Shono

In the boundless Steppe stood a camp of nomads. They lived a quiet life, brewed Kalmyk tea in the morning, herded sheep and raised children.

One evening, a dust storm arose in the Steppe. The winds raised the sand to the skies, demolished and tore the felt from the walls of the gers, the nomads’ tents.

Little Shono slept peacefully in a chest under a camel blanket, but the vicious wind turned over the chest and lifted her into the air. The wind carried Shono far across the Steppe and flung her down into a ravine amidst the tumbleweeds and camel thorns. Shono’s mother and father shouted for her all over the Steppe. They cried and called her name, but little Shono could not be found.

A she-wolf came upon Shono in the ravine. She gently lifted Shono in her mouth and carried her back to her den. Shono lived with the wolves and grew strong. She learned to hunt, sing wolf songs, run fast, and see in the dark.

One day, the wolves went out to look for a new home. They walked for three days and three nights and came to the camp of the nomads. At night, the wolves planned to steal sheep from the people. As darkness fell, the wolves crept toward the camp. Shono went with them. After all, she was a good hunter.

Suddenly they saw a coven of Shulmas, the evil Steppe Spirits, lurking in the shadows. The Shulmas were there to take the souls of the people. Shono watched silently, but suddenly her eyes were drawn to the figures of two sleeping people, and her heart began to pound in her chest. Shono crawled closer and closer, until the faces of her beloved parents came clearly into view. As a Shulma leaned over them to take their souls, Shono jumped out of her hiding place and attacked the Shulma, tearing her apart. She rushed to her parents and hugged them, and they cried when they recognized their Shono.

Since then, the nomads and wolves have lived peacefully as neighbors in the endless Steppe.