a bear for me, specifically?"
"But I didn't choose. The bear showed up a week before you returned from the city, sniffing you out."
"Then how does it work?"
"Think for yourself. Why did you suddenly see that basilisk, and even manage to kill it? Why did I run down that particular path? Why did the bear come after you decided to become a hunter? A whole chain of coincidences. Are they random? What do you think?"
"I don't know what to think. That's why I asked."
"Thought old Luka arranged it all? But even I could hardly have taken that basilisk head-on. I might have sensed it in advance and figured out a way to trick it. My point is, a force much greater than old Luka was at work here. Nature herself, Mother Earth, finds her protectors. This Unliving is not alive, it's utterly contrary to her. And Nature maintains balance. So, you see, we are the ones who oppose this Unliving on behalf of, so to speak, Mother Nature. That's why you're here, and that's why I will teach you. So, you eat, rest, and tomorrow we'll continue your training."
The next morning, we were standing again between the forest and the hut. Luka gave me the amulet. It was whole, meaning the two parts that the bear and I had worn separately were now joined together.
"Now listen. First, get undressed, then put on the amulet. The bear's consciousness, driven by instinct, will return, and it's difficult to control. But without that control, it's pointless, of course, because you'll just be an unthinking beast. Therefore, you face a serious test. Try walking as the bear and gradually take over control. Try not to go too far in the forest. On our bear's territory, you're safe, he won't harm you. But if you wander into foreign lands, a fight is unavoidable. And you're not a real bear, so you could get hurt. When it's time, the amulet will bring you back."
He patted me on the shoulder and went into the hut. I stood holding the amulet, hesitant to put it on. I understood that I was about to turn into a bear. That's why Luka had left — so I would make this decision and face its consequences on my own. I shrugged. Truth be told, all the decisions had already been made long ago. No point in dithering. I undressed, piled my clothes on the porch, and put on the amulet.
A heap of sensations rushed into my consciousness again, sweeping away all remaining thoughts. It became uncomfortable to stand, and I dropped down, placing my hands in front of me. But they were no longer hands; they were bear paws. I lumbered forward a few steps — it felt perfectly natural. I shuffled into the forest, immediately feeling hungry. For the next three days, this feeling was dominant — the bear was constantly hungry. I moved along practically the same route the bear and I had taken before. Berries, nuts, honey again. But now, subtly, I tried to be more resourceful, and I managed to gather more food, so the bear's nature didn't particularly object to the loss of control. By the third day, I was almost fully in control of the bear, even changing the habitual route and finding a large hazel grove. It was then that the amulet drew me back to Luka's hut.
I emerged from the forest. Luka was already waiting.
"Ah, there you are," he said, coming over and patting me on the shoulder — or rather, on the back. "Alright, let me take the amulet off."
This time there was no deafening effect, and I noticed that some of the beast's sensations remained — not fully, not distinctly, but they were there.
"Well, there you go. Off to the bathhouse with you. This time, I hope you can manage on your own?"
I just nodded in reply — I didn't feel much like talking. And, balancing awkwardly on two legs, I trudged towards the bathhouse. In the bathhouse, I steamed myself a few times and doused myself with well water. Luka had left my clothes in the anteroom, where I got dressed afterwards. I returned to the hut in a normal state.
"Enjoy the steam," he said, pouring from a jug. "Here, have some kvass."
I nodded again.
"No, that won't do. Start answering like a human, not nodding your head like a dumb beast."
"Thank you," I replied, not recognizing my own voice.
"Yeah, you're welcome," he chuckled. "Now, walk around as a man. And to not waste time, you'll start on the theory."
He stood up, took a large book from the wall cabinet, and placed it in front of me.
"Here you are, you see. My vixen started this, and I finished it later myself."
I opened the leather cover. Inside were thick sheets with drawings and inscriptions in Old Church Slavonic letters.
"What? Don't understand? Don't worry, you'll figure it out gradually. It's parchment. My little vixen was very literate and knew how to draw. Her grandfather was something of an icon painter, he taught her. So, she would ask me about various Unliving creatures, then draw them and write descriptions. Well, of course, she'd seen some of them herself — then she'd just ask what to expect from them and how to overcome them. So now, study it, so you'll know what's what."
The book described a multitude of different creatures. Some were familiar from fairy tales, but there were also beings I'd never heard of before. At first, the old church font and the style of writing were inconvenient, but over time it smoothed out, and the discomfort faded. Luka just sat and chuckled, watching me furrow my brow while reading.
"Read, read, but don't rely too much on book learning. In a dangerous situation, you can forget everything in an instant. But it doesn't hurt to know. As you gain experience, things from the book will start falling into place in your head."
Five days later, after breakfast, I was sitting with the book as usual when Luka came in.
"Right, time to get back to practice. Here, I'll put this away for now." He came over, took the book, and put it back in the wall cabinet, then fetched the amulet. "If you're ready, let's go. Time for the next stage."
We went outside. He gave me the amulet.
"Here, take it. And get undressed first. Then, take the cord with both hands and slowly put the amulet over your head. Try to remember everything that happens to you, and in what order. And better sit down right away — it's uncomfortable for a bear to stand."
I sat down and slowly put the amulet on over my head. The transformation process began immediately. When all the transition processes subsided, Luka said:
"Now take it off, just as slowly, and again try to remember what happens and how."
I did as he said.
"Now repeat."
I did this about ten times before he took the amulet from me and did something to it.
"Again." And he gave me the amulet.
After another ten such donnings and removals, Luka took it back and did something to it again, without showing me what. We practiced like this until lunch, when I noticed there was nothing left on the cord.
"But how?"
"That's how. Thought it was all about the amulet? No, it's all in you. You're a shapeshifter, not a piece of wood. Now, try it without any hand movements, just reproduce the sensations of putting on and taking off the amulet."
It didn't work right away, but it started to come. After a dozen shifts, Luka patted me on the shoulder.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Get dressed and go to the hut to rest. Read if you want, if you're not completely worn out."
I went into the hut. I didn't feel particularly tired, so I took out the book, wanting to memorize as much as possible. Luka went off somewhere — he usually didn't even say he was leaving or for how long. When the time came, I started setting the table. By the time everything was ready, Luka had returned. We sat down to dinner.
"So, your form is a fox?"
"No, of course not! What kind of fighter is a fox? Too small. I just go everywhere as a fox, that's why they call me the Black Fox. The fox is convenient — small, inconspicuous, can slip through anywhere, and has a sharp nose."
"So, if you want to turn into someone else, do you have to learn it the same way?"
"No, that's only for the main form, so to speak, the combat form. For another form, like the fox or anyone else — that's just an image. When we're done with the bear, I'll tell you what and how. But for now, don't clutter your head, study your lessons," he smiled, nodding at the book.
