But something happened that he could not expect.

The lion took a step forward, then another.

The man froze, not daring to breathe. And suddenly the huge animal bowed its head and… licked his hands.

Then its face. Its rough tongue was unexpectedly warm and alive. It seemed that the lion was thanking the man who saved it from death.

They looked into each other’s eyes – a man and a wild animal, who were bound together by a moment of despair and struggle.

And then the lion turned around abruptly and with a leisurely gait disappeared into the thickets, dissolving into the wild forest.