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Brave Mal

Once upon a time, in a distant magical forest at the foot of a mountain, lived little creatures called Milts. They had grey skin, like stone, four nimble fingers on each hand and foot, and large, pointy ears to hear the whisper of the wind in the grass. The Milts wore long grey cloaks with wide belts and straw hats. Every year, little birds brought them straws in their beaks, from which the creatures made their favorite hats.

The Milts adored celebrating the New Year – one of the warmest and most magical holiday. They sang, danced, decorated everything around, and prepared gifts for each other.

But one day, disaster struck: on one New Year's Eve, a large wolf with blue fur and horns on its head attacked the Milts. It trampled the fir tree and the gifts, and also ate all the holiday food. The monster hated the New Year and attacked the Milts only once a year, precisely on this holiday. The little creatures named the monster Woolhorn. And so, Woolhorn attacked the Milts every New Year for several years in a row, until one brave Milt named Mal decided to put an end to this horror. Mal went to the most important among the Milts, whom everyone called Elder.

– Elder, tell me, is there no way to deal with the monster? – asked Mal.

– Hmm, – Elder pondered. – There is a way, of course, but not every Milt would dare to leave the forest and venture into unfamiliar lands.

– Please tell me anyway. The Milts also want to celebrate the New Year and have fun, like all creatures in the world.

– Alright, I see you truly care for your friends, so I will tell you how to get rid of the monster. Do you see that star over there?

Mal peered in the direction Elder was pointing, then replied:

– Yes, it's the brightest of all the stars.

– Good, – nodded Elder. – Follow it for six days; on the seventh day, you will see an ice palace. The winter wizard lives there. This wizard is very powerful: they say he can grant you one wish if he sees goodness in you. The wish must not be selfish, but I'm sure you can handle that, – smiled Elder.

– Thank you, Elder! I will wish for all Milts to be able to celebrate the New Year peacefully without Woolhorn, – said the brave Mal.

– But beware, Mal, the world beyond this forest is dangerous. You will have to take care of yourself, – warned Elder.

– I'm not afraid. The outside world has always seemed interesting to me. Besides, we Milts haven't been able to celebrate the New Year since Woolhorn appeared in the magical forest. We want to feel again the lightness and warmth from the anticipation of the miracle that this bright holiday grants us.

Elder slowly nodded and then said:

– We all want the same. Good luck to you, Mal!

After saying goodbye to Elder and the other Milts, Mal followed the brightest star in the sky.

Mal followed the star, as Elder had told him, and reached the edge of the forest. The Milts were small, timid creatures who had never left the magical forest. However, Mal so wanted them to be able to celebrate the New Year in peace again that he dared to take such a serious step.

– Would you look at that, caw, a little Mal is walking, – said someone from above.

Mal looked up and noticed three huge ravens on a high tree branch. They kept twisting their heads from side to side, examining Mal with their black eyes.