– Mom! Mom! – Tashik desperately called for his mother, because he always knew when his mother would protect him from any danger.
One day, the bear cub fell off the bank into the rushing river, which carried him in a stream right onto the rocks. Tashik desperately beat the water with his paws, but he could not swim ashore, it was too far to him. A little more and Tashik would have crashed against the rocky cliffs, but someone grabbed him by the skin and dragged him to a safe shallow shore. She was the strongest and bravest mom in the world. Tashik hugged his mother by the neck, and she severely punished Tashik, leaving him without honey and raspberries in the evening. But the Bear was not angry, he knew that his mother loved him and was very afraid that he would drown.
And his mother read him bedtime stories about a pot of porridge and about a berry meadow. These were the bear's favorite fairy tales. He imagined how he would find a pot of porridge and eat it with his paws, and the porridge in the pot would not end. And he also dreamed of finding a clearing where there would be a lot of red, sweet and juicy berries. He will collect them with his paws right into his mouth.
Lightning flashed and it became as bright as day in the black forest. The bear cub saw a large hollow near the stump behind which he was hiding and ran to him. A thunderclap tore apart the sky and earth with a crash. Tashik rolled head over heels into the hollow before the terrible downpour began. Large drops knocked on tree trunks, washing away leaves and weak needles.
– Who are you? – Asked from somewhere in the depths of the hollow.
– I am Tashik the bear. And who are you?
– My name is Apricot, because I am a redhead.
The leaves rustled and a huge tail first appeared in front of Tashik, then the squirrel itself. She smiled and handed the bear a nut.
– Don't be afraid, it can't rain forever.
– Thank you, but I'm not afraid, what makes you think? Well, maybe just a little. Especially when the thunder was thundering.
Tashik took a nut and began to gnaw it to extract the middle.
They gnawed nuts and chatted with Apricot until the rain stopped.
– Thank you, Apricot!
– Goodbye, Tashik, I'll see you again!
The bear waved to his new friend and walked on, looking for a way out of this dark and scary thicket.